Building a Case for Design-Build
Date Posted: October 14, 2019
Posted In: Ideas,
From REJournals: There’s been a revision of late to the process of designing and constructing commercial properties. And it’s almost a return to form, as the design-build method that has been gaining traction emulates the days of the Master Builder.
One of the primary benefits to this model is that it provides a single point of contact. Not only does this simplify and streamline a project on the client side, it illuminates who is in control, and ultimately responsible for, the finished product.
“If you think about an owner hiring an architect to protect their interests, that doesn’t make any sense because the architect really has no financial accountability to the client,” said Bob Clark, chairman and CEO of Clayco. “The builder is where the risk is and where the accountability should lie.”
The design-build model, Clark likes to say, supplies “one throat to choke.” But it’s not just about liability. Also, unlike the Master Builders of old, it’s not design by fiat—this process fosters better cooperation and communication between the design, engineering, construction and subcontractor teams because they are all part of the conversation from day one.
“Having your contractor at the table as part of the team from the onset means that the contractor and the people who are going to actually work on the site and build the building completely understand the design intent, so there are no mistakes,” said Parkside Realty’s Bob Wislow.
The downside of selecting an architect without some sort of contracting focus is that plans can be drawn up in a vacuum, without an all-inclusive vision of how the building will come together. When the design and build teams talk out a project from the very beginning, they can together figure out varied solutions to a design problem that the other may not have thought of.
Wislow and his long-time colleague, Camille Julmy, recently launched a boutique venture, Parkside Realty. One of their first projects is Fulton East, a 12-story, 90,000-square-foot office and retail building at 215 N. Peoria Street in Chicago. Clayco—along with in-house architecture firm, Lamar Johnson Collaborative—is leading the design-build effort for the Fulton Market project.
From floor plates to amenities, Fulton East’s design marries concierge and office lifestyles. The 8,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop park, for example, offers comfortable seating designed for both collaboration and client entertainment, with state-of-the-art connectivity for everything from product demonstrations to movie nights. The 9-by-27-foot balconies on each floor are geared toward meetings just as much as to lounging.
As design-build is all about coordination and cooperation, it’s never too early to coordinate with tenants and the firms that they’ve contracted to build out their space.
“We’re working with one tenant and we brought their interior design firm in before they even put pencil to paper. They said they’ve never been involved in a project this early or involved to the depth that they are on this project,” said Wislow.
As an example, another tenant will occupy multiple floors. Clayco brought them into the early shell and core discussions because they want to incorporate the fire stairway into their space as an aesthetic transfer stair for their employees. The time to have those conversations is now, as it would be costlier to wait and have to tear out walls and replace a utilitarian railing with a more attractive one.