Source: Design-Build Institute of America, Washington, D.C.
The Design-Build Institute of America’s updated Design Excellence Position Statement emphasizes collaboration between design and construction professionals through all project delivery stages, from procurement and development through execution. Understanding the design community’s changing needs, the statement introduces five lenses to help provide a framework for evaluating design excellence:
• Integration & Collaborative Process. Emphasizing collaboration and integration across project teams throughout the project lifecycle;
• Healthy Living. Prioritizing user experience by crafting spaces that promote well-being, health and safety;
• Community Impact & Delight. Recognizing a project’s connection to and impact on the surrounding community;
• Sustainability & Resiliency. Addressing environmental impact and ensuring project adaptability to future changes; and,
• Responsibility of Design. Focusing on specific project components, material selection and design constructability.
DBIA emphasizes the synergy of these elements and presents the statement as a practical guide that aids design-build teams in navigating modern project complexities. The group’s Design Excellence Subcommittee—industry experts representing the perspectives of designers, contractors, architects and engineers—drafted the new document. “The new Design Excellence Position Statement opens the door for all design-build team members to see how they can contribute,” says subcommittee member Susan O’Connell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, DBIA. “The update also gives concrete examples of the many ways team members’ experience and expertise helps to achieve design excellence that aligns with the owner’s vision and goals.”