GBE Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence Q+A

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Real Knowledge (RK) v Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• There is increasing excitement about the prospects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) making all technical design decisions or having reports written for you.
• Just getting results without knowing how you got there or what was considered along the way, is not informative, clever, helpful nor intelligent.
• My fear is Architects Registration Board (ARB)/Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) will decide that Architects no longer need to know-how and need not be taught stuff.
• Architectural students already do not get taught enough career skills like physics of building, science of materials, crunching of numbers, detailing of construction, regulatory controls; priority being given to philosophy, private jargon, materiality, snappy graphics and mesmerising incompetent end of year exhibitions.
• Post Grenfell Fire, competency is the new currency, but we must be taught or trained in the right stuff, qualify in it, apply it, experience it, live it, question it, develop and refine it to be able to develop competency.
• All communications ports open: Learn from live project experience, listen to and learn from the mistakes and experiences of others, much of that is not written down.
• GBE builds design and decision tools including carbon calculators that are educational, open-book so users can see the inner-workings, what it being considered, how it got there, how it is used, be advised away from bad and towards good decisions, be able to interact with them, and with frequent use learn from them, become carbon and chemistry literate.

Acquiring Intelligence

• If AI reads a lot of documents and by reading similar things about the same subject in many documents, AI decides what it has read frequently is probably right, as it reads more it will reinforce its decision and refines its details and builds its knowledge base.
• One assumes that somebody feeds AI with authoritative documents, or AI has access to these documents via the internet.
• Inevitably there are many more authoritative documents about ‘business-as-usual’ construction and materials rather than newer environmental technologies.
• AI knowledge base might easily be dominated by conventional thinking and dismiss information that is not found frequently in authoritative documents.
• For AI to grow to address environmental issues it needs to be fed new information on environmental construction and materials, but for it to become part of its core knowledge then AI needs to read it frequently or lots of it, to compete with ‘business-as-usual’ know-how.
• Whilst environmental information appears less often in authoritative documents, then AI’s familiarity criteria may not be triggered and this information is not acquired into the AI knowledge base, or at least placed in reserve.

Using AI to edit a document

• If a new document addresses new information, new joined up thinking, new detailed analysis or new critical thinking, is offered to AI to rewrite it to be more readable.
• Is there a real risk that AI will filter, ignore or reserve this new or detailed information until others start to confirm this information in other documents?
• Because AI is well read it can inform a document it is editing with more information than it already contains.
• Is there a risk that AI will add more than is contained in the original and add its own bias.
• Because AI cannot participate in real life projects, cannot learn from unspoken or unwritten intuitive thinking, it will always be one step behind real human knowledge.
• Will AI become a barrier to real progress or just risk slowing it down?
• Is Artificial Intelligence a credible substitute for Real Knowledge?

BIM Heroes Platform CPD

Critical Thinking Skills

• 1 Identifying and Overcoming Cognitive Biases
  • Learn to recognize and mitigate common cognitive biases that can impair critical thinking.
• 2 The Role of Logic and Reasoning in Critical Thinking
  • Explore how logic and reasoning are foundational to developing strong critical thinking skills.
• 3 Critical Thinking in the Age of Information Overload
  • Understand how to apply critical thinking in evaluating and synthesizing vast amounts of information available today.
• 4 Techniques for Effective Argument Analysis
  • Discover techniques for dissecting and understanding arguments effectively.
• 5 Case Studies: Critical Thinking in Real-World Scenarios
  • Examine real-world examples where critical thinking has been crucial in problem-solving.

Theory or Practice?

• What follows is a little theoretical explanation of any of these critical thinking skills but mostly real-life experiences from the workplace as a generalist, then as a freelance specification consultant, later as an environmental consultant and later still teaching in University.
• Observing good and bad practice from architect’s offices and from multi-discipline project site offices; coordinating requirements from all design disciplines and cost control, project management, package interfaces and construction management in different procurement methods and later teaching and disseminating environmental know-how.
• Readers will be able to see just how much real-life knowledge and detail is ignored or not included by the Artificial Intelligence rewrite.
• Is this highlighting my own cognitive bias?

What GBE wrote:
Real Knowledge

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

How ChatGPT rewrote:
Artificial Intelligence

Critical Thinking Skills:

• 1 Identifying and Overcoming Cognitive Biases

  • Learn to recognize and mitigate common cognitive biases that can impair critical thinking.

Critical Thinking Skills: Identifying and Overcoming Cognitive Biases

Introduction

Critical thinking is an essential skill that enables individuals to assess situations, analyze information, and make reasoned decisions. However, cognitive biases can impair our ability to think critically. This article explores how to recognize and mitigate these biases to enhance our critical thinking capabilities.

Definition:

• Cognitive bias is a mental shortcut that influences our thinking and decision-making, leading us to process information in a selective and subjective manner, often resulting in inaccurate or irrational judgments.
• Simple Psychology (copied to here 04/06/2024)
• Learn about the common types of cognitive bias, such as confirmation bias:
• https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-bias.html

Understanding Cognitive Biases

Cognitive bias is a mental shortcut that influences our thinking and decision-making. These biases lead us to process information selectively and subjectively, often resulting in inaccurate or irrational judgments. Recognizing and overcoming these biases is crucial for developing strong critical thinking skills.

