National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

THE FOURTH DIMENSION IN BUILDING: STRATEGIES FOR MINIMIZING OBSOLESCENCE

COMMITTEE ON FACILITY DESIGN TO MINIMIZE PREMATURE OBSOLESCENCE

Building Research Board

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

National Research Council

Donald G. Iselin

Andrew C. Lemer

Editors

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 1993

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Funding for the project, under the Federal Construction Council Technical program, was provided through the following agreements between the indicated federal agency and the National Academy of Sciences: Department of State Contract No. 1030-270106; National Science Foundation Grant No. MSS-9203138, under master agreement 8618641; and U.S. Postal Service grant, unnumbered.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 93-83826

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Additional copies of this report are available from:
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B-063

Copyright 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

COMMITTEE ON FACILITY DESIGN TO MINIMIZE PREMATURE OBSOLESCENCE

Chairman

DONALD G. ISELIN, Rear Admiral, U.S.N., Retired, Engineering Consultant,

Santa Barbara, California

Members

J. PHILIP ANDREWS, FAIA, Principal,

Damianos Brown Andrews Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

GARY G. BRIGGS, Senior Vice President,

Charles E. Smith Management, Arlington, Virginia

R. ELIZABETH EVERS, Senior Attorney,

Marriott Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland

WILLIAM K. GAY, Department Manager,

Special Systems Integration, Sverdrup Corporation, Arlington, Virginia

GEORGE E. HARTMAN, Principal,

Hartman-Cox Architects, Washington, D.C.

MIN KANTROWITZ, President,

Min Kantrowitz and Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico

ROGER E. PANTHER, Ph.D., President,

Facility Development Division, Quorum Health Resources, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee

LESLIE DEAN PRICE, AIA,

Georgetown University Architect Emeritus, McLean, Virginia

GARY L. REYNOLDS, Director of Facilities Management,

Facilities Planning and Management, Iowa State University, Ames

JAMES RICH, Vice-President,

Sigal/Zuckerman Company, Washington, D.C.

WILBUR H. TUSLER, FAIA, Senior Vice-President,

Stone Marraccini Patterson, San Francisco, California

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

FCC Liaison Representatives

BENGT ANDERSON,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.

ALFRED BREITKOPF,

Department of State, Arlington, Virginia

GEOFF FROHNSDORFF,

Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland

DOUGLAS C. HEINEN,

U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, Champaign, Illinois

DANIEL HIGHTOWER,

Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland

JAMES JACKSON,

Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.

JAMES D. LONG,

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy, Alexandria, Virginia

JACK METZLER,

U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.

PFC Liaison Representatives

MIKE BERENDZEN,

Missouri Division of Design and Construction, Jefferson City, Missouri

MARY K. DONAHOE, Architect,

Montgomery County Government, Rockville, Maryland

JAMES Y. PAO,

Division of Building and Construction, Trenton, New Jersey

WILLIAM W. SCOTT,

Bureau of Capital Outlay Management, Richmond, Virginia

DALE STRAIT, Director,

Maryland Department of General Services, Baltimore, Maryland

Project Staff

ANDREW C. LEMER, Ph.D., Director

DAVID MOG, Ph.D., Consultant

THOMAS WALTON, Ph.D., Consultant

PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate

SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant

MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

BUILDING RESEARCH BOARD (1991–1992)

Chairman

HAROLD J. PARMELEE, President,

Turner Construction Company, New York, New York

Members

RICHARD T. BAUM, (Retired) Partner,

Jaros, Baum and Bolles, New York, New York

LYNN S. BEEDLE, University Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Director,

Institute for the Study of High-Rise Habitat, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

GERALD L. CARLISLE, Secretary-Treasurer,

International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen, Washington, D.C.

NANCY RUTLEDGE CONNERY, Consultant,

Woolwich, Maine

C. CHRISTOPHER DEGENHARDT, President,

EDAW, Inc., San Francisco, California

ELISHA C. FREEDMAN, Regional Manager,

The Par-Group-Paul A. Reaume, Ltd., and Executive-in-Residence, University of Hartford, Connecticut

DONALD G. ISELIN, U.S.N., Retired, Consultant,

Santa Barbara, California

FREDERICK KRIMGOLD, Associate Dean for Research and Extension,

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria, Virginia

GARY T. MOORE, Professor of Architecture and Director,

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

WALTER P. MOORE, President and Chairman of the Board,

Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas

J. W. MORRIS, U.S. Army, Retired, Engineer Advisor,

Zorc, Rissetto, Weaver & Rosen, Washington, D.C.

