The Design-Build Process

Advantages

Singular Responsibility

Within a design build company, one entity is responsible for the whole design and construction process. This is contrary to the process of selecting an architect separately from a building company. As these independent entities have their own agendas, communication problems are probable, which then become the responsibility of the clients. Those, in turn, get stuck trying to resolve the issues at hand, because none of the parties involved are willing to accept responsibility. In a design build company, designers and builders work in a team to ensure proper coordination, quality, cost control and scheduling.

Guarantee of Proper Performance

Because the design-built firm has sole responsibility, it is able to attest to the freedom from errors of the construction documents, and also to ensure that everything is built according to the quality specifications of the client. In the architect/building company scenario, the client is actually responsible for ensuring that the documents passed to the builder are correct and complete.

Cost Savings

As a team, builders and designers can ensure that a project is valuable while keeping costs within reason and according to a budget specified by the customer. This is possible because designers are aware of realistic material and labor costs, and are able to design the project accordingly.

Time Savings

Because design and construction can be overlapped, and because general contract bidding periods and redesign time are eliminated, total design and construction time can be significantly reduced.