I really see it as a process with equal participation from the key line departments in the port authority. It truly is an integrated program across the port authority. That sometimes can be difficult, he says. A value engineering facilitator must find ways to overcome that resistance, says Bowen. Sometimes you get stonewalled, especially from architects and engineers.
Nobody enjoys having their building taken apart.
But there are so many possible solutions to a design problem and there's no way to get the right combination of solutions in the time allowed. And the cost of landside access improvements at Newark could be reduced by 7 percent through value engineering recommendations. The changes recommended were not all painless. The number of electrical vaults in the building was reduced and the electrical distribution system was greatly simplified, Plastic laminate was substituted for metal panels in the concourses and gate areas for both lower initial cost and maintenance costs. Use of a lighter-weight structural steel for considerable cost savings.