O’Brien’s Alex Noble, DBIA, and Open Concept Architecture’s Sarah Young, Associate AIA, DBIA, presenting about the Accretech project at the DBIA National Conference (2023).
Innovation, sustainability, and collaboration are shaping the future of the construction industry. Design-build, an integrated approach that combines design and construction services, is leading the way.
O’Brien has been a consistent proponent of the design-build method, and we have completed many such projects with various architecture firms. We are currently working on the Accretech Offices and Production Facility, a design-build project with Open Concept Architecture. Since both the construction and design team are all working together under the same roof, close communication and teamwork have led to a significantly smoother process, as the open collaboration process helps to keep everything on track for cost, schedule, and quality.
Meet Brian Aske
Brian Aske, FDBIA, is a Progressive Design-Build national instructor and member of the DBIA College of Fellows. Brian has been a champion of the design-build method throughout his career. As a DBIA-educated leader and advocate, he has played a significant role in advancing the adoption of design-build in the Pacific Northwest. His expertise lies in fostering collaboration among disciplines to achieve innovative, efficient, and sustainable construction solutions.
We interviewed Brian to hear his perspective on how this method is transforming the industry:
Brian Aske, FDBIA
Breaking Barriers to Sustainability
Design-build cultivates innovation by combining design and construction services under a single contract. By breaking down barriers between disciplines, this method promotes a more streamlined and collaborative process. As Brian explains, “Teams interact differently when they’re working under the same contract.” This integration of disciplines enables teams to address sustainability challenges and performance goals more cohesively.
Striving for sustainability is a cornerstone of the design-build method, an effort which benefits greatly from early collaboration with trade partners. By implementing systems like rainwater collection and renewable energy during the design phase, teams can achieve more holistic solutions. “You’re able to optimize all the systems more efficiently when they’re integrated directly into the design and engineering process, which is more difficult to facilitate in a traditional delivery method,” Brian notes.
“There’s a lot more teamwork when contractual silos are broken down, and as we move towards more performance goals for projects, we need to integrate systems, with engineers and designers and trade partners working together rather than safeguarding their own territory and systems. Under the design-build process, people are not so protective of what’s important to their discipline. We’re sharing the resources and changing the formula for how the budget is spent.”
Brian Aske
Leveraging Technology
Cloud-based design software plays a pivotal role in the design-build process, allowing teams to collaborate on shared models efficiently. These tools streamline workflows, save time and resources, and enhance project outcomes. With access to the same information, designers, engineers, and builders can work seamlessly, ensuring better communication and results across company or even state lines.
This process also inherently mitigates risk. With design-build, one team is working together under one contract, with one single source of responsibility to meet quality and performance goals. “If you have risk spread across a lot of different contracts, you may not have the risk placed with those best suited to manage it, and you can have risk gaps or redundancies in who is responsible for the risk,” Brian says.
Three examples of O’Brien’s Design-Build projects, in collaboration with Open Concept Architecture.
The Future of Design-Build
Brian Aske foresees continued growth in design-build adoption, driven by industry expertise and technological advancements. “By virtue of our industry becoming more experienced and sophisticated with the design-build delivery method, a lot of smart people in this industry are going to figure out how best to integrate systems and better leverage the technology that will come,” he says. However, the success of the design-build method hinges on attracting professionals with the right mindset and skillset. “And desire. Because it’s not easier,” he concludes. But the results are worth it.
Through design-build, we can envision a construction industry that prioritizes innovation, sustainability, and collaboration. By embracing this approach, the industry can achieve transformative results, paving the way for a more efficient and sustainable future.
For more information and resources on design-build, please visit DBIA – News & Resources.