BRIAN P. MURPHY, Senior Vice President,

Prudential Property Company, Prudential Plaza, Newark, New Jersey

LESLIE E. ROBERTSON, Director,

Design and Construction, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, New York, New York

JEROME J. SINCOFF, AIA, President,

Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri

JAMES E. WOODS, William E. Jamerson Professor of Building Construction,

College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia

APRIL L. YOUNG, CRA Coordinator,

First American Metro Corporation, McLean, Virginia

Staff

ANDREW C. LEMER, Director

HENRY A. BORGER, Executive Secretary,

Federal Construction Council

PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate

SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant

LENA B. GRAYSON, Program Assistant

MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

PREFACE

The term "obsolescence" calls to mind automobiles and washing machines, record players and watches—a range of consumer products that we discard, typically long before they have broken or worn out, simply because newer, more advanced, and (presumedly) better replacements are available. In our buildings and other facilities constructed to stand safely for decades, obsolescence is more difficult to comprehend.

We and the committee whose work is presented here questioned at first whether the term has useful meaning in the context of facilities. Many professionals seemingly use the term whenever they judge that substantial action is needed to return a facility to fully useful service, and they do not distinguish among the factors giving rise to this need.

Yet, new facility users and their new demands; new materials, technology, and procedures of construction and operation; new air pollutants; and new laws and regulations exemplify changes that lead us to alter design methods and our expectations of acceptable service long before older facilities are abandoned. Similarly, changes in organizations, variations in urban real estate markets, and the opportunities presented by new equipment and materials often lead us to renovate long before facilities and their parts are worn out. That we can accommodate change and yet retain at least some portion of the investment of capital, history, and culture embodied in our facilities is a great benefit. That we must do so, often at substantial cost, is a problem, particularly in times of fiscal stringency.

The ancient Roman designer Vitruvius advised that architecture should be possessed with "Firmness, Commodity and Delight," that is, well constructed, responsive to the functions the owners intend, and pleasing to the eye. This remains sage counsel today. However, although many of the edifices of ancient Rome continue to evoke wonder, few of them serve their original function. Successful buildings and other facilities operate not only in the three spatial dimensions; the fourth dimension—time—is crucial as well.

Philosophers may argue that firmness, commodity, and delight are constants in a changing world. We hope that our work will assist those who seek such

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

touchstones of constant quality this so. We cannot afford to build in ways that become obsolete quickly in a changing world.

Donald G. Iselin, Chairman

Committee on Facility Design to Minimize Premature Obsolescence

Andrew C. Lemer, Director

Building Research Board

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

This study was supported as part of the technical program of the Federal Construction Council (FCC). The FCC is a continuing activity of the Building Research Board (BRB), which is a unit of the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems of the National Research Council. The purpose of the FCC is to promote cooperation among federal construction agencies and between such agencies and other elements of the building community in addressing technical issues of mutual concern. The FCC program is supported by 16 federal agencies: the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Army (2 agencies), the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Department of the Navy, the Department of State, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Public Facilities Council (PFC) was formed in 1983 to make available to state and local governments, quasi governmental authorities, and others, the forum and services of the BRB and NRC to identify technical problems and research needs facing construction administrators and facilities managers. Sponsors of the PFC currently include a score of state and local governments or interstate entities. Funding and participation are typically drawn from the executive office of the jurisdiction responsible for facilities development and management.

Reports resulting from BRB programs are provided free of charge to sponsoring entities.

For information contact:

Director

Building Research Board

National Research Council

2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20418

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

List of Figures

Figure 1

 

A conceptual view of service life

 

16

Figure 2

 

Maintenance practices can influence service life

 

19

Figure 3

 

Standards or expectations of performance may change with time

 

20

Figure 4

 

Changes in standards of performance may be relatively rapid

 

21

Figure 5

 

Periodic renewals raise performance and can extend service life

 

22

Figure C-1

 

Downs's ''issue-attention cycle'' characterizes the sequence through which societal problems evolve

 

71

Figure E-1

 

VAHBS vertical zone organization within module

 

84

Figure E-2

 

VAHBS one-floor building module

 

85

List of Tables

Table 1

 

Renewal Cycles of Selected Building Components (in years)

 

18

Table 2

 

Potential Future Issues of Environment and Health That Could Influence Building Obsolescence (nonresidential)

 

26

Table 3

 

Roster of Participants

 

71

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. Fourth Dimension in Building: Strategies for Avoiding Obsolescence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2124.
×

THE FOURTH DIMENSION IN BUILDING: STRATEGIES FOR MINIMIZING OBSOLESCENCE

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Public facilities are valuable assets that can provide decades of high quality of service if they are effectively utilized. Despite effective planning, design, and management, sometimes users or owners change and have requirements different from those that the facility was initially intended to fulfill. In addition, the technologies sometimes change, making facilities obsolete before they have worn out or otherwise failed.

This book explores the meaning of obsolescence as the term applies to buildings. It discusses the functional, economic, technological, social, legal, political, and cultural factors that can influence when obsolescence will occur and considers what design professional and building owners and users can do to delay and minimize the costs of obsolescence. The analyses apply to all buildings, but public facilities are given added attention because of their special management problems.

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