To D-B or Not to D-B?

That is the question posed to design-build professionals at a joint meeting of the Society for Marketing and Professional Services and the Design Build Industry Association at the East Bank Club yesterday at lunch. Their answer? It depends, says AMS Mechanical Systems' Bill Montgomery. He likes teaming up with design-build firms on projects where the owners know exactly what they want before going into the design-build process. HDR Architecture Group's JJ Tang says his firm sees design-build as a risk because architects often don't get paid up front during a team-working process, so he has to really trust whatever firm he's entering the deal with.
Mortenson Construction's Andy Stapleton says his firm had a lot of success teaming up to design-build the Great Lakes Naval Station after it became the training center for the whole US Navy in the late 1990s. With Clark Construction and a firm local to the Minnesota market, the team used its industrial building experience to complete the complicated and unique project. Representing the owner's perspective, United Neighborhood Organization's Cesar Santoy says price isn't always the driving factor behind choosing one firm over another. His organization wants to be able to tell a good story about how the building came to be, whether its through hiring minority  and  women-owned businesses or hiring a firm local to the neighborhood who can see the bigger picture.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Chicago Newsletters
Related Stories

Philly's Busy Summer Created Momentum. Can The City Turn It Into Long-Term Growth?

Google Delays Thompson Center Opening To 2028, Releases New Renderings

California Investor Scoops Up Amazon Warehouse: The Chicago Deal Sheet

How Crystal Lake 'Connects The Dots' To Building Complete Community

Downtown Atlanta Improvement Group Picks Food Bank Chief As Next Leader

Trump's DEI Crackdown Is Creating New Risks For Landlords That Lease To The Government

Brandon Johnson Seeks Second Term Amid Strained CRE Relationship

Prologis Acquires 69 Acres For 1M SF Chicago-Area Industrial Development

Former CBRE Exec Suing Brokerage Giant Over Age Discrimination, Whistleblower Complaint

D.C. Investor Behind The Stacks Swaps CEO For First Time In 25 Years

First LaSalle Street Reimagined Conversion Opens In Chicago's Loop

CBRE IM Buys Net Lease REIT For $1.6B, Plans More Investment