We hear it quite often from business owners, once they decide to build a building, they needed it yesterday. We understand that once the need for the new building is decided how important it is to get the owner moved in quickly.
Posts about Design
How to Design an Office for Patient Centered Medical Home
Since the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is more of a management model or philosophy, you may not have considered the building design changes that may be necessary to make the conversion. Below we discuss some of the elements that your PCMH office design should consider.
Commercial Building Exterior Remodel Strategy
Whether a business is a restaurant, office, manufacturing plant, or school, having a building exterior remodel strategy can make a project very efficient and beneficial for a building owner. A plan should include incorporating low maintenance materials, safety elements, easy accessibility, and curb appeal to serve a business well into the future, as well as cut costs, and attract new customers.
Certificate of Need and Your Design-Build Contractor
Updated 11/24/20: The controversial Certificate of Need (CON) program in Michigan is in question through several new bills that passed the Michigan Senate in February 2020. It has yet to be decided in the House. The debate has been ongoing and seems to be getting more and more heated with those against it arguing for an open market approach to drive down cost and those for it are claiming that the medical industry needs to be regulated to keep a high standard of care at an affordable cost.
4 Reasons Why the Entire Pre-Construction Phase Is Key to Project Success
For both Design/Build and Construction Management delivery methods, the start of Pre-Construction Phase is Architectural Design and it’s a very exciting time for most building owners. They love the ideas, options, and decorating aspects for their building. And then, when drawings are done, the owner is eager to get to the other main event of Construction Phase. But there is so much more happening during Design than they know and a lot more to be done before this Pre-Construction Phase, “Pre-Con”, is complete. This is also when the contractor gets organized to save the most time and money during construction.
The Benefit of Design-Build Phase I Drawings
Preliminary plans, such as those provided in a Phase I of the Design-Build process, are the most efficient and economical means to determine the budget for your construction project.
Universal Design Can Change Your Business
In 2015, there were roughly 53 million Americans1 who were disabled either in mobility, in hearing, or with their vision. Moreover, there are the aging baby boomers with special needs, mothers with strollers, and an increasing number of people using service dogs who each have different accessibility needs to public places. Whether you are a restaurant, retailer, bank, medical office, or school (to list a few), you likely already have Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards to meet when you build a new building or remodel your existing one; however, if you aren’t already regulated by Title II or Title III, there are still benefits of planning your building for access to everyone, also known as Universal Design, which is different from ADA. Some are considering Universal Design an emerging concept of good citizenship, much the same way LEED has done for reducing a company’s carbon footprint. Compared to ADA which is mandated by the government to provide accessibility for disabled people within publicly used buildings, Universal Design is a choice that a building owner makes to include accommodations not regulated by the ADA to provide easy accessibility to everyone.
How Much Will a Phase I Save Me on Architectural Costs?
Short answer is roughly 20% or more. Through a number of cost saving opportunities, the Design/Build Phased Approach to construction can be the most economical cost- and time-wise, not only saving on Architectural services, but also on the overall construction budget.
Why Winter Is the Best Time to Plan Your Construction Project
Other than taking time to prepare a plan when the weather is poor for construction (so you can be ready when the weather is conducive for construction) there are additional benefits to contact your design/builder or general contractor in the winter. Let me clarify that the following explanation works best when applied in Michigan and other cold winter states.
Why Design-Build Works Well for Doctors
In this blog, I’ll explore how the Design-Build method of construction is well suited to medical doctors, more so than general construction. To start, the D-B method was really created to suit the needs of busy business owners, which includes doctors, because it requires less attention from an owner and that owner can set their involvement as much or little as they see fit. Some customers like to be more engaged in the process than others and we are happy to accommodate each client’s unique desires.
The basic difference of D/B over general construction, is the relationship between the architect and builder. In this project delivery, they are on the same team. A doctor only needs to work with one entity to design and then build his or her office. Also in this scenario, the doctor is protected from any discrepancies from the architect’s drawings to contractor’s application. With D/B, the contractor and architect are consulting on budget, application and material quality throughout design, so when construction starts there are very little interruptions or change orders. Should there be a discrepancy, the design-builder will work it out without involving the owner unnecessarily. This protection is valued by doctors who oftentimes aren’t as familiar with construction, nor have the time to deal with these issues on site. All of these reasons are exactly why Design-Build was created as an alternative to general construction.