With occupier demand in the office sector reaching a new peak in 2019 and the continuing growth outlook in the sector, timeline of a project has become a critical element in CRE decision making. During the last decade, India has witnessed a silent revolution in the approach of interior fit-out projects in commercial realty. Predominantly, it has transitioned from traditional ‘Design-Bid-Build’ to ‘Design- Build’ approach.
Large corporates are now increasingly adopting the ‘Design -Build’ practice for faster project delivery at a fixed cost, instead of the traditional process where the architect is appointed and then various contractors through a lengthy bidding process. Global corporates are adopting ‘Design and build’ as a fit-out delivery method, where both, the design and execution, are entrusted to one expert firm. In fact, ‘Design & Build’ is not a mere approach for project delivery but it is also perceived to be highly collaborative and fully integrated process that builds trust, mutual respect, teamwork, innovation and creative problem solving.
Arnab Ghosh, National Director, Fitouts and Design & Build, Colliers India
Ashish-Puri, Director, Interior-Design-Services, Colliers India
At Colliers, we accelerate success and following the five best practices as the cornerstones of our ‘Design & Build’ process:
1. Sustainable – We start the process by understanding sustainability of the project with respect to the business objectives of client, timelines, shortlisted premise, financial viability and end user requirements. We guide our clients to ensure there is no ambiguity between what is desired to what is achieved.
2. Methodical – Driven by processes and motivated by deliveries, we follow a systematic, stage wise approach for our projects. Every stage has “collaboration” as a cohesive force. It starts with collaboration with the user group to finalize the design, collaboration with the MEP consultants to get the services right and collaboration with the construction teams and vendors to get the final product right. Here the account manager plays a key role as he takes the ownership of the project from Design stage till completion and acts as a linkage, which keeps all the teams integrated and informed.
3. Adaptive – The design approach is to be adaptive to future needs. This goes long way to ensure that any costs to accommodate unforeseen future requirements are minimal and comes with least disruptions. As an integrated Design & Build practice, early involvement of project team helps design team navigate the process of design closure in a seamless manner and at the same time facilitates the understanding of construction details.
4. Robust – We believe in building robust, irrespective of the delivery timelines. Building robust interiors ensures happy clients and very high chances of being recommended to other clients across various industries. This also means, minimum number of visits, once the construction is complete. In Design & Build practice, building Robust is equivalent to Building Trust.
5. Technology Driven – We believe the future of construction lies in embracing latest technology in order to minimize snags and achieve best of the quality. Likewise, the various dimensions of designs are also driven by technology along with integration of automation, IOT, AI, etc. in lighting, HVAC systems, conference management and security systems. With Technology at its core, Design Build practice is taking off at much faster pace than ever before.