Loredana Hibberd
Design Manager
Besix Watpac
Introduction
I began as a graduate, a project engineer, a senior project engineer, and then a design manager. Going through different jobs in the construction industry gave me different perspectives of the industry.
The Role
My role as a design manager is to assess documentation and ensure that it is suitable to be built while keeping track of any design changes in the project. A lot of designers have great ideas when designing and although they may look good on paper, putting them up may not be too feasible. My role is to foresee such risks of buildability( the ease with which a project can be built and maintained) and try to find ways around them. Because in construction, any change could have a butterfly effect, it is important to keep track of all changes- relevant or not. I also try to foresee oncoming risks in the construction project and put in place some measures to resolve it before the project takes off.
To get into this role, there are three pathways. The first is to have an engineering background which I had, the second pathway is to have an architectural background and the third and best approach is to have a construction management background and have experience on construction sites. The best design managers are those who have site experience.
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