In our Technology Designer Magazine we focus primarily on performance homes and design-build teams. I’ll save performance homes and what that means for another article, but today let me just give you a brief overview of what we mean when we talk about the design-build process.
Design-build is a methodology of project delivery in which one entity – the design-build team – works under contract with the homeowner or property developer to provide design and construction services. One entity, one contract (preferably, but not always the case in residential projects), one unified flow of work from concept through project completion. Across the country and around the world, design-build successfully delivers large-scale commercial projects as well as MDUs and residential properties.
Design-build is an alternative to design-bid-build. Utilizing this approach, design (architecture, landscape, interior, technology) and construction are split – separate entities, separate contracts, separate work.
One Integrated Team
Design-build streamlines project delivery based on an agreement between the owner and the design-build team. This simple but fundamental difference saves money and time by transforming the relationship between designers and builders into an alliance which fosters collaboration and teamwork.
Advantages in faster delivery based on a collaborative management team, cost savings based on efficiencies of scale, peace of mind based on singular responsibility, decreased administrative burdens for the homeowner, and the closing of warranty gaps which results in greatly reduced litigation claims.
At the end of the day, homeowners can shop design-build teams and find one that meets their expectations for assuming total responsibility for any given new build or major remodel.
