Design Build offers the next level of construction innovation—total accountability, increased collaboration, continuity, expertise, and cost and time savings. As a Design Build partner, we also offer solutions that are specifically tailored to your project needs. Our involvement begins in the preconstruction phase with design layouts and continues into prefabrication and installation. Within these steps, our engineer-led counsel adds immense value through expertise and lessons learned, ensuring that the customer always receives the best end product.
What does added value look like on a design build project? We documented the process through a local office renovation project.
New building, more opportunities
The office space we renovated was a 20,000 square foot facility tucked away in northwest Grand Rapids, not too far from our FZ headquarters. While the building had good bones, the interior needed a transformation to fit the customer's needs.
What added value looked like for us
Our Design Services team added value throughout the project on everything from lighting and desk connections to the installation of data racks. Proper lighting depends on a few factors including the space’s use, proximity to windows, and of course the people who’ll work there. For this office, we installed efficient LED lighting configurations with functions such as motion sensing and dimming. These configurations optimize space, code, and energy while meeting the occupational needs of our employees who have the option of lower level lighting as they work.
When it came to desk configurations, we considered all levels of connections and cords to power up the work spaces. Instead of trenching through the floor to provide cable space, we built vertical steel basket housing to run the cable up to the ceiling. This not only saved us from unnecessary concrete cutting, but also provided a unique aesthetic in line with a tech-forward work space.
Design Build allows for spaces to be tailored specifically to the end user’s needs. One of the specific needs was having accessible data racks within a large training space. These data racks are used to terminate network cables and allow for network connectivity for demo equipment. Engineers and techs can access this equipment from their personal workstations and allow for valuable bench testing to support their customer’s projects.
Here to help
These are just a few, small examples of the value of Design Build. Throughout the project, quality was increased while cost and time were decreased, and we were able to deliver an end product that exceeded our customer's needs. It’s the detail and thought in our designs that create change and value for the end user. Let us do the same for you.
