Guidance on design assist vs. delegated design released

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) have released a paper that provides guidance on design collaboration on construction projects.

"Design Collaboration on Construction Projects. Delegated Design, Design Assist, and Informal Involvement – What Does it all Mean?" describes the roles and responsibilities of project participants in design collaboration scenarios, and offers definitions and guidelines that design professionals and the construction industry can adopt.

The terms “design assist” and “delegated design,” are commonly used in the industry, but often mean different things to different people. These differences often result in differing expectations among project participants.

“This document will help everyone understand and distinguish informal involvement, design assist involvement, and delegation of design work,” said Babette Freund, executive vice president of Dave Steel Company, Inc., and member of the AISC Code of Standard Practice committee, in a news release.

LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.

Rider Levett Bucknall's Construction Cost Index rose again in the first quarter of 2021

Market Data | Jul 8, 2021

Encouraging construction cost trends are emerging

In its latest quarterly report, Rider Levett Bucknall states that contractors’ most critical choice will be selecting which building sectors to target.

Interior designer Creative License International fashioned this community room for P83, a 250-unit rental community in Peoria, Ariz. 2021 Multifamily Amenities study

Multifamily Housing | Jul 7, 2021

Make sure to get your multifamily amenities mix right

One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.

Industrial Facilities | Jul 2, 2021

A new approach to cold storage buildings

Cameron Trefry and Kate Lyle of Ware Malcomb talk about their firm's cold storage building prototype that is serving a market that is rapidly expanding across the supply chain.

Since May 2020, spending on nonresidential construction has been on a downward trend.

Contractors | Jul 1, 2021

Nonres construction spending down again in May

And the industry is still beset with labor and materials issues that could impede future growth

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartments, Grimm + Parker, Building Design+Construction 2021 Exercise area

Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings

Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.