Improving the quality management systems for energy-efficient social housing projects

Developing and implementing quality management systems (QMS) in construction is particularly difficult because of a lack of standardization, the use of transient workforce and the many parties involved. This paper discusses the challenges faced by social housing providers in the UK when implementing quality assurance programs in their effort to provide their tenants with energy-efficient dwellings. In particular, it focuses on the quality plans defined at the early stages of a project, their impact during the construction process and on the resulting building energy performance. Based on data collected from the project team and documentation, a comparative analysis of the QMS development process of two social housing developments is presented. The key findings show that the two case studies followed different quality management approaches to deliver energy efficient dwellings. The most significant discrepancies were found in defining the energy performance targets and detailing the quality assurance procedures. The contribution of this paper is to create awareness of the importance of defining Quality Assurance Systems with a focus on energy performance from the early stages of a project.