La démarche participative du projet Dow : une étude de cas

Abstract

Project definition is the first phase of a construction project. It is a process of determining and collecting the client's needs, desires and expectations for a structure. In other words, the definition of a project leads to the statement of the architectural problem and the requirements to be met. It is considered one of the main contributors to value in the project life cycle. Indeed, many of the characteristics of a project are identified at this stage. Many of the problems associated with construction projects are attributed to the inefficiency of this phase. One of the main causes is the low involvement of the users. In addition, in a traditional approach to project definition, the client's needs or requirements are determined prior to design development. This approach was adequate at a time when most institutions were simpler and slow to change. It allowed architects to intuitively understand what they needed. It has become obsolete as projects have become more complex. Participatory approaches, in which all users are involved, are proposed to address these problems. However, the literature provides little information on the contribution of these approaches to project definition compared to the traditional approach. Thus, our research aims to shed light on this aspect. Our research methodology is based on two exploratory case studies: the first case is carried out using a traditional approach, while the second is carried out using a participatory approach, followed by an in-depth case study in which the project definition is carried out using both approaches. This research allows us to identify the differences between the traditional and participatory definitions of a project, particularly in terms of the challenges of complex and evolving programs. It then identifies the barriers to the application of this approach by comparing them to the two exploratory case studies. Knowing these gaps and barriers, professionals who undertake the application of the participatory approach will have a better understanding of its added value and will be able to anticipate the barriers likely to be encountered during its use.

Date	10 Jan 2023
Original language	French
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Daniel Forgues (Supervisor) & Erik Andrew Poirier (Co-supervisor)