Common Types of Cognitive Biases

1. Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms our preconceptions.
2. Anchoring Bias: Relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered.
3. Hindsight Bias: Believing, after an event has occurred, that we had predicted or expected it.
4. Availability Heuristic: Overestimating the importance of information that is readily available.

For a comprehensive list of cognitive biases, you can visit [Simply Psychology] (https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-bias.html).

• Cognitive biases can be learned from business-as-usual (BAU) practices or developed by our own low levels of scrutiny.
• E.g. Always setting out from the centre of a room and cutting modular and non-modular materials at the perimeter, is unspoken habitual behaviour that generates off-cut waste adding to greater than 120 m tonnes of construction demolition and excavation waste per annum in the UK.
• Accepting an authoritative bodies publication and adopting it without further scrutiny, when it contradicts your own experience is probably risky and conflicting.

Cognitive Biases in Professional Practice

Cognitive biases can stem from routine practices or insufficient scrutiny of new information. For instance, accepting authoritative publications without questioning can be risky if they contradict personal experience. This issue is particularly pertinent in fields like architecture and construction, where regulatory changes and real-world events (e.g., the Grenfell Tower fire) highlight the need for ongoing critical evaluation of established practices.

Fragment and scrutinise every word in a sentence:

• Break down sentences into words or phrases
• Scrutinise the meaning and hidden meaning of the words or phrases
• Identify any ‘get out clauses’ in the choice of words
  • E.g. ‘when applicable’ ‘if practical’ ‘when possible’,
• Seek complete competent evidence supporting the words
  • E.g. whole test certificate, original document, not one of 3 versions for different audiences (Grenfell manufacturer), not just pages, not tampered and photocopied, no hidden evidence (examples from many projects)
• Scrutinise the evidence
  • E.g. even LCA and EPD can be incorrect despite Peer reviews. (e.g. calcium silicate)
• Compare the evidence with comparable systems
  • E.g. A low-carbon material (e.g. gypsum screed) should have lower impact than a high-carbon material (e.g. cement screed)
• Identify any anomalies
  • E.g. A misplaced decimal point (example calcium silicate) or typing error 5 in place of % (David Bellamy)
• Search for the facts to support or otherwise
  • E.g. Does it have an EPD v opening it, reading it and comparing it.
• Seek any test evidence to support any claims
  • E.g. component fire test to support a system accreditation (Grenfell insulation)
• Check their relevance to your project requirements
  • E.g. Was there a surreptitious substitution
  • E.g. Was there a substitution after test certification
  • E.g. Was the certificate for the materials supplied?

Fragment and scrutinize every word in a sentence:

Break sentences down into individual words or phrases.  Analyze the meaning and potential hidden implications of the words or phrases.  Identify any ‘get-out clauses’ within the wording, such as “when applicable,” “if practical,” or “when possible.”

Look for comprehensive, reliable evidence supporting the words used, such as entire test certificates or original documents, rather than incomplete or manipulated versions.

Scrutinize the provided evidence carefully, keeping in mind that even peer-reviewed documents like LCA and EPD can contain errors.

Compare the evidence with similar systems, ensuring that a low-carbon material, for instance, shows a lower impact compared to a high-carbon material.

Identify any anomalies, such as misplaced decimal points or typographical errors.

Verify the facts to either support or disprove the claims, such as checking if an EPD exists and comparing its contents.

Seek test evidence to substantiate any claims, like a component fire test to validate system accreditation.

Ensure that the evidence is relevant to your project requirements, checking for issues like surreptitious substitutions or changes after test certification.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

Overcoming Cognitive Biases

Strategies to Mitigate Cognitive Biases

1. Awareness and Education:

Up to now UK Architectural education has been based on awareness, but post-Grenfell must switch to competency from now on.

There are many new skills to add to problems solving.

Cambridge University God syndrome must go, to remove cognitive biases.

Being willing to admit you do not know is essential.

Willingness to learn more and question more is essential.

2. Challenging Assumptions:

I understood thermal shock in toughened glazing so when I heard a project colleague ask a cellular glass insulation manufacturer if their product suffered from thermal shock, I immediately felt that was an irrelevant issue, to my surprise the answer was yes it does.  I had created my own cognitive bias based on what I knew without the benefit of the manufacturer’s specialist knowledge.  Bias exposed and I stand corrected.

An aging Quantity Surveyor who persisted in asking the same or versions of the same question 3 or 4 times.  Most of us in the meeting were getting embarrassed at his repetition and persistence, but finally he phrased the question so that he got the answer he was looking for, and to our collective amazement discovered a problem that we could not ignore.  Bias exposed and lesson learned.

