The design-build model of project delivery
is one of the most used approaches, particularly for large-scale, high-end
architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects. These include
infrastructure projects, such as healthcare and medical research facilities,
airport terminals, bridges, educational institutes, and large custom homes.
Nevertheless, very few residential and retail construction/redevelopment
projects, primarily with tight budgets, use the design-build delivery method.
Department stores, supermarkets, warehouse stores, and shopping centres / malls
which are not linked to multinational retail owners and have a limited
geographical reach fall into this category.
In case of such projects, a
design/architectural firm is contracted to come up with the designs, plans,
drawings, and detailed specifications which clearly convey the architect's /
designer's intent. After initial meetings between the owner and
architect/designer, all retail construction drawings are finalised. Depending
on the scope of the project, this set includes floor plans, internal&
external elevations, construction plans, setting out drawings, composite plans,
finishing plans, lighting plans, ceiling plans and sections.
Once all the plans and CAD drawings
are in place, the project undergoes a competitive bidding process used to
shortlist a general contractor (main contractor) to implement the construction
work mapped out in the detailed retail construction documents. Since this
design-bid-build method of project delivery involves roping in distinct teams
for design/planning and construction, detailed and accurate retail construction
drawing sets play a key role in ensuring that the change orders on-site are
avoided. Owing to a significant reduction of change orders during construction,
the time, effort, and resources that would have been wasted on rework or
modification are saved.
Whilst the retail construction drawing
sets are important to seek site permits and regional building licenses, the
level of detail/development necessitated by the permit documents are far less
than what ideally need to be passed on to the general contractors (main
contractors). Moreover, in the design-bid-build method, the amount of
information incorporated in the construction drawing sets determine, to a large
extent, the number of change orders. Since the construction documents are made
especially to seek permits from the local authorities feature less detail, the
competitive bids from all the participating general contractors (main
contractors) will be lower; however, the lower bids will not truly reflect the
nature of project's requirements.
As a result, detailed, clear, and
unambiguous retail design drawings
significantly lessen the chances of unanticipated change orders on site. When
the chances of change orders reduce, the project becomes more profitable and
completes on time, which is precisely what all the key parties involved in the
project strive for. In order to achieve this, designers/architects involved in
such design-bid-build projects perform constructability review of design at
regular phases during the pricing phases.
In some cases, designers/architects rope in
offshore CAD services providers
to prepare detailed production drawing sets for them. Experienced companies
providing retail design and documentation services take basic conceptual and
schematic designs or sketches from the architects and deliver detailed
construction drawing sets as per requirements. This enables architects to
efficiently focus on seeking client's and local council's approvals over
schematic designs, manage the project effectively, and administer
construction-related issues.
All things considered, detailed retail
construction drawing sets and specifications not only benefit designers,
architects, and contractors but also reduces construction change-orders, which
effectively leads to on-time and within-budget project delivery for relatively
small-scale retail construction projects using design-bid-build delivery
method.
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