ABSTRACT

This paper examines the task distribution of design teams in the Japanese architectural projects by comparing them to the equivalent projects in the U.K. and the U.S. The research is divided into two stages. First, architectural projects are analyzed to see how design tasks are distributed among specialized design teams, such as architects, engineers, and a variety of specialized experts. In the U.K./U.S., many consultants are called upon to the project based on their highly segmented specialization. In Japan, by contrast, fewer consultants are involved. The segmentation of the specialization is unclear. To fulfill the role of consultants, subcontractors tend to offer their product design information free of charge, under the notion of “Unofficial Design Assist (Sekkei Kyoryoku)” (UDA) in the hopes of their products being specified and installed in the construction. Second, the details of the UDA were further researched with the focus on the elevator subcontractors. Unlike the U.K./U.S., the vertical transportation consultant was not established as a profession in Japan. The subcontractors shall not be directly liable to the client for the design information, such as drawings, specifications, and analysis results. As a result, the design information’s location of responsibility is unclear from the clients’ perspective.

摘要

本文通过将日本建筑项目中设计团队的任务分配与英国和美国的同等项目进行比较来考察设计团队的任务分布。研究分为两个阶段。首先，分析建筑项目以了解设计任务如何在专业设计团队（如建筑师、工程师和各种专业专家）之间分配。在英国/美国，许多顾问因其高度细分的专业化而被要求参与该项目。相比之下，在日本，涉及的顾问较少。专业划分不明确。为了发挥顾问的作用，分包商倾向于免费提供他们的产品设计信息，在“非官方设计协助（Sekkei Kyoryoku） ”的概念下” (UDA) 希望他们的产品能够在施工中得到指定和安装。其次，以电梯分包商为重点，进一步研究了UDA的细节。与英国/美国不同，垂直运输顾问在日本并未确立为职业。分包商不对客户的设计信息，如图纸、规格和分析结果直接负责。因此，从客户的角度来看，设计信息的责任位置并不明确。