His design-build expertise and research over the decades have produced some of the nation’s most important data demonstrating design-build’s performance and industry impact. His teaching focuses on project delivery, construction engineering, cost engineering and project controls. Keith has performed project delivery and risk-related work for the California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington State Departments of Transportation. He has been a member of numerous technical review committees for projects including the Columbia River Bridge in Oregon and Washington, the SR520 Floating Bridge in Washington State, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California and the Panama Canal Expansion project in Panama. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering (1990) and Masters of Science (1995) and Doctoral (1997) degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado.

Keith is also a former chair of the Design-Build Certification Board and continues to serve on that board, was honored with the DBIA Academic Leadership Award in 2000 and is a DBIA Fellow.

The University of Colorado Provost, Russell Moore, told CU Boulder Today:

“Keith laid out a pathway for taking CEAS to new levels of success built on a highly energetic and collaborative leadership style, and he did so with a clear sense of how the college could fit into the campus’s larger structures and directions. All of these came together in a way that gave me confidence that Keith is the right leader for CEAS at the right moment for the university.”

You can read more about Keith’s impressive accomplishments in the CU Boulder article here.

DBIA offers our heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved appointment.

The post DBIA Congratulates Keith Molenaar appeared first on DBIA.

July 2022

What are the key opportunities and challenges facing design-build teams as IIJA implementation begins? What can Owners and industry do to maximize this historic opportunity?

In this episode of DBIA’s Design-Build Delivers podcast, we talk to two experienced pros in the federal market about the implementation of historic federal infrastructure investment and its importance for design-build teams. Laura Stagner is a former Assistant Commissioner at GSA who played a vital role in delivering infrastructure investment projects during the last major federal infrastructure investment program in 2009 and has unique insights into the role design-build can play in today’s IIJA implementation. Thom Kurmel also has decades of experience delivering federal projects at the Pentagon, Veteran’s Affairs and more. As the president of TDK Consulting, LLC, his work specializes in health system design and infrastructure strategies.

Guests

Laura Stagner, DBIA, FAIA, PMP
Assistant Commissioner, GSA Public Buildings Service, Office of Project Delivery (Retired)

Thomas D. Kurmel, DDes, AIA, DBIA, FHFI
President, TDK Consulting, LLC

Listen

DBIA · Using Design-Build Innovation to Maximize Infrastructure Investment

Episode Topics

Topic 1: How design-build helps address infrastructure investment challenges (1:50)

Topic 2: Using early collaboration for workforce and cost containment challenges (3:25)

Topic 3: Owners want solutions not just projects (5:35)

Topic 4: Becoming an Owner of Choice (6:57)

Topic 5: COVID was a teaching moment for the federal market (9:00)

Topic 6: Using technology to enhance collaboration in infrastructure programs (11:13)

Topic 7: Unique opportunity to “push the envelope” in the federal market (13:45)

Topic 8: Helping the Federal market embrace change to deliver success (16:15)

Topic 9: How design-build helps leverage the tight workforce better (18:10)

Topic 10: Design-build’s growing federal role goes beyond just IIJA funding (21:25)

Topic 11: The timing couldn’t be better for Federal Design-Build Symposium (24:00)

Topic 12: Federal Symposium program offers real-world resources. (25:05)

Download Episode Resources

• Guidebook to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Infrastructure Investment Implementation Fact Sheet
• Federal Sector Design-Build Best Practices
• Federal Design-Build Symposium Registration
• Federal Design-Build Symposium Program

Thanks to Design-Build Deliver’s Partner

U.S. CAD helps forward-thinking AEC firms, many ranking on ENR Top Lists, generate new revenue streams by shifting to Autodesk AEC technology. To learn more, book a free 30-minute consultation at USCAD.com/DBIA.

Federal Design-Build Symposium

Registration is open to join DBIA, industry leaders, Federal Owners and Public Agencies Utilizing Federal Funding at the Federal Design-Build Symposium July 26-27 at the Hilton Crystal City in Virginia (D.C. metro area). Join us in person or virtually!

Never miss an episode.

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The post Using Design-Build Innovation to Maximize Infrastructure Investment appeared first on DBIA.

Ongoing supply chain issues and rising material costs continue to put pressure on project teams nationwide. In addition, as the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues, provisions intended to maximize the use of American-made products in all federally funded infrastructure projects are even more challenging because of the uncertainty in the marketplace.

