Collaborative contracting, lean thinking, lean construction and prefabrication are best practices (along with sustainability as another driver) that are starting to take hold and modify the value proposition for project delivery. I mention this to address the issues of liability, dying architectural profession, design (as art), etc.
Architects are valued, but we must sharpen our add-value offering as outlined in the book Value Redesigned, by Davy and Harris. Architects offer more value in the thinking parts of the project, to mediate between culture, artful design and the final building product. We need to focus on delivering these and start to cooperate with the rest of the project team on the other poarts.
The collaborative contract, lean thinking, lean construction and prefabrication parts are where we spread liabilities and responsibilities around, while getting expert information on constructability, cost, schedule, etc. This is broadly outlined in another book The Commercial Real Estate Revolution and detailed in various ways by the Lean Construction Institute's papers and congresses. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is one of the ways this can work, but to maximize value and product, one has to form an Owner-Designer-Builder team that runs the project from concept to occupancy. Sutter Health is doing a smash up job of this in northern California and the word is getting out.
The architect is essentially trained to facilitate this process, but must not get caught up in egotism, overriding design values, or destructive fee discussions. We should allow trades to submit shop drawings in lieu of designers' detail drawings. That way we can focus on pulling the project together for the Owners' best value.
Much has been written about this in other places, so I will not go into detail here, but a deeper investigation is warranted by architects and owners. The leaders are already making this happen.
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Christian Overbey AIA
Collaborative Integration
cdo@speakeasy.net Denver CO
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