Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 126 THE door industry journal spring 2022 Locks & Building Hardware Maximising Hardware Value in a Cost Driven Environment John Fairhurst of Allegion UK investigates the significance of cost in ironmongery and identifies how specifiers can add value to their door hardware selections. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) describes a project budget as the construction cost plus the cost of certain items required postcompletion and during the project’s operational use. Covering various elements, project budgets carry huge significance and can often become a central feature for many developments, determining what is affordable and what can be achieved. Where cost control is essential, cost-based decision making can occasionally feel allencompassing, missing the mark where it counts. The cost and time pressures associated with modern construction - think recent supply chain constraints for example - can lead to hurried decisions, where value management is overlooked, and poorer quality is more readily accepted in favour of completion. And, when it comes to architectural ironmongery this can lead to expensive mistakes. Typically, door hardware accounts for around 2 to 3 percent of overall construction project cost. However, when you consider that door hardware items comprise 25-30% of a complete list of contract items, the importance of investing wisely is clear. The correct specification and installation of doors and their hardware should never be undervalued, and instead, by focusing on future benefits rather than present costs, decision makers can look to add real value to their projects. Low value, high risk On surface-level, doors and their hardware provide access and egress to a building and its occupants, allowing the free flow of movement while enhancing fire safety and security around the premises. Yet, making a choice on hardware is far from a linear decision - especially when value is under consideration. Value and cost share a complex relationship, and it’s important to find the balance when specifying hardware products.
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