Kevin Twohig, CEO, Spokane Public Facilities District, leads IAVM Region 4 members on a hardhatless tour of new construction at the Spokane (Wash.) Convention Center, which is taking place just inches from the existing hall. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM SPOKANE, WASH. — The $60-million expansion of the Spokane Convention Center underway now is the center’s first design/build project. The pros and cons of design/build versus design/bid/build received some honest scrutiny during the IAVM Region 4 meeting here May 6-9 as a panel of builders, architects and venue management dissected the process and progress so far.
Brian Tennyson, LMN Architects, served as moderator with co-worker Rafael Vinoly-Menendez, a panelist. The panel also included Rustin Hall, ALSC Architects Clancy Welsh, Garco Construction, and Kevin Twohig, CEO of Spokane Public Facilities District.
They all agreed the design/build process is shorter, but it is not necessarily preferable unless the owner, in this case the city of Spokane, has experience in design and a clear vision, is willing to accept risk and is committed to the team approach. Without clear goals and use plans and a detailed technical program, the project is doomed, impossible to keep on budget and on schedule.
“Design/build is becoming prevalent throughout the industry, but it depends on state legislation,” Vinoly said.
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The design/build panel includes Clancy Welsh, Rustin Hall, Rafael Vinoly-Menendez, Kevin Twohig and Brian Tennyson. (VT Photo)
Time is money on construction projects and, in design/bid/build projects, initial cost estimates in the design process can escalate dramatically before the build begins. In that process, the general contractor/construction manager are involved in the last phase of the project, after bidding. Getting the builder involved at the beginning of the design process can help control costs, if the contractor is upfront and the budget is reasonable, Welsh said.
The owner in Spokane spent months getting it right and there is no doubt in Twohig’s mind that design/build strengthens the collaborative bond between owner and builder. But the owner has to be educated, Twohig emphasized. “We had one board member who became design/build certified.”
Four of the SPFD board were intensely involved in the project, Twohig added. “Don’t rely on a third party.”
In the design/build process, the general contractor has the flexibility in the first phase to develop the project on budget, Welsh added. “We get subcontractor input right away. For example, we bid out glazing on this project months ago, and that protects us from cost increases. We’re locked in by product.”
The process in Spokane actually began with a feasibility study in 2011. That study clearly defined the goals, scope and levels of finish for the expansion.
Once the study was published, selection of a design/build team began. There were five teams responding to the Request for Proposals. Those were narrowed to three teams and each was invited to a series of two proprietary meetings and an open house to share plans with the public.
The first proprietary meeting was the interview; followed by a chance to refine the concept, followed by an open house showcasing the three proposals.
Twohig recalled that in the first interview, two teams brought fairly complete design ideas and one showed up with a block drawing concept and asked for input. In the second round, the first two had made suggested changes but without acceptable solutions, and the third was a little more detailed but still seeking input from the owner.
At the open house, “out of the box, here comes the winner,” he said, and it was the team that spent the proprietary meetings emphasizing a flow of information back and forth, leading to the design everyone wanted.
Hall said that it is important the contractor and architect design as a team. No one is working in a vacuum in a design/build project. “The contractor has a real knowledge of what things cost,” Hall said.
Twohig concurred and added that sometimes the RFP can be too detailed and that can cause a gray area. For instance, the owner asked that proposed materials look “match existing,” referring to the eight-year-old convention center, “but technology has changed.”
Still, the owner needs to be as detailed as possible and clear on expectations without squelching creativity, Vinoly added.
Even with close collaboration, disputes will arise and those are subject to standard processes on dispute resolution, but Twohig said that has not been an issue in Spokane so far. He attributes that to the collaborative process. Mistakes have been made and change-orders arise, but the approach is teamwork. “We work our way through it.”
The 91,000-sq.-ft. expansion which opens in December is on time and on budget.
Interviewed for this story: Rafael Vinoly-Menendez, (206) 682-3460; Kevin Twohig, (509) 279-7002; Rustin Hall, (509) 838-8568; Clancy Welsh, (509) 535-4688