The Future is collaborative: Exploring the advantages of the Design-Build method in real estate development

Real estate development is driven by the capitalistic pursuit of opportunity in the face of an imbalance of building supply compared with demand. It is an industry where the final product is most often unique. The business objective of delivering results at the lowest possible cost in light of defined quality objectives and time remains consistent across teams and cultures. 

Designbuild (DB) is a delivery model that has gained significant appeal because of the opportunity to realize savings with the acceptance of slightly more risk but greater transparency with regard to cost. Teamwork and collaboration are at the core of DB, versus the typical disassociated approach of steering design and then seeking fixed-price bids from general contractors. 

DB inherently incentivizes all parties to identify ways to improve productivity and quality while offering a level of fairness and cost transparency. The cost data understood from prior DB projects contributes to greater awareness heading into new projects. 

Further, the early involvement of construction trade teams offers architects and designers ongoing feedback as they evolve the design with regard to product and productivity. This environment of collaboration serves to positively impact cost, schedule, and quality; reducing the risk of missing the mark with design and ensuring a tighter trade buy-out process during construction. 

This eBook takes an in-depth dive into Design-Build in relation to other design and construction delivery frameworks based on discussions with residential real estate development firms who have either adopted this approach or at least experimented with it. It reviews how workflows have evolved in time, the factors that drive a DB approach, and the benefits anticipated. It also highlights the increasing importance of technology adoption for communication across teams, design-build validation, and planning.