AFE November/December 2011 : Page 14////////////////////// COVER STORY technology. Th is type of walk-through provides stakeholders an accurate vision of everything — from where light fi xtures and electric switches are located to where pipes will be located behind bathroom walls. And these BIM plans aren’t just for the construction phase — they can also be used by the O&M staff aft er the build-ing is completed, helping to fi x problems more effi ciently and cost-eff ectively. Any changes to the plans, or modifi cations to the site aft er construction is over, can be incorporated into the BIM virtual model for future reference. “By aligning the latest technology and the most qualifi ed industry professionals with the needs of our clients, Ahern’s design-build team is able to bring increased accuracy, lower costs, improved quality and fewer changes to the construction process,” said Nation. “We take out the guesswork — and so we’re able to provide our clients with reliable, on-time delivery of the project.” ing owners want to operate their new buildings or expansions more effi ciently and cost-eff ectively," he said. Corbin believes that the collaborative design-build pro-cess keeps maintenance staff more positive and productive. “Operations people love the collaborative method we employ,” he said. “In the past, their opinion was not asked, and main-tenance personnel were excluded from the process. In the traditional construction process, the fi rst time someone from the maintenance team was likely to see the building was when construction was completed," he added. “Th e design-build process takes into account the longer term operations and cost eff ects—not just the ‘works right’ eff ects." In other words, building systems won’t just “work right”—they’ll work right for all stakeholders. Early Involvement Assists In LEED Certification Any building owner who may be interested in obtaining LEED certifi cation from the United States Green Building Council should consider the design-build process, according to Nation. “Early involvement of the stakeholders can help owners get all the LEED points they possibly can,” Nation said. “For example, they may want to speak with tenants about when, where and how they will be occupying the building can help us to set up systems for CO 2 energy and utilities monitoring," he continued. “Using a collaborative design-build model allows that informa-tion to be factored into all aspects of building operations before construction starts — instead of as an aft erthought, when it may be too late to do anything about it.” Adopting the Design-Build Method Given all the benefi ts of the design-build model — both in terms of a more effi cient construction process and lower operations costs — why has it taken so long for building owners and gov-ernments to change from simply sending drawings out to bid? “Change has been taking place at diff erent times in diff erent markets,” Corbin said. “In St. Louis, where I started in the con-struction business, we saw the change [to design-build] early on,” he continued. “Th e West Coast was also quick to adopt it. But the Northeast was a little slower to adopt design-build, partly because many architects were slow to want to give up control.” Although the federal government has adopted design-build on many of its projects, some state governments and municipalities have been slower to change the process. Why the reluctance? “Laws had to be changed to alter the process,” Corbin responded. “It will continue to be a gradual change as states and federal agencies see that the process represents the best value for the taxpayer.” Not to mention a stronger voice for the operations profes-sionals who will be maintaining the building long aft er the construction phase has ended. FEJ Richard Stukey is senior editor of the Facilties Engineering Journal and business development director for the Association for Facilities Engineering. owner can do when starting a construction project is to get the entire pre-construction team involved as early in the process as possible. “ The most important thing a building ” According to the Design-Build Institute of America, “design-build is a method of project delivery in which one entity—the design-build team— works under a single contract with the project owner to provide design and construction services.” Th e design-build process results in what Nation calls “a solid budget that reduces or eliminates the ‘change orders’ that were once such a big part of the construction process.” He emphasized the importance of learning the needs of the O&M team before construction begins. “Th e needs and concerns of the O&M team should be taken into account right from the beginning — instead of as an aft erthought — if build-14 November | December 2011 Q  Facilities Engineering Journal Q  www.AFE.org Publication List Using a screen reader? Click Here |
