Business Cases

The project approach is bottom-up starting from the four Business Cases, which address four different application frameworks: collaboration between CI SMEs and RTD organisations in different old building restoration/maintenance projects. These frameworks were selected to cover a wide scope of applications of the future project results and are typical for the restoration/maintenance activities

The Business Cases development was strongly SME user-driven and was carried out in two stages following a methodology partially based on the principles of Rational Unified Process and Requirements Elicitation Process

•    Business Case 1

Description of the Companies:

• The company Ventimola GmbH & Co. Daemmtechnik KG, situated in Bremen, Germany, was founded in 1995 and has 13 employees. Ventimola is specialised, besides standard building insulation techniques, mainly for injection insulation, whereby mineral insulating granulate is injected into the “sandwich” wall structures of buildings built between 1895 and 1975. This process is good for preserving valuable old facades. Insulation of pitched roofs and of wooden beam ceilings by the cellulose based materials is also among the activities of the company. Besides excellent heat insulation characteristics, such materials provide an improved air-tightness of buildings. The applied insulation materials are environment-friendly regarding the production process thanks to both, a high percentage of recycled materials used (paper and glass) and ecological disposal.

• The company H. D. Tietjen GmbH&CO, Holz- und Kunststofftechnik was founded in Bremen in 1961, and has currently 20 employees. Main activities of the company are related to the carpentry in different forms, including doors and windows, different construction components, furniture etc. Specific activities are related to the restoration/reconstruction of old buildings aimed at energy efficiency improvement by appropriate glazing, and at preserving the old style of buildings.

Business objectives:

• Identifying and realising advanced business collaboration form(s)
• Establishment of appropriate SME-SME and SME-RTD networks from a wider organised community - VBE of SMEs and RTDs with different relevant competences
• Improved quality/price ratio – decrease the number of re-restoration
• On time completion of complex tasks , and
• Facilitate training on new processes & materials application
  

Technical objectives:

• Monitoring of new processes & materials related knowledge sources, providing specific expert knowledge in relevant areas
• Facilitated access to documents / knowledge related to business aspects in SME networks
• Facilitated creation of the learning content out of existing & newly created knowledge and subsequent usage of that knowledge within training courses
• Facilitated courses creation
  

•    Business Case 2

Description of the Companies:

• Fundación Santa María la Real (FSMLR) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1977, whose fundamental mission is to promote sustainable development initiatives based on heritage and the natural and human environment of this heritage. It is located in Aguilar de Campoo (Spain), and comprises the highly competent staff of more than 150 employees, for complex, interdisciplinary works on the patrimony objects restoration, including architects, historians and restorers. Main activities are related to restoration or conservation of the old buildings, preserving their integration in a natural environment. Concepts of traditional restoration are combined with modern techniques and materials, resulting in successful modernisation of traditional buildings

• Teusa (Tecpropasa Euskadi, S.A.) was founded in the year 1985 with the sole purpose to restore facades, monuments and listed buildings. Its pioneering character in this sector obliged the company to carry out a large number of investigations and scrutinize in detail the building materials and its environment, in order to develop the best and most appropriate treatment for each specific case. Moreover, it was required to create a team of experts dealing with restoration and rehabilitation comprising technical personnel and experienced operatives on-site.

Business objectives:

• Optimisation of information flow for new knowledge, regardless of the source location
• Facility to register the organisation know-how and generate new knowledge. Implementation of a knowledge base of competitive products, techniques, etc. in order to create a programme for the continuous improvement of the company
• Improved quality/price ratio of the works 
• On time completion of complex tasks by reduction of time loss through misunderstandings, missing information and workflow holes because of waiting for decisions 
• Provide training on new processes & materials application
• Establishment of an online collaborative board to exchange ideas and problems

Technical objectives:

• Finding providers within the VBE and accessing to budgets and e-learning content about specific products application techniques
• Collaborative project management
• Finding complementary partners to create a specific project team (VCN) out of the VBE
• Compilation of restoration information in order to create e-learning courses
• Storing of standard methods and guidelines (bluebooks) to reduce costs on large projects
• Knowledge searching facilities 
• Distributed and quick access to information, graphical and audiovisual materials
• Creation of the learning content out of existing & newly created knowledge and subsequent usage of that knowledge within training courses
• Facilitated courses creation
  

•    Business Case 3

Description of the Companies:

