The environmental impacts of buildings and the costs of construction projects can be significantly reduced through the use of an integrated design, delivery and operations process. The definition and application of this building approach, however, varies widely across industry sectors and regulatory jurisdictions in North America. This guide, which draws on the 2013 report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
This guide is intended to introduce building practitioners to tested methods for incorporating deeper levels of integrated design and delivery into their construction projects. It can also help all stakeholders concerned in meeting their goals for constructing better and greener buildings.
Integrated Design and Delivery
The building industry has long suffered from a lack of integration among industry sectors. Business-as-usual leads different firms and individuals to enter into a project in phases and take responsibility for only what falls in their area of expertise or responsibility: architects and engineers are responsible for planning and design, contractors are responsible for constructing the building or structure, and building owners are left to deal with the outcome. This assembly line approach very rarely works to create a building that is optimized as a system. Rather, the final product often underperforms and may not even meet the needs of the owner. Over the years, different approaches have been developed to help building professionals execute a construction project more collaboratively. These include: Partnering, Integrated Design Process, Lean Design and Construction, Integrative Process, or Integrated Project Delivery. Each approach has helped project teams achieve higher levels of success by encouraging some level of integration among the responsibilities of the various team members. This guide distills the key tenets of these various approaches, under the blanket term “integrated design and delivery,” to help project teams achieve the kind of integration that will have transformative and tangible effects. To get there, this guide outlines five main steps, which are supported by several case studies, expert comments, reference documents, and specific guidelines for each expert group. Why increase integration? 1. Integrated teams agree on a clear path forward before construction starts. Key team members are selected before the design phase. The team defines project goals and maps responsibilities for going forward together. Input from multiple disciplines helps find the best solutions. 2. Integrated teams achieve greener buildings. System efficiencies are discovered through identifying synergies. Waste and redundancy are avoided through better coordination, thus reducing material, energy, and water use. Contractor and trade input during design increases cost predictability, which protects green features from being cut during construction. 3. Integrated teams save the owner money. Construction costs are weighed from the beginning. Fewer changes are made later in the design process, when they become most expensive. Fewer Requests for Information (RFIs) and change orders are placed. Embedded contingencies and variable costs are reduced. An integrated team generally spends more time and energy making decisions early in the project, when the ability is highest to affect the project positively. Based upon our experience on over ten successful lean to be green projects, we concur that a more integrated design and delivery approach achieves far superior results as demonstrated at the University of Winnipeg, Okanagan College and the Mosaic Center projects Murray Guy @Lean_tobe_Green For inquires: Mguy@i-designs.ca or 306.934.6818 'via Blog this'