Building a structure is much more than any one step, but whether you’re putting the finishing touches on a 12-story highrise or performing site analysis for new office space, the success of the entire project hinges on design. The importance of building design can’t be overstated — it’s where you create your vision and figure out how you’ll make it happen.
In this stage, you explore your project budget, the scope of work, specifications, materials, finishes, compliance demands and more, essentially touching on every aspect of the build. A robust plan for building design can help you set the stage for a smooth, productive and cost-effective overall project. Let’s dive in to see how that happens and offer some building design tips to help.
What Does Good Building Design Do For You?
Amid challenging supply chain and labor issues, it’s more important than ever to create a project foundation as free of hiccups as possible. The last thing you want is a design error setting you back weeks. Thankfully, a host of new technologies is changing the construction industry and making the design phase easier and more effective for the overall project.
Of course, that only applies if you use the technology. For contractors who aren’t keeping pace, failure to adapt to new capabilities could make it hard to stay competitive in a fast-paced market.
With that being said, what makes the building design stage so worthy of your attention?
1. It Builds the Foundation for a Job Well-Done
When you focus your efforts on building design, you make sure to cross your Ts and dot your Is. An in-depth plan lets you create a comprehensive guideline addressing potential problems and preparing you for success. With a clear picture in front of you, you can establish specifics and make changes before they affect the build. Building design can also help you collaborate with other stakeholders and ensure viability by bringing everyone into the conversation.
With modern technology, you can create incredibly detailed designs with plenty of notes, feedback and visualization tools. Matterport, for instance, is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that converts scans into 3D models. It reconstructs these documents into a virtual model and even integrates with information from imaging tools like 3D cameras, 360-degree cameras, LiDAR cameras and even mobile phones. It’s an excellent design tool that provides a robust blueprint for the rest of the project. We use it to help our clients see their vision come to life and make cost-saving changes.
2. It Helps You Stand Out
As with most industries, technology is revolutionizing the way construction happens in a rapidly-growing market. More and more companies invest in digital tools, like design software, to get an edge on the competition. While your rivals are busy taking ages to design — with traditional documents to show for it — you can stand out with unique digital representations, real-time communication tools and more efficient processes.
A contractor with good design practices can save costs, shorten time to completion and create better results driven by data. When you can measure performance with clear-cut key performance indicators (KPIs), you can see the value of better design with cold, hard numbers.
3. It Lets You Maximize Your Space
A well-designed building can help you make the most of your square footage. Whether you’re trying to pack in more rooms or install innovative new features, a strong design process can help you find space for them and optimize existing boundaries for a design that stays in budget without sacrificing wants and needs.
Your design might look good on paper, but visualization through a digital model can help you “step in” to the room and get a better feel for it before construction starts. For many projects, space is precious, and robust design lets you maximize the property value.
4. It Can Help Reduce Reworks and Renovations
High-quality products last longer, and committing to your design process can help you create high-quality buildings. When you take the time to design well from the start, you limit the need for frustrating, costly reworks. These are especially challenging in commercial or public infrastructure, where additional construction adds downtime and interrupts business operations. Avoiding future project demands can help reduce costs and keep stakeholders happy. Strong design and a clear vision are crucial for meeting this goal.
One way we boost quality here is through Raken, a cloud-based reporting platform that shares real-time updates with clients and team members. It helps keep everyone on the same page and organizes the diverse information that can come from subcontractors and the many partners involved in the project.
5. It Can Improve Communication
Many people are involved during the design process, like the general contractor, engineers, architects, accountants, electricians, plumbers and city officials. Discussions with and input from these stakeholders are critical for a strong design, but it can be time-consuming and challenging to field phone calls, emails and texts and relay all of the necessary information. A contractor that takes these old-fashioned approaches is likely working inefficiently. They could miss important details or add extensive downtime during delays between responses.
One of our top tips for designing a building is to implement strong communication tools to help improve the project and carry strong communication through to the end of the build.
We use Procore to help everyone stay on the same page. Procore is a communications hub that organizes tasks, schedules, documents and photos related to the project. It streamlines design and incorporates everyone’s input, so we minimize the chance of costly and time-consuming alterations or miscommunication disputes later in the project. Plus, it creates a handy record to refer back to throughout the project to improve accuracy.
How Alta Construction Can Help
At Alta Construction, we take a tech-first approach to the entire construction process, including design. We make data-driven decisions simple and straightforward, so your design phase is as efficient as possible and adds massive value to the rest of the build. Whether you’re looking to save costs, do something truly innovative or meet another goal, our skilled team and suite of industry-leading tools let us help you do it.
We pay close attention to the design phase to ensure a rock-solid foundation for our clients. As a full-service construction company, we work with you from start to finish, with experienced team members ready to answer any questions and support your requirements, no matter how unique. Reach out to us today to chat about your project and see what Alta Construction can do for your next build.