Design / Build: A Successful, One - Stop Solution for Your Campus Facility Projects
By: Susan Thompson
Congratulations! Your fellow school administrators, building committee members, and board of trustees have all done their research, held informative meetings, and reached a consensus to make your proposed campus facility project a reality on your current capital campaign. Already, your faculty, staff, and students have chimed in, voicing their opinions on what program spaces should be inherent in the facility. You’ve begun aggressive fundraising to achieve your objectives, and, if you are fortuitous, a generous donor – or two – has stepped forward with a monetary pledge.
However, before the groundbreaking ceremony for your new facility can take place, you obviously have to solidify who is going to design and construct it. Today, you have plenty of options from which to choose, among them:
1. An architect to design the facility and a separate contractor to construct it
2. A mobile, portable, and/or modular building solution
3. A design/build firm that can handle both the architectural/design aspects, as well as the construction
The Value of Conducting Additional Research
You will obviously need to conduct additional research about these various types of companies before you can hire one for your project. You can speak with their marketing/sales departments and glean how long they’ve been in business, the types of facilities they have completed, and how many buildings they have designed and/or built. You can request some printed literature and visit their Web sites to “see” some of their facilities and learn additional details about them.
In addition, if you attend one – or several – industry-related trade shows a year, you can make a point of visiting their booths (if they are exhibiting) and meet company representatives face-to-face. In this venue, be sure to ask them some relevant and hard-hitting questions and gauge their responses. You can also talk to your colleagues or friends that work at other schools about the firms they are aware of – or those they may have successfully used for design and construction projects in the past.
However, most importantly, you should inquire about the companies’ previous customers and ask for a reference list. Once you’ve obtained this list of “satisfied clients,” don’t be shy about calling the contact people on it and asking them a variety of questions about their respective projects...not only those regarding building workmanship and program space performance, but also those focusing on the entire facility delivery process.
You should also ask about the timelines and fees involved (were their buildings completed on time and on budget and were any unexpected change orders involved?); the quality of their buildings (did they meet or exceed their expectations or fall short?); their relationship with the firm(s) they used (were they accessible, knowledgeable, professional, etc.?); and the overall satisfaction with their entire project process (did the firms they hire ultimately deliver what they initially promised?).
Once you’ve narrowed your choices down to a “short list,” send out your “Request for Qualifications” and “Request for Proposals” and invite a cross-section of firms in for face-to-face presentations and interviews with all of your school’s project decision makers.
Don’t forget the importance of “people chemistry.” Your facility will be more than just bricks and mortar. It will be a monumental investment of time and money, and you will need to hire someone who you are comfortable with, who listens to your wants and needs, and who can communicate with you successfully.
At this juncture, it’s also a good idea to visit some of the facilities your “finalists” have designed and/or constructed, so that you can see first-hand the quality and aesthetic standards of their work.
Why Should You Consider the Design/Build Route?
Once your interview process has concluded, if you decide to go the design/build route – whereby you hire a firm to handle all of the architecture, engineering, and construction for your proposed facility project – then you need to be aware that not all design/build firms are alike.
Some companies will call themselves “design/build,” but will still operate separately from the architect or contractor they have hitched themselves to for a specific project. In this scenario, while it may look like a strategic partnership, each component is still working independently with its own objectives in mind. As a result, your project delivery can end up mirroring that of the separate architect and contractor route – with you in the middle – trying to smooth over any finger pointing that may occur between the two entities should the project exceed its timeline and/or budget constraints or encounter any other adversarial issues.
Rather than overseeing a “marriage of convenience” that may or may not work for your project, you could hire a design/build firm that bills itself as the “one-stop solution,” whereby the company takes complete responsibility for your entire project – from concept to completion – and fully integrates the design and construction phases so that you’re only dealing with one entity, as opposed to two. Such a firm would thereby provide you with the true benefits of design/build, which are discipline and efficiency across the entire project delivery cycle and a faster project turnaround time.
The Importance of Hiring a Specialist
In addition to the importance of controlling timelines and budgets for your project, you are also going to want to hire a design/build firm that is a specialist in the type of campus facilities you are envisioning. Again, you can determine this by researching the types of projects they have designed and constructed in the past, visiting these facilities first-hand for a “look see,” and talking with their client base to see what buildings the firm completed for them.
