May 2013
| Business World Magazine | 77
project and assess the results before formally adopt-
ing the practice.
DESIGN-BUILD BENEFITS
In that it streamlines project delivery through a sin-
gle contract between an owner and the design-build
team, the fundamental difference with design-
build methodology versus the old approach, in-
volves the saving of money and time. Design-build
transforms the relationship between designers and
builders into an alliance that fosters collaboration
and teamwork. When there is such unity from the
outset of a project, Jenny says an integrated team
can more readily incorporate BIM and LEED cer-
tification goals. Owners additionally benefit from
quicker fulfillment of work; collaborative project
management allows work to be completed faster
and with fewer problems. An integrated team is
geared toward efficiency and innovation which
better accommodates cost savings. Projects relying
on this methodology also reflect greater quality as
design-builders strive to meet performance needs,
not minimum design requirements, and will often
collectively develop innovations to deliver a bet-
ter project than that even initially imagined. Since
one entity is held accountable for cost, schedule
and performance, there is decreased administrative
burden and owners can more readily focus on the
project rather than managing disparate contracts.
As the design-build team assumes risk, this is elimi-