3. Seeking Diverse Perspectives:

When asking 3 or 4 manufacturers or installers the same question until you get the answer you wanted, you were looking for, wanting to hear, might be that the questioner has a cognitive bias and might risk communication that to the other party who want the job and they are will say what is needed to get the job.

4. Reflective Thinking:

Architects are visual communicators and often have a drawing pencil in their hand when taking a brief from the client, there is a risk of premature design before completing the briefing process, the risk is trying to design and then post rationalisation making the brief match the design.  Splitting responsibility for collecting the brief and design can solve the risk of premature design.

When designing it is important to be open to many ideas at the same time: site issues, client brief, schedule of accommodation, architectural precedence, own aspirations; and be willing to allow them to mix and time to simmer a while, when everything is clear in the mind then in a moment of inspiration the design can emerge rapidly.  But when designing there may be issues that do not get resolved and others that the designer may avoid for any number of reasons.  Take care to address all issues not let cognitive bias get in the way.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

Overcoming Cognitive Biases
Strategies to Mitigate Cognitive Biases

1. Awareness and Education: Understanding common biases and their impacts is the first step toward mitigation.
2. Challenging Assumptions: Regularly questioning and testing assumptions can help uncover hidden biases.
3. Seeking Diverse Perspectives: Engaging with diverse viewpoints can counteract the limitations of individual biases.
4. Reflective Thinking: Taking time to reflect on decisions and the reasoning behind them can reveal potential biases.

Architectural Education and Competency

• We need to go back to Architectural Education as a starting point for this issue.
• The Royal Institution for British Architects (RIBA) has recently criticised the Architects Registration Board (ARB) for limiting what can be taught at university courses; the RIBA vets the courses using the ARB criteria.
• Post Grenfell disaster, reports, statements and enquiry outputs:
• Competency was found to be absent in all areas of the construction industry including Government, regulators, accreditors, assessors, test houses, manufacturers, clients, landlords, designers, consultants, specifiers, contractors, constructors, makers, installers.
• The ARB/RIBA have finally woken up to the impending Regulation tsunami that is just beyond the horizon and heading this way fast.
• ‘Competency’ is the new currency replacing the now defunct ‘awareness’ that has informed and bugged Architectural Education up to this time.
• But the scope of this new competency goes as far as ARB/RIBA’s apparent awareness and future curriculum:
  • Fire: because of Grenfell
  • Carbon: because of the Climate and Biodiversity crises and their Declarations to address both, but then only indirectly mentions the first.
  • Inclusion:
    • Not sure if they are talking disability access, neural diversity, skin colour, sexuality, religion?
    • Not sure if they are talking about the education’s verses the UK profession’s population mix or a design parameter?
  • There is even discussion about:
  • dropping RIBA Part 3 Professional Practice (where we were made aware of Regulation and Practice matters)
  • making RIBA Part 1 an optional component on the route towards qualification
  • But no discussion about the relevance or career competency of Philosophy, Architect’s Jargon, Snappy graphic or Materiality.

So, buildings designed by future architects are allegedly subject to fire and carbon but not acoustics and energy and all the other regulated and unregulated performance requirements.

Architectural Education and Competency

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) play significant roles in shaping architectural education. However, recent criticisms suggest that current curricula may not adequately prepare graduates for real-world challenges, focusing too narrowly on specific competencies like fire safety and carbon reduction. Broader educational reforms are necessary to address all aspects of building performance and design, fostering a more holistic approach to competency.

Problem Solving:

• The ability to interrogate a brief, assimilate this into past know-how, consider several optional approaches, filter out the weaknesses and find a robust solution that meets all the client ambitions, design criteria, regulations, building performances, budget, cost plan, etc.
• But if most of the criteria are not part of the Architect’s education competencies then graduates are inadequately armed for their career.
• Years of practicing and being subjected to regulations and other processes, not introduced during education, they gradually become increasingly competent architects, but only learning by exception.
• ‘College-Knowledge’ learned 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years ago were acquired by a steep learning curve and lost in the forgetting curve, if not practiced intermittently and embedded in our neural network.
• Another trait of Architects is to never admit they do not know and bluff their way through and at worse overwhelm the arguments with philosophy and architects’ private jargon so nobody can come back.
• The worst example is when those educated in Cambridge are under the illusion that they are God and their opinion is not to be questioned, so you do not question the professor/director of the practice.
• Even if it is technically incompetent to detail it that way, ‘God is in the details’, but God was not educated in modern construction technology.
• What we have learned can be entrenched so deeply they become Cognitive Biases, until demonstrated clearly to be wrong, and we are willing to believe what is being demonstrated, can remain a barrier to growth, good decision making and joined-up thinking.
• ‘College Knowledge’ what we learned in past decades may well have become redundant by developments in technology, software, materials science, etc. driven by the urgent need to respond to big data and climate crisis with radical new solutions.
• If a subject sounds challenging of our ‘College-Knowledge’ we might well avoid attending that seminar.
• We must bite the bullet, not see Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as an administrative burden but an opportunity to broaden our boundaries, replace ‘College-Knowledge’ and improve our joined-up thinking.
• I have had the luxury of 25 years full time exploring environmental design and disseminating on the subject.
• I have attended every seminar and exhibition I can on the broadest subject range.
• Without this broad exposure I could easily miss important peripheral issues that interact with the core issue.
• When asked a question I must ask and answer 10 questions around the first to ensure I have explored the subject robustly and the recipient gets a broader understanding and can make a well-informed decision.
• Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance (STBA)’s Retrofit Knowledge Wheel shows the interaction and interdependencies between many elements and components of a building, demonstrating that when you change one thing it can influence many other things; highlighting the need for greater awareness, enquiring mind and joined up thinking.

