The design build method of delivering projects was once considered a novel alternative to traditional approaches. This is now changing as its use has become more mainstream. It appears that more property owners and principals are seeing the benefits of working with a single company from concept through construction as opposed to the traditional approach to segmenting the work. In fact, design build is now the method of choice for nearly half of all new construction projects in the U.S.
New Data Reveals That Design Build is Now Mainstream
FMI, a respected industry analysis firm, is one of the first to provide an extensive look at growth in the design build sector. The company produced a comprehensive study of the design build construction market, looking at nonresidential, water/wastewater, and highway/street projects.
Over the complete forecast period of 2018-2021, the study found that design build approaches will account for 44% of construction spending. An estimated $180 billion was spent on design build in 2013, and that figure is expected to soar to $324 billion by 2021. Some of the highest growth areas for design build by 2021 include the water/wastewater and highway/street sectors, both with 30% growth rates.
Some of the segments that are more likely to choose this method include manufacturing (16%), educational (15%), highway/street (14), and commercial (13%). When the study reviewed geographic areas, it found that some regions are more likely to use design build than others. It is more widely used in the South Atlantic (20%) and Pacific (17%) regions, and least used in New England (4%).
High Satisfaction Rating for Design Build Methods
Owners are increasingly choosing design build methods for a variety of reasons, all of which lead to higher satisfaction rates with projects. Some of the relevant findings of the study include:
- More than half of all owners already use design build or plan to use it within the next five years.
- Across all delivery methods, design build had the highest positive experience ratings, with 76% reporting excellent to very good
- There is continued growth in design build for smaller projects (less than $25 million) as owners learn more about the benefits of this approach.
- Owners are learning that design build methods are the best approach to achieve project cost targets.
- Design build has become a more frequent choice of both public and private owners.
- Some of the top benefits of choosing design build include the ability to fast-track projects as well as opportunities for innovation.
- Design build is more cost-effective and convenient choice, particularly if there could be any changes to project demands.
- Reliability of the delivery schedule is a driving factor in choosing design build over traditional methods.
With so many cost and efficiency benefits, the growth in this sector is inevitable. In fact, some of the estimates could prove to be conservative. The only question remaining is who you should trust with your business.
K-Con Offers Design Build Services
If you are ready to save time and money on your next construction project, K-Con Inc. can help. We are a design build firm that specializes in pre-engineered metal buildings. K-Con has extensive experience in helping government and commercial entities achieve their project goals with a variety of options.
Some of the metal buildings that we design and build include workshops, warehouses, aircraft hangars, guard booths, and office complexes. We provide design, engineering, construction & renovation/up-fit solutions, as well as site preparation and installation.
Contact K-Con now to begin discussions about your next project and be sure to ask about our quick turnaround for preliminary design and estimates.