Design/Build

Mike is an artist just like many architects and he can design beautiful plans like many architects, but because he is also a contractor, he is acutely aware of the mechanics required to implement what he puts on paper. Many times, plans are designed in a vacuum and the builder in the field cannot accomplish what the designer intended – or worse, the architect has no idea of the cost of some of the methods and materials they are specifying and these cost ramifications are realized too late in the process. Some compelling benefits of design/build include

Singular Responsibility

With both design and construction in the hands of a single entity, there is a single point of responsibility for quality, cost, and schedule adherence. With design-build, the owner is able to focus on scope/needs definition and timely decision making, rather than on coordination between designer and builder.

Quality

The singularized responsibility inherent in design-build serves as a motivation for quality and proper project performance. The owner’s requirements and expectations are documented in performance terms and it is the design-build entity's responsibility to produce results accordingly. During the construction process this attention to quality does not end, as the designer becomes the master builder, and manages the construction of the project to completion.

Cost Savings

Design and construction personnel, working and communicating as a team, evaluate alternative materials and methods efficiently and accurately. Value engineering and constructability are utilized continuously and more effectively when the designers and contractors work as a team during the entire design process.

Time Savings

Because design and construction are overlapped, total project time can be significantly reduced. With design-build, material procurement and construction work can begin before the construction documents are fully completed. The resulting time savings translates into lower costs and an earlier occupancy date. Construction costs are known far earlier than in other delivery systems. The entity responsible for design is simultaneously estimating construction costs and can accurately conceptualize the completed project.

Knowledgeable Decision Making

In the traditional design first, then bid, then build process, the design documents are nearly completed before the client gets a real idea of the true cost. Many times, this cost is not within the anticipated budget, but the client has spent a substantial amount of money on design and is too far into the process to completely change or reduce the scope. With design/build, Henthorn Architecture can prepare realistic preliminary cost estimates so that the client can make educated decisions about the necessities and the luxuries of the project. If the finishing touches are important, you will want to make sure they are not sacrificed in the end because of cost overruns that could have been avoided months earlier.