Problem Solving:

The ability to scrutinize a brief, integrate it with prior experience, consider multiple approaches, identify weaknesses, and develop a robust solution that fulfils client ambitions, design criteria, regulations, building performance, budget, and cost plan.

However, if most criteria are not part of an Architect’s educational training, graduates are ill-prepared for their careers.  With years of practice and exposure to regulations and other processes not covered in education, architects gradually become more competent, but this learning often happens by exception.

Knowledge acquired in college 10, 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years ago is often lost if not regularly practiced and embedded in our neural network.  Architects often avoid admitting they lack knowledge, instead bluffing their way through and overwhelming arguments with philosophy and jargon to avoid scrutiny.  The worst cases involve those educated at prestigious institutions like Cambridge, who may believe their opinions are infallible and beyond questioning, even if technically flawed.  While ‘God is in the details,’ those details might not align with modern construction technology.

Deeply entrenched knowledge can become cognitive biases, preventing growth and good decision-making until proven wrong.  College-acquired knowledge may become obsolete due to advancements in technology, software, materials science, and the urgent need to address big data and the climate crisis with innovative solutions.

We might avoid seminars that challenge our outdated knowledge.  We must embrace Continuing Professional Development (CPD) not as a burden but as an opportunity to expand our knowledge, replace outdated learning, and improve our integrated thinking.  I have spent 25 years fully immersed in exploring and disseminating environmental design.  I attend every seminar and exhibition possible on a wide range of subjects.  Without this broad exposure, important peripheral issues interacting with core issues could be missed.

When asked a question, I explore and answer 10 related questions to ensure a thorough understanding, enabling well-informed decisions.  The Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance (STBA)’s Retrofit Knowledge Wheel illustrates the interactions and interdependencies within a building, highlighting the need for greater awareness, curiosity, and integrated thinking.

What GBE wrote:
Real Knowledge Life Details

How ChatGPT rewrote:
Artificial Intelligence

2 The Role of Logic and Reasoning in Critical Thinking

Explore how logic and reasoning are foundational to developing strong critical thinking skills.

The Role of Logic and Reasoning in Critical Thinking

Logic and reasoning form the bedrock of critical thinking. They enable individuals to structure arguments, evaluate evidence, and draw coherent conclusions. In professional contexts, especially in architecture and construction, logic helps dissect complex problems and devise effective solutions.

Training in logic and reasoning should be an integral part of educational curricula to prepare students for real-world challenges.

Case Study: Challenge everything:

• We must question ‘business as usual’ to the extent that we need to question ‘rules of thumb’ and ‘authoritative documents’.
• The relative heat loss percentages from a building’s elements: walls, floors, roofs, windows, are often quoted in BRE and other authoritative bodies’ publications; but these need further interrogation:
  • When were these figures calculated?
  • Which Regulations or Design Guides are they based on?
  • Does it consider the solar heat gains through glazing? Probably not.
  • Does it consider glazing emissivity heat losses?
  • Window Technology has moved on leaps and bounds.
  • Form factor and areas (is the building boxy, linear or has wings, is terraced or multi-storey) has a considerable influence of the heat loss percentages.
  • These percentages are not likely to reflect the current project being designed.

Be careful not to adopt authoritative document guidance as gospel without scrutiny.

Case Study: Question Everything:

• It is crucial to challenge the status quo, including ‘rules of thumb’ and ‘authoritative documents.’
• The commonly cited heat loss percentages for a building’s elements (walls, floors, roofs, windows) from sources like BRE and other authorities require deeper examination:
  • When were these figures determined?
  • On which Regulations or Design Guides are they based?
  • Do they account for solar heat gains through glazing?
    • Likely not.
  • Do they consider heat losses due to glazing emissivity?
  • Window technology has significantly advanced.
  • The building’s form factor and areas (whether it is boxy, linear, has wings, is terraced or multi-storey) greatly affect heat loss percentages.
  • These percentages may not accurately reflect the current project’s design.
• Exercise caution and do not accept guidance from authoritative documents as absolute truth without thorough scrutiny.

