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Design builder v5 5: How to Download, Install and Use the Software for Your Projects



But the benefits of D-B also add some risk to the owner. Owners who choose the D-B delivery method for their projects lose the advantage of having a separate party oversee the quality of construction. Instead, the design-builder has complete autonomy in the construction phase. So choosing a trustworthy design-builder is integral to success in Design-Build.


In 2018, Tipton County, a community in north central Indiana, broke ground on one of the most significant County building projects since 1895. Like many communities around the nation, the County needed to replace an aging and overcrowded jail that no longer met their needs. After an unsuccessful attempt using the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) project delivery method, Tipton chose to use progressive design-build to support their objectives and budget.




Design builder v5 5




Progressive Design-Build (PDB) refers to the way a construction project design is developed by the Owner and the Design-Builder in a step-by-step process. According to the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), Progressive Design-Build allows the design and construction team to collaborate during the earliest stages of project development. This enables the greatest amount of engagement between the three key players in a construction contract: the owner, the designer, and the contractor. Here are five reasons why owners should consider PDB for their projects.


The biggest pet peeve for owners is unexpected change orders. With progressive design-build, there are no change orders within the agreed to scope of work after contract. This is because sub-contractors, as design-assist partners, are at the design table. My first-hand experience with other delivery methods is that contractors will look for opportunities for change orders due to the money they left on the table on bid day, but you do not have that environment with progressive design-build. The owner has control over their initial budget and final budget.


We also used a charrette design approach. This helped to expedite the design process and developed several design options. As often happens in the traditional approach, we did not use the previous design to begin with or a computer-generated design option because these do not allow for team interaction. Instead, we began by using simple colored building blocks representing various building components. The team could move the blocks around and physically demonstrate to the team why a component should be located where it is.


Low tech was the most productive approach because there were no barriers to engaging in the brainstorming sessions. This was one of the reasons we came to design decisions so quickly. Brainstorming together and offering design ideas helped build the team. The design process established relationships that provided a lasting benefit which extended throughout the rest of the project.


One of the benefits of progressive design-build is that you can expedite parts of the project due to having ONE entity working for and making decisions with the owner. Starting from scratch, we designed the entire building and began construction in just four and a half months. The process lends itself to expediency.


For example, the design used a pre-engineered metal building. It was a quality but less expensive option that allowed the County to meet their needs and put money in security-related features. Having the modular steel cell provider on board early also allowed us to expedite bidding, submittal, and fabrication so they could be delivered without delays. As a result, our production date was established early. Locking in a production date early on saved us several months of lead time and eliminated probable market inflation. Trade contractors were at the table during team decisions. Therefore, they knew immediately how to move forward. The fast decision-making process also allowed us to get under roof quickly and in time for winter weather.


People were amazed as they walked through the facility at the ribbon cutting and dedication, remarking that it does not look like a jail. It was clear that quality was the primary goal of the project. Even during construction, visiting designers and contractors commented that the workmanship of plumbing, duct work, and electrical on the back of the modular cells looked like artwork.


One of the challenges correctional facilities face today is separating inmates into appropriate classifications. When going through the original design-bid-build process, the owner was left with only 3 classifications. We were able to deliver 8 classifications including a mental health unit that was not originally in the program.


In some cases, the owner was very specific about what they wanted to ensure a quality outcome. For example, they chose a known vendor for good reason, such as ongoing service and reduced maintenance. The owner got to choose between various manufacturers to select what they felt was in their best interest. Because of progressive design-build, the owner got a higher level of security, more classifications, and a mental health unit all within the budget.


Joseph Mrak, AIA, LEED AP, CPTED, NCARB is a nationally recognized architect, pioneer, and leader in criminal justice, public safety, and homeland security design innovations. Having served as lead architect on more than 250 justice and public safety design projects to date, Joe has established a strong reputation as a leading authority in the Midwest and Southeast on criminal justice and public safety facilities planning and design. His familiarity with the key issues in corrections, justice, and public safety planning and architecture have led to numerous award-winning, innovative solutions that are the new standard for facilities design.


Optimisation is a technique for efficient searching and identification of design options that best meet key design performance objectives. Optimisation is similar in many ways to Parametric analysis, a more well-known technique for analysing how design performance varies with changes in the building configuration through use of design curves. A parametric analysis would usually consist of 1, 2 or 3 design variables being adjusted in a systematic way to illustrate trends and find designs with the most favourable characteristics (e.g. low energy consumption, best comfort etc). With parametric analysis, a maximum of 3 variables is normally used because a) the results of more than 3 dimensions to a design problem are difficult to visualize and b) the large number of simulations required with 4 or more design variables would take too long to complete. For example a designer might want to investigate the impact on carbon emissions of variable levels and types of glazing. The results would be displayed as a series of parametric design curves. This can be a very useful way to visualise simple comparisons over a limited range of design options, but is of less use for wider studies and for optimisation as only a few variables and one key performance indicator can practically be included per analysis.


In DesignBuilder Optimisation, Genetic Algorithms (GA) are used to search for optimal design solutions, much more efficiently than is possible with parametric analysis when more variables are involved. In DesignBuilder, up to 10 design variables to be included in the analysis in combination with up to 2 objectives, such as "minimise carbon emissions" and "minimising construction costs". Cost and carbon are a frequently used pair of objectives in building design optimisation analyses because they allow a study of the trade off between cost and carbon impacts for a large range of designs. For example, an optimisation study might involve a base design which is to be optimised for cost and carbon emissions with building orientation, wall and roof construction, glazing amount and type, degrees of shading and HVAC system type being allowed to vary. The results might be displayed graphically with operational carbon emissions on one axis and investment cost on the other and the performance of each design option that is tested as part of the procedure plotted on the graph. The minimum values for cost/carbon form a "Pareto front" of optimal designs along the bottom-left edge of the data point "cloud".


Likewise "minimise carbon emissions" and "minimise discomfort" are often used to analyse the trade off between carbon emissions and the degree of comfort provided by the design. In the example output below the control parameters of a changeover mixed mode natural ventilation model is being optimised based on carbon emissions and discomfort. The outputs indicate the control options resulting in minimal discomfort hours while at the same having the lowest environmental impact.


DesignBuilder provides a powerful interface to the EnergyPlus building analysis tool, which allows users to design and analyse all aspects of a building including energy consumption, daylighting, HVAC, airflow and thermal comfort.Navigating through the interface and translating the occasional error codes could be daunting at times. Here we try to answer most of the common questions relating to the DesignBuilder interface.


Being cast in the role of the middleman and manager of your project is not only inefficient, but also more expensive. A Penn State study on various construction delivery methods found that the design-build approach can save 6 percent on project costs while significantly shortening completion time.


So, what is the difference between design-build and traditional construction? While one may remain the most widely-used form of construction, the other meets the growing needs of property owners who want to reduce costs, compress delivery times, and enhance the quality of their construction projects.


There is no contractual relationship or obligation between the designer and builder, and the landowner bears all responsibility for the completeness of the design documents. Likewise, an owner should have some technical knowledge and be prepared to spend time and resources managing their own project. 2ff7e9595c


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