Tito Castillo

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo establecer un marco referencial de métricas estándar para la evaluación cualitativa de obras y proyectos arquitectónicos, fundamentado en los parámetros de calidad disciplinar propuestos en investigaciones previas. La propuesta se centra en el desarrollo de una nueva escala de valor que permite determinar el nivel de cumplimiento de cada parámetro de calidad mediante criterios e indicadores de evaluación, cuya validez está respaldada por su aplicación en estudios previos de la comunidad científica. Para su elaboración, se empleó un enfoque de investigación mixto que integra revisión sistemática, metaanálisis y síntesis comparativa de la literatura especializada, permitiendo identificar convergencias significativas en los criterios e indicadores utilizados habitualmente en evaluaciones arquitectónicas. Los resultados evidencian patrones consistentes que determinan los niveles de calidad de las obras y proyectos, destacando la utilidad del marco propuesto como herramienta para consolidar evaluaciones más objetivas y sistemáticas. Este enfoque ofrece una base sólida para la estandarización de métricas de desempeño arquitectónico, facilitando comparaciones, mejoras metodológicas y la toma de decisiones fundamentadas en evidencia, contribuyendo así a la profesionalización y rigorización de los procesos de evaluación de la calidad arquitectónica en distintos contextos disciplinarios.

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo establecer una estandarización holística de los parámetros configurativos de un buen proyecto arquitectónico, integrando la tríada clásica, firmitas, utilitas y venustas, establecida por Vitruvio, con la tríada contemporánea, inclusión, sostenibilidad y resiliencia, promovida por el Instituto Americano de Arquitectura (AIA). Para ello, se aplicó un método mixto que combina revisión sistemática, meta-análisis y síntesis comparativa de la literatura especializada. Los resultados evidenciaron convergencias y tensiones entre los ideales clásicos y las exigencias sociales, tecnológicas y ambientales del siglo XXI. A partir de estos hallazgos, se propuso un modelo integrador y flexible de estandarización de los parámetros configurativos, capaz de combinar de manera armónica belleza, funcionalidad y firmeza con equidad, resiliencia y desempeño ambiental.

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is highly fragmented, yet decisions made during the design phase critically shape downstream sustainability performance. Unlike prior research that primarily weighted interactions by frequency, this study introduces an Interaction-Quality Index that evaluates the quality of design team interactions. This represents a novel approach, as it combines Social Network Analysis with Monte Carlo simulation to quantify how collaboration, coordination, and trust influence sustainable outcomes in construction projects. Through a structured literature review, three systemic interaction drivers; collaboration, coordination, and trust were identified. An interaction-quality index was then formulated, weighting each driver according to its relative impact on sustainable outcomes. Social Network Analysis coupled with Monte Carlo simulation validated the index in a real-world building project, demonstrating its usefulness in identifying critical interaction nodes and highlighting how improvements in collaboration, coordination, and trust can strengthen network cohesion and enhance sustainability-oriented decision-making. The proposed index offers construction managers a quantitative tool to integrate social dynamics into holistic sustainability strategies, advancing practice in line with systems-thinking approaches to sustainable construction management.

This study aims to develop a performance evaluation system specifically for the design phase of high-rise building projects within the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, where performance is often only measured during construction. The research process included three stages: identification of 21 key performance indicators through a literature review and expert validation; development of standardized indicator sheets detailing calculation protocols and data collection procedures; and creation of a functional dashboard-based evaluation system using Excel. The system was validated through expert review and tested with a simulated project generated using an AI-based language model. The evaluation system proved functional, accessible, and effective in detecting performance issues across five core categories: planning, cost, time, quality, and people. The results from the simulated application highlighted strengths in quality and stakeholder collaboration but also revealed significant gaps in cost and time performance. This study addresses a gap in the existing literature by focusing on performance evaluation during the design phase of construction projects, a stage often underrepresented in performance studies. The resulting system offers a structured, practical tool adaptable to real-world projects. The validation relied on a limited number of expert participants and a simulated project. Future research should recommend broader international validation and real-world application.

Las especificaciones técnicas (ET) se componen de todos los elementos de un proyecto de construcción. Cada una de las ET debe contar con 7 apartados básicos que proporcionen información adecuada y precisa para la correcta ejecución del proyecto. Sin embargo, se han reportado retrasos en la construcción y sobrecostos generados por deficiencias en la definición de ET durante la fase de planificación de los proyectos de construcción. A pesar de las afectaciones del proyecto, la calidad de las ET ha sido escasamente estudiada para establecer sus principales fallas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la calidad de ET en obras civiles a partir de la relación expectativa-realidad. Para ello se realizó una evaluación in situ durante días hábiles en un total de 176 partidas que se encontraban ejecutando o que han sido ejecutadas recientemente en 30 proyectos ubicados en la Zona 3 del Ecuador. Para el procesamiento e interpretación de los datos se utilizó el software SPSS. Los resultados muestran un 39,81% de calidad en las ET para la muestra analizada lo que podría ser la causa del aumento en costo y plazo que se ha evidenciado en muchos contratos públicos de construcción.