Case Study: Triple v Double glazing:

• It can be argued that the environmental impact of a third sheet of glass in a window has a greater environmental impact (example: embodied energy) making the glass than the improvements made by it over the life of the building (example: in use energy).
• This can become a cognitive bias that prevents its adoption.
• But this is not the whole story, the precise specification of glass, gases, coatings, edge spacer, window frame and window installation can all influence the figures positively or negatively.
• So, we cannot take simple statements as the truth and adopt them as cognitive bias.
• In reality the improved temperature of the internal face of the inner pane of glass brings it closer to the temperature of the inner face of the wall, so that its temperature difference is not noticeable and provides a level of thermal comfort inside the room that the occupant no longer feels the need to reach for the thermostat to raise the room temperature adding considerably to the in use energy over the life of the building.

Case Study: Triple vs. Double Glazing

The addition of a third pane of glass in a window may have a larger environmental impact (such as embodied energy) during its production compared to the energy savings it provides over the building’s lifetime (such as in-use energy).  This can lead to a cognitive bias that discourages its use.

However, this is not the complete picture.  The exact specifications of the glass, gases, coatings, edge spacers, window frames, and installation methods can all affect the overall impact, either positively or negatively.  Therefore, we should not accept simple statements as absolute truth and allow them to become cognitive biases.

In reality, the improved temperature of the inner pane’s internal face makes it closer to the wall’s internal face temperature. This minimizes noticeable temperature differences, providing thermal comfort that reduces the occupant’s need to adjust the thermostat, significantly lowering in-use energy over the building’s lifetime.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

What GBE wrote:
Real Knowledge Life Details

How ChatGPT rewrote:
Artificial Intelligence

3 Critical Thinking in the Age of Information Overload

Understand how to apply critical thinking in evaluating and synthesizing vast amounts of information available today.

• My fear is that the current preoccupation with evidence to make any decision, when we often do not have the data we need, we cannot make an evidence-based decision and risk making no decision at all.
• We risk being the most highly documented demise of the current dominant race on this planet.
• We need to become carbon-literate (environmental) and chemistry-literate (healthy), with practice and experience building up know-how, to be able to make intuitive well informed competent decisions.
• Information overload is occurring in numerous locations: Examples:
  • Building Information Modelling (BIM) Digital transformation standards,
  • Environmental Product Declaration (EPD),
  • Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and
  • Digital Product Passports (DPP)
  • and consequently in:
  • Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulations (ESPR) and
  • Construction Products Regulations (CPR)
• At the same time, I often see insufficient information is provided in:
  • Employer’s Requirements (ER) or
  • Performance Specification (PS A90),
  • Prescriptive Specification (PS A91),
  • Green Guide to Specification (GGtS) and
  • Operation & Maintenance Manuals (OMM).

Critical Thinking in the Age of Information Overload

In today’s information-saturated world, the ability to filter and analyse vast amounts of data is crucial. Information overload can lead to decision paralysis or poor choices. To combat this, individuals must develop strategies for evaluating the credibility and relevance of information. Becoming carbon-literate and chemistry-literate, for example, allows professionals to make intuitive, well-informed decisions without being overwhelmed by data.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD):

• Is the public disclosure of the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
• LCA number crunch the impacts of obtaining resource materials, energy and power used in manufacture, emissions and waste, packaging, and transport.
• EN 15978 requires an entry against 17 life cycle stages against 13 environmental impacts = 221 datapoints.
• EN 15804 Revision A2 requires 17 stages x 35 impacts = 595 datapoints.
• RICS Professional standards version 2 includes extra columns and requires an additional row and for Sequestered carbon = >238 or >630 datapoints.
• The figures in each datapoint are microscopic and mostly meaningless to observers and difficult to make meaningful comparison between 630 data points for one material.
• Most designers/specifiers could not understand most of the 17 impacts except say Embodied Energy, Embodied CO2, and Recycled content but we could not choose materials to influence say Eutrophication.
• Most designers/specifiers do not have time to scrutinise the data in an EPD table, nor could they.
• So, designers/specifiers resort to ‘does it have an EPD?’ Yes: Tick; No: Cross.
• Titanium dioxide used to whiten paint and clean indoor air pollution is one of the two highest impact materials, known to LCA but it has an EPD.
• Titanium Dioxide’s values are substituted in LCA calculations when an ingredient is unknown or not revealed by the manufacturer or has no LCA or EPD of its own.
• A radioactive material can have an EPD.
• BRE Green Book Live was BRE’s dissemination platform for its Environmental Profiles (EP) the precursor to EPDs before EN 15804 was invented; most of the EPs were for Bitumen or PVC backed carpets which could never be considered Green Building Encyclopaedia GBE-green, BRE-green perhaps?
• EPD is treated as if a green label, it is exactly the opposite, it is a numerical declaration of how violet the material is to make.
• Any specifier/designer needs to have a little critical analysis and make their own minds up about data results, especially from BRE who an authoritative body are no longer, now a commercial business being paid to do EPs.
• Environmental Assessment Methods (EAM) like BREEAM and Ska give credit to materials with EPD.
• UK Government Procurement requires all materials or products to have EPD effectively a key enter that market.
• Despite there being 100,000 EPD, 7,000 are construction related, nowhere near enough to do whole buildings.

