An analysis of the use of of the Design- Build project delivery system by interior design firms, and its effectiveness in delivering fit-out projects

Abstract

Studies conducted by various researchers and professional organisations show that the use of the design-build project delivery system is expected to increase dramatically in the near future. While there has been a significant amount of research conducted on the use of the design-build system for large building projects, very little information is available on this approach being used on interior design projects. Therefore the purpose of this research is to fill this gap by reviewing the current practices in the use of the design-build system to deliver interior fit-out projects by interior designers. The intent of this study was to determine how wide spread the application of the design-build system is, in the local interior design industry in Sydney, Australia and identify the causes that render this system favoured by some and not by others. The results show that while a large number of firms use the design-build system, less then half of their projects are delivered using the design-build system. Almost 85% of the projects studied were corporate fit-outs. The causes that make the design-build project delivery system preferred by some interior designers and not preferred by others depends on the variation of the design-build system used and the role played by the interior design firm in the design-build team. The study discovered that three variations of the design-build system mostly used on interior fit-outs are; Integrated design-build, Designer-led design-build and Builder-led design-build. The circumstances under which these varieties of design-build are applied and the different project management roles vary in projects with reference to the nature of services offered by the firms to their clients, the scope of work and involvement of the design-build team in project financing. It was also found that the project management structure too was mainly dictated by the type of services provided by the sampled firms and on the degree of owner in-put and the in-put from the design-builder.