Design-Build

Slate is proud to have been involved in challenging design-build projects

that have shaped our cities and neighborhoods in the past decade. We have dedicated resources and the know-how to deliver your most challenging projects. Collaboration between designers and builders is the foundation of our design-build services, and this method offers our clients the benefits of even greater design and construction integration and singular responsibility for the outcome and overall process. There are essentially five advantages that are associated with the design-build process:

Single responsibility

The design-build approach provides both architecture/engineering and construction under a single contract. Therefore, our client’s control of the entire design-build process is strengthened and financial risk is reduced by contracting with a single firm that is unconditionally committed to the success of the project.

Early knowledge of the firm price

Our design-build team, working closely with our clients, accurately conceptualize the completed project at an early stage. Continuous and concurrent estimating during the development of design results in accurate, guaranteed construction costs and schedule far sooner than traditionally contract methods.

Value-engineering

Design and construction personnel – working as a team – evaluate alternative systems, materials and methods efficiently and accurately. From the outset of the project, both design and construction expertise is brought to bear upon all components of a project. Operating expense is evaluated against capital cost to optimize lifecycle costs.

Time strategies

The design and construction processes can be overlapped, bidding periods and redesign time are eliminated, and long lead time purchases can be made early on in the design phase. The total project duration is reduced.

Quality enhancement

Design-build inherently provides higher quality than the separate, often conflicting architect vs. contractor approach. Design-build eliminates the traditional finger pointing among the architect, engineer and contractor, and allows resources and attention to be productively focused on cost effective solutions that reflect best value and quality for the client.