The challenge is to do full and robust Environmental Declarations at Component, Element and Building level (ECD, EED & EBD) and compare with others in your portfolio gradually becoming EPD-literate and making well informed better choices for every component.

Case Study 2: Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

EPDs provide detailed information about the environmental impacts of products. However, the vast amount of data can be overwhelming and difficult to interpret. Critical thinking is necessary to discern meaningful insights from EPDs and make informed decisions about material selection.

Digital Product Passports (DPP):

• Originally proposed by the European Union (EU) to enable reclaimed materials from deconstruction of buildings competently getting into the reuse market (now named Circular Economy)
• Originally named Product Passports (PP) but apply as much to Reclaimed Materials Passports (RMP)
• Horizon 2020 funded project Buildings As Materials Banks (BAMB “Bambi”) rationalised what PP & RMP could be and developed and published their ideas.
  • 657 datapoints in 6 subgroups and 6 levels in hierarchy, 16 pages of A4 per product.
  • Some of the datapoints will not be applicable to any product group.
  • But this is significantly more than lines in a specification for a new build contract, e.g. 5 to 50 lines in a National Building Specification (NBS) template clause.
  • But PP & MP could also carry Manufacturer, Supplier, Method Statement (MS), Operation and Maintenance Manual (O&MM), Cost datasets, etc.
• Equivalent to a Specification for newbuild materials, it could carry description, application and performance data for its first use, a PP could carry data to enable competent reuse by providing a chain of custody for information along with the materials.
• What we are seeing now is that PP Consultants are driving the inclusion of PP into the procurement process of new first use materials for new first use construction projects.
• This is not what I had envisaged of PPs but the recent introduction of DPP suggests a new online database to be created and populated by manufacturers, for all to access to reinforce other EU Circular Economy ambitions.
• Inside of NBS Chorus or Create software there can also be filtering to create different documents from the same specification, to suit Levels of Information (LOI) at different life cycle stages to generate for example:
  • Outline Specification
  • Contract Specification
  • As-Built Specification
  • Facilities Management (FM) Specification.
• With these levels of filtering and DPP ambitions there can be a degree of choosing what data is required at any stage and avoiding the risk of information overload in each of them.

Case Study 3: Digital Product Passports (DPP)

DPPs, proposed by the European Union, aim to facilitate the reuse of materials in the circular economy. They contain extensive data, which can lead to information overload. Effective critical thinking helps professionals navigate this data, ensuring that it enhances rather than hinders decision-making.

BIM Digital transformation standards:

• Only the most dedicated BIM Manager is likely to see most of these.
• But the Computer Aided Design (CAD) BIM standards to be adopted by CAD staff on projects will be influenced by these standards even if staff have no idea.
• So, these should not add to Information overload.

These are typically encountered by only the most committed BIM Managers.  Nonetheless, the CAD BIM standards that CAD staff use on projects will be shaped by these standards, even if the staff are unaware of them.  Therefore, these standards should not contribute to information overload.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):

• Are a public declaration of the health impacts for manufacturers, installers/applicators and users, of materials, products and their chemistry ingredients.
• They have failed in their ambition to discourage manufacturers from using the unhealthiest materials, hence REACH directive.
• Some manufacturers claimed we did not include an ingredient because it is such a small % of the total so assumed it did little harm.
• Some of smallest of quantities have the greatest impacts, and these most hostile materials get ignored and avoid detection.
• They can be many pages long and for example Formaldehyde can have 500 datapoints.
• They inform the warning labels in transport (CHIP), on packaging, in application and disposal instructions.
• They can inform the applicators and installers which Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE) gloves, goggles, air filters, breathing apparatus, etc. to use.
• They could be used by manufacturers to look for high risks and consider lower risk ingredients.
• Designers/Specifiers should but rarely ask for or scrutinise MSDS to avoid specifying unhealthy materials.
• World Health Organisation (WHO) inform us that painting is the unhealthiest trade in construction and is particularly unhealthy and worse for females.
• PPE is more often recommended but you rarely see it in use, it is uncomfortable and inconvenient and often seen as a weakness to wear it.
• 2012 EU required all paints to be/have Low Volatile Content (VOC) all manufacturers went back to their chemistry laboratories to reduce VOCs but maintain all the other characteristics of a solvent based paint.
• Some major manufacturers struggled up to the deadline to bring a product to market.
• Medicines that pass through the human digestive system go through a rigorous process that takes years to get permission to be in the market, whilst paints which pass through the human respiratory system have complex chemistries and get into the market with no comparable scrutiny at very short notice.
• Architectural Education could provide the necessary know-how to judge materials for their health but for now health is not on the syllabus priority list.
• The solution to all of this is to leapfrog low VOC paints to specify natural paints, mineral paints, lime wash, clay-based finishes.

