Design-Build

In a World where change has become the normal way of "Day to Day Operations", it is readily apparent that big business must keep up. How does a company meet the constant demand to build well, and on what level does this take place. We see, feel, touch, taste and smell every day all day long. Surrounded by unseen influences that grab our senses, we casually walk through an industry that makes or breaks competitors. Design in and of itself becomes an art form we can all appreciate, but how does this art and craft go lightly into the business world.

We are touched every day by our surroundings. Big business pays big money to make it attractive to all our senses when you visit their offices, stores, and buildings. The footprint you leave a location with in your mind is what the design build concept is all about. What other factors are considered when design build is mentioned? Let's explore an article written by Design Futures Chair-Council, James P. Cramer, Hon. AIA.

Let's quote a few of the inspiring thoughts about Design-Build in the article:

I believe the architecture profession is the noblest of all professions, combining the essences of human health, safety, and welfare. Architects hold an important public trust and must understand that the protection and safety of the human condition requires more than a rear-view-mirror understanding of our profession's importance to the future. Foresight isn't just advisable, it's mandatory.

As we consider the lessons of Hurricane Katrina, we design-build architects might ask ourselves the following:

1. Are we moving this entrusted value of the architect forward through design-build?

2. What makes a profession (like a human cell) divide and grow? Is the profession dividing and growing--or is it divided against itself?

3. Are we, as design-build architects, pioneers in the new scientific revolution?

4. The industrial revolution began about three centuries ago. How does this time frame relate to the age of today's architecture profession? Are we teenagers? How do we, through design-build practice, grow and become more relevant beyond the information age?

5. How might foresight and integration models redefine the noblest of all professions?

These and so many other game-changing events will have signal impact on architects and construction. Combining demographics with new technology will create situations that require leadership with foresight, agility, and wisdom. Massive change is just ahead of us.

I believe that design-build service delivery will be an essential strategy. Without foresight, however, the growth could backfire and mutate toward increasingly marginalized relevancy.

As professionals, we must not squander the opportunity to learn anew in this time of change. Today, leading design-build architects are inspiring some of that change, often manifesting as new integration models. Just as design-build is a more efficient integration model at the macro level, architects are becoming more proficient in hundreds of micro integration initiatives, leading the new--and, we hope, safer--AEC industry.

The pioneering spirit of design-build is more important today than ever. Your next-level integration strategies are needed just as our profession--once a single-celled organism--grows into new relevancy, new growth, and its next life.

James P. Cramer, Hon. AIA, is a private adviser to architecture and design firms, co-chair of the Design Futures Council, and editor of DesignIntelligence. He can be reached at jcramer@di.net