Investigation of the Relationship between Green Design and Project Delivery Methods

The selection of the project delivery method (PDM) for any project is critical--it establishes communication, coordination, and contractual issues between the owner, contractor, and designer. With an increase in the number of green design projects, understanding the relationship between the PDM and green design is paramount to project and contract management. It is reasonable to assume that a positive relationship between green design and design-build (DB) exists since both theoretically are intended to foster an integrated, holistic, and collaborative project. This research examines the relationship between the design-bid-build (DBB), construction management (CM), and DB PDMs and green design with the goal of establishing best practices and identifying potential synergies between them. The research collected information by conducting primarily telephone interviews with approximately twenty-five individuals, including owners, contractors, and designers involved in completed green design projects, mainly in the public sector. The interviews developed a general understanding of the current state of knowledge and experience and not a rigorous quantitative analysis. Upon completion of the interviews, the tabulated results were summarized and green project characteristics and project-PDM interactions emerged. Existing published research was evaluated to reveal aspects of PDMs independent of green design. Best practices were ascertained by combining information from the interviews and published research. Best practices are as follows: (1) Project implementation features--The decision to use DB as PDM on green design or other projects should be based on the specific project features; e.g., well-defined scope and adequate owner staffing. DB will not produce successful results on all projects. (2) Collaboration--Project team collaboration early in the design and construction process is an important aspect of green projects, and collaboration was considered somewhat more important in projects that used DB. (3) Experience--Team experience is important on all green design projects independent of the PDM. Owners should use a 'best value' selection process, which is more prevalent in DB projects, and include team experience as a criterion. The owner's role is critical with DB. (4) Leadership--Leadership is an important feature for all contracting parties involved in green design projects and it is a dominant success factor in DB projects. (5) Scope of work--A well-defined scope of work is important on all projects, independent of the PDM. In DB, improving the scope of work definition by developing a set of documents, typically comparable to the design development phase, as the basis for awarding a contract is called DB bridging. Using contracting techniques such as DB bridging can result in better identification of expected quality and improves the owner's level of control. (6) Funding and Budget--Having adequate funding and budget for the given scope of work is particularly important in a green design project. Public funding restrictions may not allow use of certain PDMs, and the nature of public funding streams may make non-traditional PDMs more difficult. (7) Complexity and Flexibility--Complexity and flexibility is a project feature that is more specific to green design projects and is more frequently associated with DB. (8) Control and Accountability--Control and accountability is a problem associated with DB more than with DBB. It is not specific to green design projects. DB Bridging can be used to offset the lack of control with traditional DB. The use of green design and DB is increasing and understanding the linkage between the two is important. This research has found that while linkages do exist, the owner needs to carefully consider all aspects of a green design project before making the decision of the most appropriate PDM