Development and Validation of a Framework for Evaluation of Integrated Design Teams of Sustainable High-performance Buildings

Integration of disciplines and project participants is prescribed widely as a major remedy to improve effectiveness and efficiency of construction projects. In the context of sustainable high-performance (SHP) projects, integrated design (ID) approach encourages implementation of systems-thinking and early intense collaboration of project stakeholders during the design phase. The desired outcomes in this context would be buildings that not only are cost effective but also have superior energy and sustainability performance over their life cycle. The present paper reports on a research project that attempted to develop and validate a framework for evaluation of the ID teams of SHP projects. The research applied a mixed-method (qualitative–quantitative) research methodology. First, qualitative research (case study and interview) and literature review were used to create a pool of evaluation factors and items that could be used for evaluation/measurement of the performance of the ID teams. These items were generated and organized based on the context, input, process, and product (CIPP) evaluation model. Then, in quantitative phase of research, the evaluation items were tested for reliability and validity by deploying a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of LEED-rated projects and statistical analysis of the collected responses. The research finally proposed a validated framework for evaluation of the ID teams of SHP projects, which consisted of four major elements: an evaluation model based on the CIPP model, 27 evaluation factors, 65 evaluation items, and a measurement format.