• 3M2P, Construção e Reabilitação de Edifícios Lda. is a small company established in the year 2000, whose main objective is the intervention in old buildings, for its functional rehabilitation or complete restoration. The company goal is to add value through a highly technically competent service, in close cooperation with architects and engineers in the definition of the constructive solutions. Main activity area is the consolidation and refurbishment of old masonry and wood structures, traditional mortars, etc. The company is specifically equipped for the restoration/refurbishment works and has also developed several processes in the preparation of traditional inks based in pigments, used in such works

• STB, Sociedade Técnica de Tratamento de Aços e Betões, Lda. was founded in 1989 with the main objective of building rehabilitation and has been involved in many projects and interventions in buildings and structures rehabilitation with an active and dedicated attitude, searching for the best solutions to the requirements of clients. The analysis of defects in buildings and structures, focus on the diagnostic study and a technically supported definition of the technologies and products to apply are the main activities of STB. The complexity of the rehabilitation interventions on buildings and constructions requires from STB to use technologies and equipments that differ from those used in traditional constructions.

• AICCOPN, Associação dos Industriais da Construção Civil e Obras Públicas, is a Portuguese nationwide association, representing more than 8000 companies from the civil construction sec-tor. Its headquarters are in Porto. AICCOPN goals are the development of the sector, which is mainly formed by SMEs, and that require an articulation of efforts towards an effective lobbying. In operational terms, the association provides to its associates services in the engineering, economics, work safety and medicine, legal and internationalisation areas.

Business objectives:

• Easy collaboration and establishment of VCN between CI SME’s in the restoration area
• Achievement of competitive advantages through a powerful collaboration tool 
• Easy access to quality learning courses
• SME’s in the restoration CI can be able to deal problems with efficiency and effectiveness
• New ways to create critical mass for SMEs to be able to take advantage of RR&M business opportunities abroad
  

Technical objectives:

• Connection with a central repository of project information using only a web-browser and Internet connection
• Work more efficiently with system documents, communicating across all parties involved in the construction project
• Team members are automatically notified of project information updates so that time is not wasted working with outdated information
• Best practices are ensured across portfolios of projects, coupled with the ability to review project performance
• Capture of knowledge, dissemination of best practice, standard methods of working, and reduction of costs on multiple projects
• Centralized information tracking (RFIDs, submittals, transmittals) and enabled real-time collaboration from anywhere, anytime
• Streamline to an improved flow of information and communications
• To be able to create a real knowledge community of SMEs and RTDs through the use of highly customised and flexible knowledge organization structures
  

•    Business Case 4

Description of the Companies:

• TEICOS Costruzioni s.r.l., Milano, founded in the year 2004 is a construction industry SME working within the TEICOS Group on restoration and restructuring of the old buildings as well as on the new buildings. TEICOS is a private company with more than 10 years of experience in building construction and restoration. The total staff is over 30 persons (80% engineers or architects). Teicos operates in the building rehabilitation and has realised successfully projects in the energy saving with thermal insulation of many existing buildings.

• SARL André Cottenceau, St Hilaire du Bois, is a company founded in 1998, dealing with masonry and stone cutting. The company has 12 employees and 5 apprentices. SARL André Cottenceau is specialised for works on registered historical monuments, churches and châteaux. It works for restoration of non registered historical buildings and for real estate holdings of private individuals.

• CAPEB - Confederation de l'Artisanat et des Petites Entreprises du Batiment, Paris, founded in 1946 represents and protects interests of 300.000 craft companies of the Building industry. The main mission of CAPEB includes, among others, individual and collective protection of its members, promotion and representation of the craft sector business inside the construction industry, promotion of the business by valorisation of competences of craftsmen and promotion of instruments for professional training.

Business objectives:

• Establishment of advanced collaborative networks (SME-SME and SME-RTD)
• Optimisation of access to knowledge 
• Development and learning of new skills and know-how
• Improved performance of the works carried out
• Promotion and development of the SME near the other actors of the restoration sector
• Provide training on new processes & materials application (how to do)
  

Technical objectives:

• Advanced knowledge and information storing facilities
• Improved knowledge and information sharing facilitie
• Knowledge and information enhancement/updating facilities
• Improved knowledge and information searching facilities
• Facilitated finding complementary partners to create networks
• Creation of the learning content out of existing and newly created knowledge and subsequent usage of that knowledge within training courses