Design/build today is very different from the concept you may have experienced – or heard about – previously. For example, if one of your goals is to have your new facility match the existing architecture on your campus, an experienced design/build specialist can help you achieve that goal – and then some. Such companies using this project delivery method can provide you with the customized, attractive campus facility you are seeking – at a good value – whether it’s an administrative building, residence hall, athletic/recreational facility, performing arts center, science building, library, etc. Their own in-house architects would design the facility to your specifications, and then the firm’s integrated team of engineers and local sub-contractors from your area would seamlessly work to construct it – with the appropriate project managers and onsite superintendents in place to oversee that the entire process is completed on time and on budget.
If you hire a specialist for the type of facility you need, you would also be assured that they have the knowledge, experience, and creativity to meet your objectives. After all, such a firm is taking full responsibility for your project. They will be handling all of the architecture, engineering, and construction for the facility, as well as providing the fixed equipment. To achieve this, they should meet with you as many times as necessary before the project begins to determine your timelines and budget constraints, as well as to learn more about all your building specifications (such as the size and scope of the program spaces, the interior and exterior finishes you desire, any site work and/or parking issues you need resolved, if you want to add any “green” options to increase your facility’s sustainability and energy efficiencies, and any future expansion plans you may have in mind).
They should also listen to what you want – rather than design a facility that is a testament to them. With their experience and years of doing business, chances are they also have national suppliers that they use regularly for many of their exterior and interior building products and can, therefore, pass along the price breaks and savings gleaned from these liaisons to you. They will then take all of this information and create a comprehensive, detailed specification for you, which includes all of the appropriate materials that will be used for each area, as well as the proper mechanical systems’ designs – based on your program space allowances.
Additional Advantages
There are also other advantages to hiring a design/build specialist for your campus facility project. You won’t have to concern yourself with any risk management issues because the firm will be responsible for them, not you. Ditto for any building safety issues/codes that may arise. They will already be inherently engineered into the facility from the start of the project, so you won’t have to think about them.
However, perhaps one of the most important benefits of hiring a design/build specialist is that you are going to know upfront what it’s going to cost to design and construct your campus facility, because with this project delivery methodology, there isn’t any “going out to bid” for your project. Rather, you would be presented with a guaranteed, fixed price for the complete design and construction of your facility – before construction begins. This is a valuable facet to consider and is vastly different than how a separate architect and contractor would approach your project.
With the integrated, one-stop design/build solution, you would, in essence, have the peace of mind of knowing that you’re going to get the building you envisioned because the design/build specialist isn’t going to initiate any change orders, and there won’t be any additional unforeseen costs associated with the project that will be passed onto you. As a result, you won’t have to spend more money, reduce the program spaces in your facility, and/or cut back in other areas of your building to compensate.
Forego the Specialist – Take On Potential Problems
Designing and constructing a new campus facility is a comprehensive, and potentially daunting, undertaking. However, an experienced architect, contractor and/or design/build firm can expertly help you traverse the deep waters and get you safely to the other side. Don’t underestimate the importance of hiring a specialist to assist you. Forego the specialist, and potential problems could arise.
For example, if you desire a new athletic facility on your campus, and you hire a design/build firm that is more adept at creating libraries, you run the risk of having key program spaces such as your gymnasium not meeting game/tournament regulation sizes, seats with poor sightlines, locker rooms not anywhere near the pool and gym, lights in obscure or hard-to-access places, and not enough mechanical and/or storage spaces. Do your homework upfront and bring in a specialist for the type of building you are seeking – from the beginning. Your students, faculty, staff, and colleagues will thank you for it later, especially when your new building “works” the way it’s supposed to work
Your New Campus Facility…A Focal Point for Today and the Future
Once again, congratulations are in order. You were able to reserve a spot for your campus facility on your school’s priority list; it was an integral part of your capital campaign; you were an enthusiastic participant on the committee to select a designer and contractor for the project; and now, the building has been completed and is ready for occupancy.
If you did use design/build for your project delivery, your new facility was more than likely completed ahead of schedule because major design and construction decisions were made more quickly – with everyone working on the same team. Now you can relax and enjoy your new facility. By employing this single-source, no headache approach – and hiring a specialist – your building should successfully work for its intended use; be durable and attractive; economical to maintain; and, most importantly, be a focal point and hub of campus activity today – as well as for years to come.
Susan Thompson has been the marketing director at Stanmar, Inc. for 11 years. Stanmar is a third-generation-owned design/build firm located in Wayland, Massachusetts, www.stanmar-inc.com.
