Previously, we briefly discussed the concept of the design-build delivery system, which is steadily transforming the construction process for projects of all types. The design-build system integrates the design process of the architect with the building process of the construction company, allowing a church to issue a single contract to a single company, such as The McKnight Group, for both services. There are a number of advantages to the design-build process, particularly how it can simplify the timeline of your church building project.
Avoiding Conflicts in the Church Building Process
With the traditional construction method, called design-bid-build, two different companies (architect/engineer and builder) are ultimately responsible for the success of your church building or remodeling project. Frequently, somewhere along the line, one or more details of that building project will become an issue. When this happens, it’s fairly inevitable that one contractor will blame the other for the problem. The architect might say, “That was in the plan; the builder missed it” or the builder might say, “The architect didn’t show that correctly on the drawings.” Unfortunately, that leaves the church stuck in the middle, and often footing the bill for addressing those missed details.
With the design-build delivery process, both the architect and the builder are on the same team, and in the same meeting room, from day one. This means that everyone hears everything in terms of brainstorming, dreaming and drawing, and the builder has a chance to weigh in on whether the vision is really attainable and how much it will cost. Since one company is ultimately responsible for the entire project, the different players are on the same team and highly motivated to work together, communicate well, and bring the church building job to a successful conclusion.
Streamlining the Church Building Process
Another disadvantage with the design-bid-build system is that all the architectural drawings must be completed before the bidding process for hiring a construction company can even begin. This makes fast-tracking a project with a tight completion timeframe difficult.
However, with design-build, the building permit process can begin once the structural drawings are complete. Site work can even begin before all the various electrical, mechanical and other drawings are completed because it’s not necessary to bid the project out to builders. Tight timeframes don’t become big obstacles and there’s no loss of quality in the finished product.
Trusting Your Church Building Team
The experience of a design-build team is important. The McKnight Group team are church building projects pros, having completed hundreds of church building and remodeling projects. While often a separate architect and builder may join up for a single design-build project, our team has worked together for over 43 years. Many of our employees are believers too, which means that they understand the values that form the foundation of your church’s vision, and the importance of living that out through your project. To learn more about us and our commitment to the design-build process, sign up for one of our free i3 webinars today.