Darrell Smith
When it's all said and done, the value of a building will be gauged by how well it achieved its design goals, especially in environmental and utilization terms. Developing a design that suits those goals is the time-honored profession of the architect. Constructing those plans falls to the builder. Ideally, there is a seamless interplay between plans and a finished building, whether new or a renovation.
Once construction gets under way, what happens if there is a major disconnect between the design plans and the actual “constructability” of those plans in terms of budget, time or just feasibility? After all, construction usually occurs months or even years after the plans are drawn. Markets can evolve, material prices will always change and even project goals can require rethinking. If these disconnects emerge during construction, they can stall out a project, costing time, money and, ultimately, require compromise on design to accommodate shortfalls elsewhere.
BRING IN THE HARD HATS FROM THE START
The solution to divergence between original plans and actual construction is summed up in the strategy called “constructability counsel.” This form of counsel brings highly skilled, design-build expertise into the planning phase from the very start. This counsel can only be provided by a person or team that has extensive engineering and construction experience — someone who knows how “constructible” architectural plans are from firsthand experience.
The design-build expert provides “constructability counsel” by reviewing the plans with the architects, owners, vendors and perhaps even an outside construction firm (in other cases, the design-build firm performs the construction itself as well.) Rather than challenging the architect on validity of the designs, the design-build counselor seeks to maintain the original design values wherever possible, balanced against the project's budget and timeline. Once the design-build counselor has reviewed the plans and implemented any required changes, the ultimate liability for the project's budget and schedule now rests on his or her shoulders.
HOW CAN A COUNSELOR BENEFIT A PROJECT?
The design-build counselor must have access to labor and material costs that are absolutely current. It also requires that the counselor possess the experience to foresee price fluctuations based on time of year and locale. Material purchases can be analyzed both for price points and trends. If the company foresees a cost issue with the specified materials, our engineers can suggest other materials or construction techniques that can keep the design on track — and keep costs in line.
Besides keeping material costs in line, the design-build counsel will also look for opportunities to add value before and during construction that may not have been obvious during planning. This can include site review and recommendations, phasing of the program and available resources or special issues such as working around employees or residents. It's the ultimate value-add element in any project.
There are too many other aspects of constructability counsel to discuss them all here. Suffice it to say, that embarking on a construction project without a competent constructability counsel is like betting your career on a thousand rolls of the dice. Why not instead build certainty that every project will come in on budget and on time — and enjoy the process?
— Darrell Smith is a registered engineer and vice president of Senior Living for Jamail & Smith Construction. Visit www.jamailsmith.com and send questions/comments to [email protected]