I often hear reservations from manufacturer’s salesmen: ‘Chemistry is precise and reliable’, my response is ‘But so is Plant DNA’ or ‘Minerals can be inert and long life without the chemistry risks’.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Serves as a public declaration of the health impacts associated with the use of materials, products, and their chemical ingredients upon manufacturers, installers/ applicators, and users.  Despite their intent, MSDS have not effectively discouraged manufacturers from using harmful materials, leading to the implementation of the REACH directive.  Some manufacturers omit certain ingredients from the MSDS, claiming their minimal percentage poses little risk.  Even trace amounts of some substances can have significant impacts, and these harmful materials often go undetected.

MSDS documents can be extensive; for instance, Formaldehyde may have 500 data points.

They guide the creation of warning labels for transport (CHIP), packaging, application, and disposal instructions.  MSDS provide essential information for determining the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves, goggles, air filters, and breathing apparatus.  Manufacturers could use MSDS to identify high-risk ingredients and consider safer alternatives.

Designers and specifiers should scrutinize MSDS to avoid selecting unhealthy materials, though this is seldom practiced.  The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies painting as the unhealthiest trade in construction, with women being particularly affected.

Although PPE is frequently recommended, it is rarely used due to its discomfort and perceived inconvenience.  In 2012, the EU mandated that all paints have low Volatile Organic Content (VOC).  This forced manufacturers to reformulate their products to reduce VOCs while maintaining other solvent-based paint characteristics.  Some major manufacturers struggled to meet this deadline and bring compliant products to market.

Unlike medicines, which undergo rigorous testing before market approval, paints with complex chemistries can enter the market with minimal scrutiny.  Architectural education could include training on evaluating materials for health impacts, but currently, this is not a priority.

The ideal solution is to move beyond low VOC paints and specify natural paints, mineral paints, lime wash, and clay-based finishes.  Manufacturers often argue that chemical formulations are precise and reliable. However, natural alternatives like plant-based materials have DNA consistency and inert minerals can offer long-lasting colour and durability benefits without chemical risks.

What GBE wrote:
Real Knowledge Life Details

How ChatGPT rewrote:
Artificial Intelligence

4 Techniques for Effective Argument Analysis

Discover techniques for dissecting and understanding arguments effectively.

Techniques for Effective Argument Analysis:

Effective argument analysis involves breaking down arguments into their components, evaluating the validity of premises, and considering counterarguments. Techniques such as the Toulmin Model of Argument, which involves identifying claims, grounds, warrants, backing, qualifiers, and rebuttals, can be particularly useful.

Practicing these techniques enables individuals to dissect and understand arguments more effectively, leading to better decision-making.

4 Techniques for Effective Argument Analysis:
Employer’s Requirements (ER):

• They can be anywhere between a Brief for a whole building to be procured by Design and Build (D&B) contract to a performance specification (PS) for one single trade installation with design responsibilities as defined in a Contractors Design Portion (CDP) or an Energy Performance Contract (EPC).
• National Building Specification (NBS) the author and provider of a library of national templates for writing specifications for contracts, do not have a template for ERs or PSs but did have a preliminaries section for Trade Contracts.
• Since Architectural Education does not teach specification in most Universities, except perhaps in Newcastle (the home of NBS) each practice must develop their own, this is likely to be carried out with varying levels of success.
• I often hear that architects think only the contractor can specify and architects cannot specify products in an ER or PS, but you can specific as much or as little as you and your client wish to.
• In some procurement methods or in government funded projects sometimes specifying products is discouraged often by legal departments who misinterpret the rules and play safe.
• In European Union (EU) procurement a legal minimum CE marked product is sometimes considered the closest to a specification we can get and the maximum specification standard we can call for.
• These misinterpretations can lead to Cognitive Bias that can prevent competent specification for buildings.
• Legal minimum CE making may not be ‘fit for purpose’ in a high-performance building and may well undermine the environmental performance of the building in-use.
• We need to understand the procurement rules robustly to avoid these kinds of mistakes.

These misinterpretations can lead to cognitive biases that hinder competent building specification.  Legal minimum CE marking may not be ‘fit for purpose’ in a high-performance building and could undermine the environmental performance of the building in use.  A robust understanding of procurement rules is essential to avoid these mistakes.

