The Signature of a building

Anyone involved in the arcane world of construction should be able to agree on one common trait of the industry's professionals: that of rejecting the very idea of measurement.

Of course, it's common practice to draw up balance sheets, but this is the financial dimension of all operations. On the other hand, the display of technical and economic performance is the subject of delaying tactics that hide behind the presentation of certifications that have nothing to do with coherence, and favor misleading advertising effects that are not based on scientific practice. This attitude is backed up by an emphasis on the complex dimension of human appropriation of buildings. The process is far too rich to be reduced to an arid, simplifying model.

Behind these arguments, which relegate construction to the level of an art, i.e. the result of strictly personal decisions, there is a much more prosaic inclination to escape any measure. In fact, the latter could be set against the various stakeholders and send everyone back to real responsibilities.

If you think about it, this implies a tacit exclusion of end-users from the entire value chain. This observation should not detract from the true complexity of the subject. But a middle way is certainly possible. This is what underlies the concept of "signature". How can we provide a coherent, informed representation of a building's actual performance for all to see?

The first chapter provides an architecture for the notion of "signature". As far as possible, each of the parameters mobilized for this purpose will be detailed and precisely instructed. The process is based on problem-solving, which Pascal describes as "replacing the defined by its definition".

This is made possible by a new approach to buildings, that of systemic analysis. It is not so much by specifying each of its components as by analyzing the overall functioning resulting from interactions that a measure can be identified. This transposition of reasoning seems quite promising.

The second chapter sets out all the advantages that can be derived from the "signature" concept. Indeed, the adoption of a new approach can only be the result of potential future interest. Change requires a realistic expectation of gains. But what makes this declension plausible is the proximity of this inventory to the issues currently affecting the sector.

The current economic climate facing all our professionals calls for us to move beyond "business as usual" (BAU) routines. And we can look forward to a collective change of direction based on new proposals. This movement would be part of the transformation that is sweeping through all economic sectors.