BCT 100

Overview of the Construction Industry

The ‘Players’ in ConstructionRalph Leibing describes the ‘players’ as:

• The Owner and Representatives• The Design Team• The Contracting Team• Regulatory Agencies

Perhaps we should add:• Suppliers/Manufacturers• Real Estate Agents

The Owner• Who are they?

• What is the role of the owner?

• What are the owner’s responsibilities?

The Owner

• Who is this guy and why is he here?

The Owner• The Owner and Others• Customer• Client• Developer• User• Occupants • Lessee• Renter• Owner’s Representative• Lender/Banker/Mortgage Company

Owner’s Responsibilities• Totally responsible for financing, including,

maintaining adequate funds in hand at all times • Responsible for the program – what is this

building going to do – what does it require – what use does it perform?

• Responsible for the land on which the building will be built, either through ownership or a lease

• Ultimately will be responsible for compliance with all building codes and regulations

• Responsible for approval of the design and appearance as produced by the Design Team, prior to beginning construction

Owner’s Responsibilities

• Financing , Financing, Financing

Owner’s Responsibilities

• Programmatic Needs

Owner’s Responsibilities

• Securing a Site for Construction

Owner’s Responsibilities

• Compliance with all building codes and regulations

Owner’s Responsibilities

• Sign off on all design stages: Approved by Owner

The Design Team• Who are they?

• What is their role?

• What are the design team’s responsibilities?

The Design Team

• Design Professional• Architect• Engineer• Designer• Design Architect• Principal• Partner• Sole Proprietor• Drafter/CAD Operator• Intern

• Specifications Writer• Contract Administrator• Project Architect• Surveyor• Consultant• Lighting Consultant• Landscape Architect• Interior Designer• Decorator• Architect of Record

Design Team Responsibilities• Ensure that the project conforms to all

applicable codes, regulations, and laws

• Translate the requirements of the Owner into a set of drawings and specifications from which a constructor can erect a building

• Ensure that the construction team is conforming to the letter and spirit of the construction documents

Design Team Responsibilities• Responsibilities during the design and

documentation phase will include:

• Programming/ Accommodation

• Site Feasibility

• Design Concept

• Aesthetics/Appearance

• Project Documentation/Specification

The Architect Part Engineer, Part Artist

• Dependent upon expert ‘Consultants’

• Usually several people in various roles

Robie House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect

The Architect

• Guggenheim Museum. Bilbao, Spain

• Frank Gehry, Architect

The Architect

• Gehry on The Simpsons, with his inspiration for a new building, the trash

The Consultants• Geotechnical Consultant• Structural Engineer• Mechanical Engineer• Electrical Engineer• Landscape Architect• Lighting Consultant• Acoustical Consultant• Interior Designer• Color Consultant• Cost Estimator• Expeditor

The Consultants

• Geotechnical Consultant• Developing an understanding of our site’s soil structure and bearing capacity

The Consultants

• Structural Engineer• Calculating the size of structural members, and how they will perform under potential loading

The Consultants

• Mechanical Engineer• Calculating the size of the heating and air

conditioning system and planning the distribution network.

The Consultants

• Electrical Engineer• Calculating the size of our power requirements

and coordinating those requirements with the Mechanical Engineer

The Consultants

• Landscape Architect• Planning, Specifying and Overseeing the

design and construction of soft and hard landscape material

The Consultants

• Lighting Consultant • Analyzing the design for lighting requirements

and energy demands, and designing unique solutions to lighting design problems

The Consultants

• Acoustical Consultant• Specializing in the dynamic performance of

sound in spaces, and the configurations and materials which optimize that performance

The Consultants

• Interior Designer / Interior Decorator• Integrating interior finishes and materials of

interior space into a clear overall vision or theme for the space

The Consultants

Color Consultants

The Consultants

• Cost Estimator• Conducting feasibility studies early on, and

tracking costs for a variety of project options

The Consultants

• Expeditor• In some markets, an expeditor is a paid consultant

specializing in getting your plans approved by the Buildings Department. NYC for example.

The Contracting Team

Who are they?

• What is their role?

