SEPTEMBER 2015 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
15
Colorado Pulse
issue, or construction folks throw up a red flag on a
cost issue, they should heed that warning. You need
to stop as a team, assess, and not let the design get
too far down the road before addressing the issue.”
He adds, “It’s also the owner’s responsibility to
conduct continual budget checks through all design
phases and not rely on the architect for cost control.
To avoid costs spiraling out of control, rely on your own
internal resources and check in throughout schematic
design, design development and the construction docu-
ment phase.”
He continues, “When it comes to budget constraints,
the architect just needs to listen and take heed. I have ei-
ther worked with, or observed, architects amenable to this,
and architects that are not. It presents a very high level of
frustration when our concerns about certain elements of
the design that are becoming costly are not heard.”
Klebba also highlights the importance of an architect’s ex-
perience with floor plate efficiency and designing for long-
termmaintenance – skills they look for when selecting teams.
“Design details can just crush the long-term viability of a
building’s maintenance efficiency – they get passed through
to the tenant, which drives up their costs,” he explains. “So
we really try to think that through early.”
He also has high expectations of the architect when it
comes to managing their consultants, and being respon-
sive, especially once construction has begun. “It’s really frus-
trating when the architect doesn’t get their subconsultants
involved early enough to help move the design forward,”
shares Klebba. “You don’t want the design to advance too
far ahead of technical components that need to be incorpo-
rated into the design. When that happens, everyone loses.”
“Responsiveness is directly connected to our bottom line,”
he adds “It’s critical that architects staff to the level of man-
agement they promise, and are contractually obligated to
provide during construction administration, so they can
deliver.”
\\
When the owner brings up the
budget issue, or construction
folks throw up a red flag on a
cost issue, they should heed
that warning. You need to stop
as a team, assess, and not let
the design get too far down
the road before addressing
the issue.
– David Klebba, Hines