Last month, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation granted a temporary 180-day waiver for complying with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s new Buy America, Build America requirement for construction materials. However, DBIA and many other industry associations prefer a longer waiver period.

We’ve co-signed a coalition letter of more than 40 leading AEC organizations, asking for additional time beyond the 180-day extension to allow more time for DOT to assess the market.

“Before these requirements take effect, it is critical that the U.S. Department of Transportation conduct thorough analyses of domestic manufacturing capabilities, provide sufficient opportunity for public comment on draft rules, and provide adequate time for public and private entities to adjust and learn final rules. To accomplish the necessary work, the Administration should extend the 180-day BABAA waiver to ensure that, in the meantime, projects are not needlessly delayed. Rushing through this process could further drive inflation and result in significant delays to projects that will facilitate the enhanced movement of people and goods that, in turn, will help improve the nation’s constrained supply chain.”

You can read the full Buy America Extension letter here.

The post DBIA Supports Waiver Extension of IIJA Buy America Requirement appeared first on DBIA.

This historic infrastructure era provides not only incredible opportunities for America’s design-build teams but also challenges. Whether navigating workforce shortages or kinks in the supply chain, industry and Owners are using design-build innovation to help mitigate today’s pressures on project costs and schedules.

The timing couldn’t be better for this year’s Federal Design-Build Symposium. As the nation’s only federal design-build event, it’s a unique opportunity for teams to come together with Owners charged with delivering on the infrastructure investment. This day-and-a-half event is jammed with real-world resources and lessons learned from design-build peers and experts nationwide. Here are just a few program highlights:

2022 Federal Design-Build Symposium Snapshot

Owners’ Only and Practitioners’ Only Forums

These highly popular events allow open, honest discussion and provide professionals the opportunity to share views, answer questions and find solutions to shared project delivery challenges. Access to each forum is limited to only the specified participants (meaning no industry members are allowed in the Owners’ forum and no Owners are allowed in the practitioners’ forum) to provide space for an unrestricted conversation.

General Sessions

Delivering Infrastructure – Challenges and Opportunities

As markets – particularly the Federal construction market – heat up, more and more Federal owners are turning to design-build to meet the infrastructure implementation challenge and deliver innovative project solutions. This panel of senior federal agency leaders will discuss why they chose design-build to deliver their projects and what their agency’s implementation strategies have included.

Behind the Scenes of an Award-Winning Federal Project

Design-build continues to show how the right processes and people can deliver extraordinary project outcomes. This session takes us behind the scenes of an award-winning project, the Robert A. Young Federal Building. Hear from a DBIA juror about what sets projects apart and team members about how they worked together, how design-build was instrumental in their success and what lessons they learned to help others achieve similar success.

Design-Build Done Right® is Key

Several critical decisions must be made when delivering a successful Federal infrastructure project. Understanding Design-Build Done Right© – including design-build best practices — is the key to making the right decisions. This session of experienced federal agency pros will dive into those DBIA best practices and dissect crucial lessons learned.

Keynote Session: Deryl McKissack, PE – Founder, Chairwoman and CEO, McKissack & McKissack

During the past 30 years under Deryl McKissack’s leadership, McKissack & McKissack has managed such landmark projects as the new Museum of African-American History and Culture on the National Mall, MGM National Harbor Casino, Navy Pier Centennial Projects in Chicago and served as the architectural firm of record for the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, DC. As a licensed professional engineer and registered project management professional, Deryl is the fifth generation of her family to work in the design and construction field.

Education Track Sessions

Embodied Carbon in Federal Construction

Sustainability goals and design-build innovation go hand-in-hand. With the Federal government encouraging sustainable solutions, this session will examine new techniques agencies such as GSA are exploring and utilizing, including innovations such as the mass timber construction in Federal buildings, its use and ongoing study.

Managing Risk Trends in Federal Design-Build

This panel will present perspectives from the A/E, design-builder, attorney and construction consultant views on managing the evolving risk trends in Federal design-build. These panelists have worked together on Federal design-build projects for 15 years, from proposal through punch list. They will present how each of their respective positions has evaluated and managed the evolving design-build risks and then integrated those strategies into a successful procurement team.

Supporting Equity in Federal Contracts: Effective DBE Program Practices in Design-Build

The FHWA Office of Civil Rights has researched market-ready best practices of the DBE Program in the context of a design-build project and compiled findings in a handbook, “DBE Program Administration and Oversight on Projects with Alternative Contracting Methods.” This presentation will share practices from the handbook to assure efficient, effective and equitable integration of the DBE program in design-build contracting from project conception to completion.

