THE ADOPTION OF A DESIGN BUILD APPROACH IN RETROFIT PROJECTS – A DESCRIPTIVE CASE STUDY

The delivery Design Build projects across the built environment in Ireland has begun to take significant shape. There are many examples of the traditional are moving towards more collaborative practices. There exists support for the integration of a design build project approach in the retrofit realm where designer, client and developer can work collaboratively. As with the regular design build process the intent behind this collaborative approach is to encourage those associated with the built environment to consider how retrofit design and construction can contribute positively to addressing elements of climate change and the design build process. The opportunity to share the rich nature of the design build process in a unique environmentally and heritage focused project excited the authors. Secondly concerns about the way such projects are captured historically, and specifically the disciplinary knowledge and skills employed in the restoration of such a significant landmark building could be lost if not afforded some place in the research annals. This paper presents a Restoration Design-Build (RDB) process employed in the realignment of a state building in the United States adopting this novel initiative. The author, working closely with the design build manager, adopted a descriptive case study method to enhance the capabilities of understanding and generate constructive reflections and analysis. The intention was to empower the reader to explore new horizons by ‘clarifying and negotiating’ ideas and concerns around the RDB process. The author evaluated the usefulness of the RDB approach based on direct and indirect measures. The framework approach presented is a part of an ongoing initiative between state and project stakeholders that have shown positive results based on the teams’ performance in the presented case study as well as affirmative feedback from some stakeholder participants. The positive measures adopted in this project are shared with the view of trying to encourage those associated with restoration project to adopt this approach.