Every design and construction project involves expectations: those of the owner, the users, the architect, and the contractor. Managing expectations is critical to success, not only in the creation of a design that meets the intended goals of the project, but in the development of a full understanding of how design decisions--by the owner, users, and designers--become translated into spatial relationships and physical characteristics that enable and enhance function. Too often, the architect assumes he or she knows what the owner needs and wants. The owner assumes that the architect understands that and can execute all of the detail necessary to create spaces that successfully provide for those needs and wants.

This presentation is intended to, provocatively and candidly, discuss the issue of managing expectations. We believe that it would be valuable to engage the audience as much as possible in this dialog. Two of the presenters will use portable microphones and make statements from the audience area to the other two presenters "on stage." We will ask the audience for opinions and reaction during the course of the session. There are no experts in the management of expectations and the presenters believe that an open discussion will more effectively address the issues raised.

Some of the issues we will raise, which should elicit audience participation, are:

-Architects don't understand how buildings actually are used, operated, maintained.
-Owners don't understand what it takes to properly document a project for design and construction.
-Owners don't want to pay for the above and the profession has let them get away with it.
-Owners must realize they can't get something for nothing.
-Owners must realize that mistakes are made and that there is a difference between an error and an omission.
-Owners need to describe what they need, everything they need at the beginning of the project and architects need to be able to get that out of the owner.
-Owners cannot describe what they really need because they are thinking on a different perceptual level; users don't understand "space".
-Architects often put "design" ahead of function and "reality"
-Architects don't really understand what it takes to make a function work spatially or what "stuff" may be placed in the spaces they design.
-Projects need a translator: to help owners/users understand the architect and the architect understand the owner/users.
-Construction is fundamentally different than the business of healthcare, except both lose money very easily.
-A/Es should expect to do a lot of fieldwork in an existing building. Owners don't always have good documentation even if they think they do.
-Low bid is not necessarily the lowest cost of construction nor is it representative of the true cost.
-Design/build is not a panacea.
-Architects need to admit how much they don't know about construction.
-Owners need to admit how much they don't know about architecture and construction.

These concerns are applicable to all design and construction, but are especially crucial in healthcare. The highly technical nature of today's medical practice demands exceptional knowledge on the part of the designer; an ability to communicate with healthcare staff expeditiously and effectively; and a complete understanding by the owner of the unique nature of design and construction in this building type.

This session may not produce definitive answers on how to manage expectations. It is our intent to begin a conversation between owners and architects on differences in expectations and how we can collectively be more effective in reducing those differences and thus eliminate the most significant source of problems in healthcare design projects.