There is a lack of knowledge of the interactions required over time among the members of a building project design team. Without a specific target, it is impossible to identify gaps to propose improvement plans in the coordination and management of projects in the early stages. Therefore, this study proposes a model of the required interaction among the members of a building project design team during the different phases of the design process. The research was divided into three stages: (1) design team interactions; (2) construction of ideal interaction networks and proposed evaluation model; and (3) pilot cases—evaluation and analysis. Through this study, eight ideal networks were constructed, four for each interaction (information flow, collaboration, and coordination) and one for each design phase. In addition, a series of metrics were proposed to evaluate the current state of a building project, which, together with the constructed model networks, allowed the development of an evaluation method for real projects. Finally, two pilot cases were used to exemplify the use of the proposed model tool.

Within the construction industry, there are firms dedicated to designing, executing, and restoring all types of buildings. To achieve their objectives, design offices form multidisciplinary project groups with designers from the same or other organizations. Design offices form small, unstable, and dynamic social networks dissolved at the end of each project. The flow of information through such informal organizations is decisive in their good performance. To estimate the ability of information to flow in construction organizations, social network analysis (SNA) has been used. However, SNA metrics are hardly useful for characterizing small design offices. Indeed, it is difficult to establish by SNA the quality of a small social network regarding its transmission of necessary information and performance during production processes. The purpose of this research was to figure out a metric to assess the quality of social networks in design offices based on the links’ distribution regarding their connectivity for information flow and related to their performance. Metrics and criteria for quality and configuration in small social networks were studied. The organizational structures of six architecture design firms were analyzed through three of their main social networks, and statistics were analyzed for those networks’ distribution of links and performance. As a result, relevant correlations were obtained between the proposed indicator and the efficiency in the design of the projects. Most members of the design team maintained between two and five communication links with their colleagues in the development of projects during project capture, project development, and postsale or modifications. Managers can use this information to oversee their work teams, improving the quality and configuration of social networks aiming to better performance.

The Chilean construction market has grown considerably in recent years. This progress has generated strong competition among companies, which has forced a constant search for new strategies to generate a continuous improvement of their processes, to achieve better overall results. Among strategies for continuous improvement, it is possible to find tools such as Benchmarking, which involves knowing your own and your competitors’ performance, to meet the gaps. This research is aimed to develop a methodology for evaluating management practices of construction companies based on interviews which could be used as complement of the previous one developed by the Production Management Centre of the Catholic University of Chile at 2014, which was based on questionnaires. Research methodology consists of a literature review, revision of data collected during previous Benchmarking, definition of criteria to be considered in the new methodology and finally developing a questionnaire to interview managers or department heads to visualize how companies manage aspects such as production planning and scheduling, suppliers and innovation, among others. This is related to previous methodologies used to evaluate management practices worldwide in areas such as education, retail, manufacturing and health. A pilot experience was carried out on two construction companies to assess performance of the new tool in terms of application form, evaluation form, practices evaluated, among others. The interviews were conducted with key positions in the management of the company in areas such as production, quality, suppliers and others. The application of the new methodology allowed to observe major organizational differences between both companies and to understand aspects related to the interviews, such as: time of application, validation questions used, selection of respondents, among others. Previous experience will be used to correct and improve possible mistakes to be used in the future.

The construction of prefabricated houses is a viable option to solve the problems of housing demand in the Andean region. The prefabricated concrete houses have been built in several countries in the region and will surely be developed in the future. Thinking about their constructability, information is required about this construction system, which is scarcely known by the main people involved in construction: governments, users and builders. The present work seeks to fill the knowledge gap on the production and assembly of prefabricated concrete housing (PFCH), as well as on its advantages and disadvantages. For this purpose, a search for providers of this type of housing was carried out in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Through an analysis of documentary information and interviews with the managers of the supplier companies, it was established that one of the main aspects in this construction system is the definition of the constituent elements of the house as this defines the need for equipment and hand of work for its assembly. The main advantage is the short execution time, while among the disadvantages is the poor adaptability of the designs. There are conflicting opinions as to whether its cost is an advantage. This research contributes to the constructability of PFCH in the Andean region, facilitating knowledge that can be integrated in the design and in the construction stage in order to improve the performance of the construction process.

A sustainable approach in the construction industry requires civil engineering professionals with technical and soft skills. Those skills complement each other and facilitate the professional to work effectively in multidisciplinary groups during the development of construction projects. Universities apply collaborative learning methods such as group work (GW) in the classroom to achieve these skills. There is disagreement on the best way to select the members of the GW to achieve their best performance, but it is clear that it should favor the interaction of diverse actors to promote the development of soft skills. A random or criteria-based selection could bring groups of people very close together, leading to the academic homogeneity of GW members and impairing performance and learning. Even the most alert instructors lack information about the closeness of their students, so they rely on their intuition without having tools that allow them to confirm their assumptions or relate them to GW performance. The objective of this paper was to discover the social structures within the classrooms and to identify the groups of people close by trust, knowledge, and informal conversation to relate them to their GW performance. For this purpose, a social network analysis (SNA) was applied to Civil Engineering degree students. In addition, a correlation analysis between SNA metrics and GW grades was performed. The results show that beyond the way in which members are selected, there is a social structure that affects such selection and GW performance. This study presents information that can be used for instructors for a better GW selection that propitiates the development of soft skills in Civil Engineering students.