Design-Build

A Vessel that Carries
Industry Innovations

by Paula Widholm

Design-build fits neatly with new measures in construction, such as maximizing the power of building information modeling, gaining LEED status or creating a successful public private partnership.

“The essence of design-build is all about collaboration, cooperation and teamwork,” says Walker Lee Evey, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Design-Build Institute of America.

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He says that a few novelties—BIM, aggressive commissioning, lean construction, public-private partnerships and sustainable design—are driven by technology, and “people who do construction projects under design-bid-build are forcing these concepts into the old model. Our model deals with them wonderfully well.”



BIM Software

Design-build enables BIM, a model-based technology linked with a database of project information, to reach its full potential.

“The real change is in how the technology is used,” Evey says. “We view it from a tech perspective alone, but it’s really all about being able to cooperate, collaborate and team together to exchange information and data.”

From BIM’s database, a project team member can create drawings, reports, materials lists, cost reports or schedules.

“The essence of BIM is the centrally located, collected bucket of numbers,” Evey says. “You can allow entry to the database by all the different partners involved. All parties are together in design, and the power of BIM is integrating everyone at the front end. Design-build gets to the real power of BIM.”

Madison, Wis.-based Marshall Erdman & Associates uses BIM to virtually erect projects via financial modeling, component fabrication and erection modeling, warehouse staging and material selection.

Since Erdman handles all disciplines in-house, “we don’t have to rely on stakeholders in design and building to adapt to that same technology,” says William Peel, president and COO of the health-care development firm.

Sustainability

Sustainability also makes a good fit with design-build.

“Design-build really facilitates sustainable design,” says Hill Burgess, director in the Chicago office of Wight & Co. “It makes it much more achievable.”

Burgess estimates that about 60% of the Darien, Ill.-based firm’s projects are built using design-build.

“The big misconception is that sustainable design is more expensive than code-compliant design,” Burgess says. “But, design-build promotes early decision making for green design. Trying to graft green design into a building that’s already well into design always costs more.

“If you make fundamental decisions for sustainability before the project starts design, then it’s achievable within the normal price. Then you’re not making choices along the way and you don’t have to substitute materials later on with renewable material.”

The LEED score card, with its list of separate checklist items such as a low-flow toilet or a bike rack each getting a point toward LEED, can also spook owners.

A better approach is starting with the goal in mind, Burgess says. For example, if the owner wants mechanical efficiency, then sun shading can be part of the design, he adds.

But in traditional design-bid-build, those details might not be decided in the early phases nor incorporated into the budget. The owner might make the decision too late in the process.

“It’s much better to sit down with the owner, architect, engineer and design builder and any major subs and work through the project in modeling phases so the design builder can develop a budget with the designer that includes all sustainable elements,” he adds.

In this process, the owner sees an energy analysis, life-cycle analysis and cost benefit analysis before the design phase.

“Owners eat that up and they feel part of the process versus a checklist,” Burgess says.

“They have to warm up to the idea of it early on to know what sustainable elements to include, and what the payback is for them.”

Design-Build Education

The DBIA’s Evey says he has seen the demand for education and training in design-build shoot up dramatically. In 2004, DBIA presented 13 training classes nationwide. This year, the organization is presenting 110 classes.

And, DBIA now reaches beyond practitioners and is training company managers and owners.

“We teach owners how to state their goals, challenges constraints and budget and to communicate in performance terms,” Evey says. He adds that design-build helps keep the competition from winning from winning a bid “because you have the lowest number to winning with the most innovative, best solutions for the owner’s situation.”

While these changes in the bid process are coming about most rapidly on the coasts, Evey says it won’t be long before they gain more popularity in the Midwest.

“Companies that do high-quality work and take pride in their workmanship are going to like those changes,” Evey says. “Companies that are change-order artists or use bait-and-switch to win projects and who shop around to find less expensive subs are not going to like it.”

In-house Design-Build

At Marshall Erdman & Associates all disciplines including design, construction, commissioning and procurement are under one roof.

“They all work together under a project-delivery process that’s completely mapped from concept to completion,” Peel says.

On the majority of its projects, Erdman manufactures its own steel and wall panels.

“Post-Katrina, this gave us a competitive advantage,” Peel says. “We had a source and supply for fabrication that our competitors didn’t have. By having manufacturing and procurement in the mix, you can get the building enclosed faster and get inside to build it out with greater speed and accuracy.”

Erdman’s quality-control managers check on a building’s performance at one year and five years out.

“Health care is evidence-based work,” Peel says. “We’re want to know what our customers are doing to improve patient satisfaction, staff recruiting, retention of patient flow and building efficiency after the building is occupied.

“Post-occupancy is when the real learning starts.”

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