DESIGN-BUILD/CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

90% of Mawr Design Projects are completed working side by side with a General Contractor in a Design Build process. The design and construction process is complicated. Even the simplest buildings have complexity. Potential complexity extends from technical building details to the soft skills of managing the owner, designer, and construction team through the process. By utilizing Design-Build, complexities may be reduced by aligning two potential adversarial entities in the service of the building owner.

What do we mean by adversaries? Historically, there has existed a rather divisive relationship between designer and contractor. Think about it. The traditional process does not necessarily promote cooperation and in fact, may encourage an adversarial association. You design, bid, and then build. Invariably, there will be problems, but since the two groups don’t work together, there is little opportunity for synergy and much less opportunity for a successful outcome to the project.

The traditional approach of Design-Bid-Build is where design, engineering and construction services are split into separate entities, separate contracts and separate work. The Design-Build model, in contrast, is defined as a method of project delivery in which one entity (the Design-Build team) works under a single contract with the project owner to provide comprehensive design and construction services.

MAWR Design offers construction management through their sister company Veyron Construction Group.

Benefits of Design-Build/Construction Management:

1. Communication is improved between designer, contractor, and owner.

2. Knowledge base about industry standards, regulations, schedule and/or clients expectations for projects is enhanced and equally shared among all members of the team.

3. The project delivery is handled under a single contract with the Design-Build entity, which manages all phases of the project, and provides a single point of contact and coordination for the client.

4. The project schedule can be reduced because the design and pricing are developed simultaneously, eliminating need for multiple value engineering and pricing cycles.

5. Incorporating the construction expertise at the project onset ensures strict adherence to the budget and schedule and determines constructability of design.