Learn More

The entire program for the July 26-27th Federal Design-Build Symposium is here. Attendees can also earn up to 11 CEUS. See a list of attending Owners, details on DBIA’s Owner Scholarships and more on our Federal Design-Build Symposium page.

Registration is open, so make your plans to join us in person or virtually.

The post Design-Build Strategies and Solutions for Delivering Federal Infrastructure $ appeared first on DBIA.

Forty billion dollars in federal infrastructure bridge protection funds are now available in all 50 states. The Bridge Investment Program was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) opened a call for applications this week. The grant program provides $12.5 billion over five years with $2.4 billion available this year. This funding is in addition to $27 billion in bridge funding announced earlier this year. The funding is to be used to replace, rehabilitate, protect, and preserve some of our nation’s largest bridges.

“We’re thrilled to begin accepting applications for one of the most significant investments in our bridges in decades, fixing everything from America’s most economically significant bridges to smaller bridges that mean everything to a local community. When these bridges are repaired, the American people will benefit from greater safety, lower shipping costs for consumers and maintenance costs for drivers, faster movement of goods across our supply chains, fuel savings, and precious time being returned to their day.” …U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

USDOT reports the Bridge Investment Program funding is unique in three key areas because it:

• Allows multi-year grant agreements to fund large projects by making it possible to take a project through pre-construction activities and into construction.
• Offers grants that help fund the planning process, including planning, feasibility analysis and revenue forecasting associated with the development of a project that would subsequently be eligible to apply for the Bridge Investment Program.
• Offers two types of construction grants, covering “large” projects over $100 million and “bridge projects” at up to $100 million.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available on FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program web page.

The post Funding Applications Now Open for New National Bridge Program appeared first on DBIA.

  Photo courtesy: University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning

Twenty-two University of Colorado Denver graduate students, working with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), Bespoke Project Solutions, and OZ Architecture, have completed phase one of a two-year design-build project. The Cape Shirreff design-build project will provide eco-friendly prefabricated structures for NOAA researchers in Antarctica.

NOAA’s Division Director, George Waters, told the CU Denver News, “The new sustainable buildings will enable the continuation of NOAA Fisheries’ long-term research that provides the basis for ecosystem-based management of fisheries in the Southern Ocean. We are proud that this will be purposefully designed to have a minimal environmental impact.”

Photo courtesy: University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning

The first phase of this innovative design-build public-private partnership project was built on campus in 19 weeks by CU Denver’s Colorado Building Workshop students, including 40% women. The project not only provides valuable real-world design-build experience for students but also delivers innovative and sustainable infrastructure supporting NOAA’s long-term research goals. The University of Colorado Denver is one of DBIA’s 26 student chapters and we offer our congratulations to this impressive student project team.

See the full story at the CU Denver News.

The post University of Colorado Denver Students Design-Build Antarctica Research Home appeared first on DBIA.

June 2022

We’ve seen how natural and manmade events can impose devastating costs upon our projects, infrastructure, and society. Whether it’s pandemics, climate change or other challenges facing communities, the costs of these events can be staggering. More than ever, it’s vital that project teams make resiliency an integral part of their design and build approach. But how?

In this episode of DBIA’s Design-Build Delivers podcast, we talk to three experts on a wide range of resiliency topics, including defining resilience, building social resilience, the critical role design-build collaboration plays in successful resilience programs, using technology to advance resilience, and so much more.

Guests

Brian Skripac – VDC Director, Design-Build Institute of America

Ryan Colker – Vice President of Innovation, International Code Council

Troy Gates – Director of Innovation, US CAD

Episode Topics

Topic 1: What is resiliency, really? (2:50)

Topic 2: Project Resiliency vs. Sustainability (4:37)

Topic 3: Community and Social Resilience (5:51)

Topic 4: Design-Build’s Collaborative Role in Improving Resiliency (8:07)

Topic 5: Reactive vs. Proactive Approaches (9:38)

Topic 6: Using Technology to Build Resilience (12:33)

Topic 7: Using Digital Twins (14:33)

Topic 8: Determining Community Resilience Vulnerabilities (18:39)

Topic 9: Where are the biggest challenges and highest resilience ROIs? (21:58)

Topic 10: Maximizing life-cycle approaches on projects (23:29)

Topic 11: Using offsite construction in resiliency plans (28:55)

Topic 12: Collaboration is vital to building resilience. (29:45)

Resources:

• Who is The International Code Council?
• Using Technology to Build Resilience
• Design-Build VDC Done Right
• Guide for Owners: Building a Digital Twin
• Alliance for National & Community Resilience

Thanks to Design-Build Deliver’s Partner

U.S. CAD helps forward-thinking AEC firms, many ranking on ENR Top Lists, generate new revenue streams by shifting to Autodesk AEC technology. To learn more, book a free 30-minute consultation at USCAD.com/DBIA.