4 Techniques for Effective Argument Analysis:
Green Guide to Specification (GGtS):

• Published by BRE (formerly known as Building Research Establishment and formerly considered an authoritative body but now just a commercial enterprise)
• GGtS is cited by BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) as the primary source of environmental construction options.
• It is based upon primary data from conventional manufacturers and shows conventional methods and materials.
• It collates and calculates average industry sector impacts, that manufacturers with high impact products can hide behind sector average performance and discourages individual manufacturer’s improvement.
• It excludes low carbon materials and methods so it’s original 1200 No. A, B & C (being best) rated assemblies should be relegated to D, E & F (being worst) and low carbon materials and methods need to be added occupying A, B & C ratings.
• Project assessors have a means so have project methods and materials to be assessed and added to the datasets, but a further 400 assemblies do get a bit greener but by no means as green as they could.
• GGtS assemblies ignore all accessories: metalwork or plastics which have high embodied energy and carbon and can have values that exceed 20% of impacts and push A, B & C ratings to D, E & F.
• GGtS is not green, it shows the least violet (opposite of green) of the violet methods and materials.
• Due to the method of its funding, GGtS will never improve its scope to address real greener construction methods.
• GGtS is a barrier to meeting any low carbon targets and can only help in meeting Net Zero carbon targets where business as usual construction is reliant upon greenwash carbon offsetting to meet low carbon ambition and targets.
• If most of the industry, see GGtS as Green it becomes a Cognitive Bias and barrier to getting to a low carbon future.
• A to C or A to F ratings and missing low carbon options, missing high impact accessories dumb-down and misguide environmental impact guidance to specifiers.
• Only through including all the options, real accurate calculations of all components will we ever get true guidance as to greenness, or status quo prevails

Green Guide to Specification (GGtS):

• Published by BRE: Once an authoritative body known as the Building Research Establishment, it is now primarily a commercial enterprise.
• Primary Environmental Construction Source: Cited by the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) as the main reference for environmental construction options.
• Conventional Focus: Based on primary data from conventional manufacturers, GGtS showcases traditional methods and materials.
• Average Sector Impacts: By calculating and collating average industry sector impacts, GGtS allows manufacturers of high-impact products to hide behind these averages, discouraging individual improvements.
• Exclusion of Low Carbon Materials: GGtS omits low carbon materials and methods, meaning its original 1200 best-rated assemblies (A, B & C) should be downgraded to D, E & F, and low carbon materials should occupy the top ratings.
• Assessment Capabilities: Project assessors can have project methods and materials assessed and added to the datasets, leading to 400 assemblies becoming somewhat greener, though not as green as possible.
• Accessory Impact: GGtS overlooks accessories like metalwork or plastics, which have high embodied energy and carbon impacts, sometimes exceeding 20% of total impacts, potentially lowering A, B & C ratings to D, E & F.
• Misleading Green Claims: GGtS does not represent truly green methods and materials, instead showing the least harmful of the harmful options.
• Funding Limitations:Due to its funding model, GGtS is unlikely to expand its scope to include genuinely greener construction methods.
• Barrier to Low Carbon Targets: GGtS hinders the achievement of low carbon targets, supporting net-zero carbon goals only through greenwashing and carbon offsetting.
• Cognitive Bias Risk: If the industry views GGtS as green, it can create a cognitive bias, impeding progress towards a low carbon future.
• Rating System Issues:The A to C or A to F ratings, combined with the exclusion of low carbon options and high-impact accessories, mislead specifiers regarding environmental impacts.
• Need for Comprehensive Inclusion: Only by incorporating all options and accurately calculating all components can we provide true guidance on environmental impact, preventing the status quo from prevailing.

What GBE wrote:
Real Knowledge Life Details

How ChatGPT rewrote:
Artificial Intelligence

5 Case Studies: Critical Thinking in Real-World Scenarios

Examine real-world examples where critical thinking has been crucial in problem-solving.

5 Case Studies: Critical Thinking in Real-World Scenarios

Case study: Cement

• Cement production is responsible for 8-10% of man-made carbon dioxide globally.
• Other materials with high carbon dioxide, to be avoided include:
  • steel,
  • fired clay brick,
  • aluminium,
  • plastics,
• I know that concrete is one of a few materials we must stop using as soon as possible, but I also know our appetite for concrete is strong that I know it won’t happen.
• Despite that I will spend an hour or more on the cement sector exhibition stand with their chief technical officer to hear the latest developments, actions or thinking.
• Yes, the sector is finally doing some joined up or radical thinking and sharing know-how but have a very long way to go to solve their silo approach and solve their problems comprehensively.
• Codes of Practice and BSI, CEN & ISO standards, then practice/project specification templates need to be comprehensively updated to engage with all the developments, as soon as evidence shows them competent enough for the standards committees and to get past the business as usual (BAU) lobbying by sector standards committee members.

Codes of Practice, along with BSI, CEN, and ISO standards, and practice/project specification templates, need to be thoroughly updated to incorporate all advancements.  This should happen as soon as there is sufficient evidence for standards committees to approve and move beyond the business-as-usual lobbying by sector committee members.

Conclusion:

Developing strong critical thinking skills involves recognizing and overcoming cognitive biases, understanding and applying logical reasoning, and effectively analyzing arguments. By continuously challenging assumptions, seeking diverse perspectives, and engaging in reflective thinking, individuals can enhance their critical thinking capabilities. In professions like architecture and construction, where decisions have far-reaching impacts, these skills are particularly crucial for achieving competency and excellence.

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

© GBE GBC GRC GIC GGC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan ******
13th June 2024 – 14th June 2024

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Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

© GBE GBC GRC GIC GGC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan ******
13th June 2024 – 14th June 2024

Real Knowledge v Artificial Intelligence (Q+A) G#41921

© GBE GBC GRC GIC GGC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan ******
13th June 2024 – 14th June 2024