22 October 2009

While thought-leaders in the AEC industry are rapidly coming to a positive consensus regarding the benefits of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), there is much debate over the actual implementation of IPD at the project level. The discussions are still out on the initial contract documents and few projects have tested their agreements.  Despite this practical infancy of deployment, the underlying innovations in project team relationships of IPD are surfacing.

Central Park Tower in Broomfield, Colorado is yet another project that was to fall under a standarad contract structure with a general contractor setting a Guaranteed Maximum Price.  Combined with the fact that the structure is a straightforward 11-story office building, it would appear that little room for innovation would exist. 

The Weitz Company in turn would respond by “interrupting the supply chain”, creating a construction-oriented Design-Build team that deployed IPD methods and resources.  Leveraging downstream Lean Construction principles combined with design-to-construction oriented Building Information Modeling processes, the team maximized value and minimized the risk associated with the project.

With over $500,000 in directly attributable cost savings and 10 weeks ahead-of-schedule performance, the team at Central Park Tower answered the call of IPD skeptics and the constraints of competitiveness in a tightening economy.  Read more to understand how the convergence of process transformation and comprehensive Building Information Modeling is eliminating any excuse to change the game.