How Buildings Add Value for Clients

The benefits delivered by well-designed business premises are often intangible and thus overlooked in favour of low cost solutions. Current market-based approaches to property valuations frequently neglect to take account of the costs and benefits that can accrue through 'design investment' - investment that is specifically targeted towards increasing the quality of a building so it better meets the needs of the clients. How Buildings Add Value for Clients considers a building as an economic instrument that can serve to maximise a client's return on their investment. It examines the problem of managing a building as an investment and discusses how a well-designed and constructed asset can deliver greater capital returns for the client in the form of business benefits. This book offers a clear understanding of how buildings impact on organisations and, crucially, how they can enhance client's business processes. The authors have developed an asset value matrix to assess the benefits of design investment, which can be used to identify and analyse the generic attributes of buildings that influence organisational performance. The book draws from international research, academic papers, and recent press coverage to develop a greater understanding about design quality and the influence this has on buildings in use. Endorsed by the Confederation of Construction Clients, this work will help develop a better understanding of the benefits that buildings can deliver to clients, which will lead to greater client awareness and understanding of their own requirements and a greater ability to communicate them to designers. Although the focus is on buildings, the argument also applies to many infrastructure investments and so will be essential reading for all construction clients.