• What are the contracting team’s responsibilities?

The General Contractor

• Responsible for all sub contracted work

• Often has own crew of carpenters to do framing on residential work, then subcontracts specialty items

The Contractor

• Constructor• Project Manager• Superintendent• Foreperson• Value Engineer• Estimator• Expeditor• Construction Manager

• Sub-contractor• Worker• Laborer• Tradesperson• Journeyman• Apprentice• Technician• Installer• Job Clerk/Site Secretary• Clerk of the Works

Contracting Team Responsibilities• Construct the building as indicated in the

construction documents and specification• Responsible for the methods and means of

construction• Responsible for identifying all persons who will

work on the project and in what capacity• Responsible for all scheduling of people,

materials, and processes• Responsible for determining who will do what• Responsible for assigning all costs associated

with construction

The Sub-Contractors

• Plumber• HVAC Installer• Electrician• Security• Telephony/Data• Audio/Visual• Landscape• Mason• Cabinetmaker• Wood Floors

• Windows and Doors• Curtain Wall• Conveying Systems• Roofer• Concrete

The Sub-Contractors

• Excavation• Foundations• May be independent or the same company

The Sub-Contractors

• Plumber• Responsible for piping, including fresh water

and waste water, as well as natural gas

The Sub-Contractors

• HVAC Installer• Responsible for Heating, Ventilating, and Air

Conditioning Equipment installation and Ductwork Installation

The Sub-Contractors

• Electrician• Responsible for installation of electrical

system, hooking up electrical to mechanical and appliances

• General understanding of loading requirements

The Sub-Contractors

• Roofer• Responsible for many types of roofing,

flashing, and often gutters and downspouts

The Sub-Contractors

• Mason• Installation of Brick, Stone, CMU blocks

The Sub-Contractors

• Tile Installer• Installation of tile and stone finishes, floors,

wall tile, mosaic

The Sub-Contractors

• Flooring Installer• Installation of hardwood floors, sanding, finish

The Sub-Contractors

• Stone Countertop Fabrication• Templating is done on site, fabrication takes place

off site in a facility, then delivery and install

The Sub-Contractors

• Cabinetmaker• Site Dimensions, Shop Drawings, Fabrication,

Finishes and Samples, Installation

The Sub-Contractors

• Landscaping Contractor

Regulatory Agents

Who are they?

• What is their role?

• What are the regulatory agencies’ responsibilities?

Regulatory Agency Responsibilities

• Law, regulation and code enforcement

• Coordinate regulatory response with other agencies, including: planning / land use / zoning, traffic and roads, sewer and water, life safety / fire, worker safety, utilities

Regulatory Agencies

• Building Inspector• Building Commissioner• Plans Examiner• Various Inspectors – Framing, Plumbing,

Electrical• OSHA• EPA• Fire Inspector

Regulatory Agencies

• OSHA

Regulatory Agencies

• Fire

Inspector

Regulatory Agencies

• EPA

Regulatory Agencies

• Maintaining a positive working relationship with the various representatives of the regulatory agencies you encounter is one of the primary responsibilities of the ……

• Owner, as required• Architect, as required• Contractor, as a matter of survival• Your reputation is far and away your most

important asset. Be A Professional.

Case Study in the Owner/ Architect Relationship: Salk Institute

Some projects are a reflection of an interested

supportive, collaborative

owner

Salk Institute, Jonas Salk,

Owner

Jonas Salk transformed modern life

when he and his associates developed a vaccine for

polio in 1955.

Salk wanted to build a facility

that would cure more diseases.

Jonas Salk gave his discovery to the world, for free. By 1963, eight years after it was developed, the number of annual cases of polio had dropped from over 45,000, to just over 900. It has now been eradicated in the United

States, and is near eradication worldwide.

Dr. Jonas Salk and The March

of Dimes, Client and

Louis Kahn, Architect

“Science is as much about art and inspiration as it is about

math and chemistry.”

Jonas Salk, Owner

The Salk Institute was completed in 1963. The land was donated by the City of San Diego. The March of Dimes

provided funding for the project.

Salk Institute. Jonas Salk, Owner