With the growth of sustainable building design, engineers are playing an increasingly important role in the selection of building products with many now working as Sustainability Consultants.
This report tells what they like and dislike about web sites and how they use literature. It also gives an insight into their attitudes to relationship building activities such as seminars and sales visits and how they write specifications.
Engineers are having an increasingly important influence on the specification of building products, especially as an increasing number are taking on the role of Sustainability Consultant, advising the architect and client at all stages of the building’s design and construction as well as undertake calculations or assessments associated with SAP, SBEM, BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The internet is the key channel for gathering of information be it online journals, technical data, literature downloads or webinars. It is often selected because of speed of access, ease of search and availability of up to date information. There is also a developing trend not to have manufacturer hard copy literature or libraries.
There is still a role for the hard copy journal, but this seems to be used in a complementary manner to its online equivalent. Exhibitions and conferences are considered a useful way to keep informed, but only a select number of events are visited.
The personal relationship between the manufacturer and the engineer is not as strong as is the case with architects. Visits are less frequent, and in many cases not required. However there is regular reference to technical information either by contact with manufacturers’ technical advisory services or through the use of NBS Plus.
Most specifications written by engineers are performance, although there is an element of nominated specifications. Is this the reason for, or the result of, the limited contact with manufacturers?
The incidence of CPD seminars provided by manufacturers is also much lower, with the professional bodies playing an important role in providing this.
1. Management Summary
2. Objectives and Methodology
- Respondent Disciplines
- Additional disciplines of Sustainability Consultants
- Respondent Job Titles
- Proportion of respondents working in each sector
- Cross-over between sectors
3. Sources of Information
- When you are seeking information on legislation and standards where do you look? (Unprompted)
- When you are looking for information on new products where do you look first? (Unprompted)
- If you require information on a known product where do you look first? (unprompted)
- If that does not provide the information you require where would you look next? (unprompted)
- Sources of Information: First & Second Choice
4. Trade Journals
- Which Industry Trade journals do you read on a regular basis? (unprompted)
- Which types of information do you look at?
- How Much credibility do you give news articles?
- How Much credibility do you give Project Stories?
- How Much credibility do you give Technical Articles?
- How Much credibility do you give to New Product Information?
- How Much credibility do you give to Advertisements?
- Content considered very credible
- What other items do you find interesting? (unprompted)
5. Product Cards
- Do you refer to product cards for information?
- From which publications do you use these? (unprompted)
- What type of information are you looking for in the product cards? (unprompted)
- How useful do you find the information that product cards contain?
6. Internet and Digital Data
- Do you read online newsletters?
- What content of online newsletters do you find of interest?
- Which online newsletters do you read?
- Are you a member of any online communities?
- Membership of online communities
- How useful do you find online communities?
- Have you used a webinar?
- If Yes, from whom do you view webinars?
- If Yes, how frequently do you use webinars?
- Do you use Twitter?
- Which internet search engine do you principally use? (unprompted)
- Necessary features on a manufacturer's website (unprompted)
- Useful features on a manufacturer's website (unprompted)
- Desirable features on a manufacturer's website? (unprompted)
- Irritating features on a manufacturer's website? (unprompted)
- Examples of good manufacturer's web sites (unprompted)
7. Product Directories
- Do you refer to product directories on the internet?
- If Yes, which one do you use the most? (unprompted)
- Reasons for selecting Product Directories
- Do you refer to paper based product directories?
- If Yes, which one do you use most?
- Do you prefer to use electronic or hard copy product directories?
- Why do you prefer paper copies?
- Why do you prefer electronic copies?
8. Literature
- How often do you download PDFs of manufacturer's literature?
- Do you use manufacturer supplied CDs and DVDs?
- Does your practice have a library of manufacturers’ literature?
- Location of practices without a library
- Does your practice use the Uniclass or CI/SfB system?
- Is hard copy literature still required?
- Link between library and Literature Requirement
- Why hard copy literature is still required
- Why hard copy literature is not required
- Examples of good manufacturer literature (unprompted)
9. Exhibitions and Conferences
- Do you attend exhibitions?
- Exhibitions attended in the past 12 months
- Next exhibition to be visited
- Are exhibitions are a good method of keeping informed?
- Have you used online exhibitions?
- Do you attend conferences?
- Conferences attended in the past 12 months
- Next conference to be visited
- Do you think conferences are a good method of keeping informed?
10. CPD Seminars
- Will you attend CPD seminars which are not CPD certified?
- Reasons for attending or not attend CPD seminars which are not certified
- Please can you name the CPD certification organisations you are aware of (unprompted)
- Factors contributing to a good seminar (unprompted)
- Job function of in-house CPD seminar organiser
- How do you learn about new CPD seminars?
- Do you attend in-house seminars?
- Number of in-house seminars attended each year
- Do you attend CPD seminars organised by your professional body?
- Number of professional body seminars attended each year
- Professional bodies represented
- Do you attend CPD seminars at third party venues?
- Types of CPD Seminars attended
- Attendance at CPD Seminars
11. Manufacturer Support
- Important characteristics in manufacturer representatives
- When do you wish to receive visits by manufacturers' representatives?
- Number of manufacturers' representatives seen in a week
- Frequency of using a manufacturers’ technical advisory service
- What aspects of a manufacturer’s technical advisory service are important?
- What aspects of a manufacturer’s technical advisory service are irritating?
- Manufacturers named as providing a good technical service
12. Specification Process
- Proportion of specifications written that are nominated or performance
- Do you have an in-house database of specifications?
- Do you use NBS to help you develop specifications?
- Practices using NBS or with in-house specification database
- Is it helpful to have manufacturer specifications available through NBS Plus?
- Frequency of using NBS Plus
- Do you undertake SAP or SBEM calculations?
- Do you undertake BREEAM calculations?
- Do you undertake assessments for the Code for Sustainable Homes?
- Relationship between conducting SAP/SBEM, BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes