Last month, Kraus-Anderson, the construction management and real estate development firm, announced that it had hired Nate Enger as Design Phase Services Manager to act as a go-between for the firm and its architect partners. Enger, an architect himself, has more than two decades of design collaborative expertise, most recently as a partner and vice president with ESG Architecture & Design. He also worked as a senior design architect with Ryan Companies. Enger and Chad Rempe, Kraus-Anderson’s other Design Phase Services Manager, spoke to BD+C via email about their roles. The following is an edited version of that conversation.
BD+C: In your capacity as design phase services manager, you will act as a liaison between Kraus-Anderson’s precon services and the architect-designers it works with on projects. How do you see the scope of your responsibilities?
Enger: We see this role as an opportunity to educate and align the team with holistic project goals, which include architecture, but also focus on finding ways for the full project team to innovate outside of the constraints of traditional project delivery methodology. My role will be to help catalyze collaboration during the formative phases of the project to realize value for our owners, and to help foster a culture of mutual project ownership among project teams.
Why did the firm feel the need to bring on a design-phase service manager at this time?
Rempe: Prior to hiring Nate, I've been the only Design Phase Services Manager within our Preconstruction Team. With Nate joining our team, we're doubling our capacity to better serve our clients and project teams in managing the design and preconstruction phase of a project. As a Design Phase Services Manager, Nate will [work with] our project architect/design partners to ensure project teams are aligned on the project goals and objectives, while also ensuring the right resources are engaged at the right time to deliver effective and efficient design.
Aside from Nate, does Kraus-Anderson have any other architects or designers in its employ?
Rempe: Kraus-Anderson does have two additional architects on staff. One works within our Preconstruction Team as a Building Science Manager, and another works as a Strategic Facility Planner.
Aligning designers with firm's project team
Nate, your resume includes stints with architecture and construction firms. How might that background color your perspective about projects and team collaboration?
Enger: I believe the key to successful partnerships is context. Working within both [architects and contractors] gives me unique insight into the objectives and values that drive the two sides of the industry. Knowing what defines success for each of these groups (among the many [factors] that contribute to the design and construction of projects) affords an opportunity to identify common ground and context on which to form a partnership of mutual respect, shared passion, and diversity of thought.
The opportunities and challenges we have as an industry will benefit from a true collaboration that harnesses these varied skillsets under a model that encourages knowledge sharing and innovation, in contrast to an approach of accepting partners as a necessity of the process.
We recently posted an article about a cancer center in California that's being designed and built under a Collaborative Project Delivery contract. Does your hire in any way signal what kinds of project contracts Kraus-Anderson favors, now and in the future?
Enger: I cannot speak specifically to contracts, as often we cannot control the type of contract vehicle that is executed. What I can say is that the intent we have through my hiring and many other exciting changes afoot here at Kraus-Anderson is to provide owners with more comprehensive project evaluation, earlier in the process, utilizing flexible team structures to solve challenges unique to each project. We plan to do this through identifying a shared set of values between ownership and the broad project team, breaking down traditional structures between disciplines that roadblock collaboration and innovation, and providing open, transparent, and timely access to project data as it is developed.
What are the first projects Nate will be working on?
Rempe: A few of the initial projects will be for KA's development team working through conceptual master planning efforts.
Related Stories
Apartments | Jun 27, 2023
Average U.S. apartment rent reached all-time high in May, at $1,716
Multifamily rents continued to increase through the first half of 2023, despite challenges for the sector and continuing economic uncertainty. But job growth has remained robust and new households keep forming, creating apartment demand and ongoing rent growth. The average U.S. apartment rent reached an all-time high of $1,716 in May.
Apartments | Jun 27, 2023
Dallas high-rise multifamily tower is first in state to receive WELL Gold certification
HALL Arts Residences, 28-story luxury residential high-rise in the Dallas Arts District, recently became the first high-rise multifamily tower in Texas to receive WELL Gold Certification, a designation issued by the International WELL Building Institute. The HKS-designed condominium tower was designed with numerous wellness details.
University Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Addition by subtraction: The value of open space on higher education campuses
Creating a meaningful academic and student life experience on university and college campuses does not always mean adding a new building. A new or resurrected campus quad, recreational fields, gardens, and other greenspaces can tie a campus together, writes Sean Rosebrugh, AIA, LEED AP, HMC Architects' Higher Education Practice Leader.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Contractors | Jun 26, 2023
Most top U.S. contractors rarely deliver projects on time: new study
About 63% of leading U.S. contractors are delivering projects out of schedule, according to a survey of over 300 C-suite executives and owners in the construction industry by XYZ Reality. The study implies that the industry is struggling with significant backlogs due, in part, to avoidable defects, scan, and rework.
Green | Jun 26, 2023
Federal government will spend $30 million on novel green building technologies
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will invest $30 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase the sustainability of federal buildings by testing novel technologies. The vehicle for that effort, the Green Proving Ground (GPG) program, will invest in American-made technologies to help increase federal electric vehicle supply equipment, protect air quality, reduce climate pollution, and enhance building performance.
Office Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Electric vehicle chargers are top priority for corporate office renters
Businesses that rent office space view electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as a top priority. More than 40% of companies in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) are looking to include EV charging stations in future leases, according to JLL’s 2023 Responsible Real Estate study.
Laboratories | Jun 23, 2023
A New Jersey development represents the state’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education
In New Brunswick, N.J., a life sciences development that’s now underway aims to bring together academics and researchers to work, learn, and experiment under one roof. HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange is an innovation district under development on a four-acre downtown site. At $731 million, HELIX, which will be built in three phases, represents New Jersey’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education, according to a press statement.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 22, 2023
NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars release conceptual designs for ‘stadium of the future’
Designed by HOK, the Stadium of the Future intends to meet the evolving needs of all stadium stakeholders—which include the Jaguars, the annual Florida-Georgia college football game, the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, international sporting events, music festivals and tours, and the thousands of fans and guests who attend each event.
Contractors | Jun 22, 2023
Chris Averill named President of Pepper Construction Group
Pepper Construction Group is pleased to announced the promotion of Chris Averill to the position of President. In his new role, Averill will assume leadership responsibility for the Pepper Construction Group’s growth and performance.