Design tolerance as a pedagogical tactic: the possible role of architectural design in facilitating on-site labour training

Abstract

This paper is the initial publication from a research project examining the role of architectural design in enhancing the skills of the construction workforce in Sri Lanka. For years, the country has faced challenges in implementing effective capacity-building initiatives, resulting in a proliferation of substandard buildings and hindering the socio-economic advancement of construction workers. Regretfully, the practice of architecture rarely develops pragmatic strategies to confront labour training as a design prerogative. Birthed off in such a context, this paper investigates the potential contribution of architectural design to labour upskilling by adopting the function of 'Design Tolerance' as a pedagogical tactic. Given the theory-driven nature of this inquiry, the paper first evaluates 'Design Tolerance' as a theoretical construct before elucidating its contextual significance within the scope of the broader investigation on labour upskilling, particularly on the use of real building projects as on-site training grounds. Placing 'Design Tolerance' at the crux of the dual objective of 'compromising precision' and 'accommodating error', the theoretical arguments then lead to a case-study analysis organised under three categories: (i) tolerance by the system, (ii) tolerance by detail, and (iii) tolerance by procurement. Subsequently, 13 design tactics attributing to the idea of 'Design Tolerance' are identified, offering a technical foundation to re-interpret and define the role of architectural design in on-site labour training.