Quality

  • With Architect-led Design-build, the architect is responsible directly to the client, and is able to advise the client on appropriate design standards and long-term cost and performance implications of their design decisions.

Single-Point Responsibility

  • With Architect-led Design-build, one entity is responsible for cost, quality, time, and the design intent, but more importantly, the client benefits from the architect’s personal, professional responsibility for the conduct of the architect’s firm. Even when the architect-led Design-build contract is split into separate legal entities for design and construction under the direction of the same architect, the client still benefits from that architect’s personal professional interest in the success of the project, because architects cannot contract out of professional liability.

Team Orientation

  • With Architect-Led Design-Build, everybody has the common goal to meet the client’s requirements without design and construction becoming competing interests.

Risk Management

  • For the owner, there is less financial risk in Architect-Led Design-build than in design-bid-build, where low bidders are motivated to pursue additional costs for project changes. Other advantages include: reduced risk to client, design consultants and subcontractors due to reduced number of primary stakeholders in the project; simplified and enhanced team communications.

Continuity of Involvement

  • The Architect-Led Design-Build firm is involved with the project from start to finish and cannot re-direct responsibility for design decisions during construction, so the project will tend to be value-engineered at all stages rather than after design is completed as with a design-bid-build project.

Cost savings

  • Architect-Led Design-Build has economy of scale because of the continuity of knowledge development with one party over the duration of the project with potential for cost savings to the client. With Architect-Led Design-Build, hard and soft costs can be budgeted and taken into account early in the project also with potential for cost savings to the client.

Time savings

  • With Architect-Led Design-Build, architects exercise existing skills in cost estimating, scheduling, construction sequencing, and bidding and negotiation to reduce project time. Projects can also be completed on an accelerated schedule when detail design is done concurrent with the start of construction.

Find out if Architect-led Design-Build is an appropriate option for your project.