Join USCAD and DBIA on June 16th @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (PDT) for a live webinar and panel discussion: Leveraging the Digital Transformation in Construction. Learn more and register here.

Never miss an episode.

Follow DBIA on your favorite podcast channel:

The post Building Resilient Infrastructure to Create Strong Communities appeared first on DBIA.

Each year DBIA chooses a unique project to challenge student design-build teams. This year’s project is a parking facility with education classrooms on a liberal arts college campus in the Midwest United States.

This two-phase competition gives teams from colleges and universities the chance to respond to a Request for Qualifications (the first phase) and a Request for Proposals (the second phase), with the top three teams from the RFP phase presenting their proposals to a panel of industry leaders at the 2022 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Las Vegas this November. The competition is impressive and provides an incredible opportunity for young design-builders to meet and impress industry leaders one-on-one. In fact, many have turned their competition experience into job offers.

Design-Build Delivers Podcast

Listen to May’s Design-Build Delivers podcast for a first-hand look at what it takes to be a Design-Build Championship team with the 2021 winners from the University of Colorado Boulder. Then register your team today and share this with your university and student contacts so they can take advantage of this terrific competition.

Be sure to follow the Design-Build Delivers podcast on your favorite podcast channel so you don’t miss a single episode.

The post National Design-Build Student Champs Offer Inside Look at DBIA Competition appeared first on DBIA.

1. On Time. While unanticipated setbacks can impact deadlines, staying on schedule is critical to a project’s success. Bringing all stakeholders to the table at the beginning of the process will impact the successful management and coordination of multiple timelines. This collaboration lays the foundation for confronting unanticipated challenges and provides room for the team to roll up their sleeves and develop solutions for how to pivot from those challenges.
2. Within or Under Budget. Recently, the University of Washington selected a design-build team to complete a 300,000-SF high-performance facility within a short amount and on a fixed budget. The project came in at approximately 2.5 percent less than the grant budget and $4.5 million was saved throughout the project. Whether it is a health care facility or large-scale public project, every client has a budget to maintain and wants to get the most out of their investment and it is well documented that design-build saves money.
3. High Value. The Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center in Hawaii was this team’s first design-build project. The center provides the surrounding community a place to gather that offers career development and learning programs emphasizing native approaches to health, education, and environment, important to the local culture. How does your project serve your client and the surrounding community?
4. Innovation. Collaboration often spurs innovation, not only in design and aesthetics but also in the approach to unanticipated challenges. Research suggests that design-build success is driving growth and innovation across all sectors and project sizes. Does your team leverage innovation and does design-build facilitate seamless incorporation of innovation?
5. Effective Teamwork. The most effective design-build teams are created early in the process – during the Owner’s procurement decision-making process – and span through project execution. Teams build strong relationships, learn how to deepen their commitment to collaboration, employ open and consistent lines of communication with all stakeholders and deliver the best product together.

Every year DBIA is proud to recognize highly effective projects that exemplify the principles of Design-Build Done Right®. Now that implementation of the infrastructure law is underway, it is important to showcase design-build at its best and how this approach maximizes collaboration and innovation, saves time and money, and makes a positive impact in our communities. Stakeholders will look to design-build to play a role in delivering high-quality projects, across all sectors, and DBIA believes it is important to elevate these projects and teams for their contributions.

Take a look at DBIA’s inventory of some of the best design-build projects across the country. Has your design-build team delivered a high-value project that deserves to be recognized among industry professionals and can serve as an example for projects to come? DBIA’s National Project/Team Awards Competition is open and accepting submissions. Gain recognition for your team’s hard work. Review the guidelines and submit your project before May 25, 2022.

The post Five Traits of Impressive and Highly Effective Design-Build Project Delivery appeared first on DBIA.

Gray, Inc., one of the nation’s leading design-build firms, and the Gray family, including DBIA Founding Father and Kentucky Department of Transportation Secretary, Jim Gray, have donated a transformative $5.2 million to build a new home for the University of Kentucky’s College of Design. In addition to bringing together the university’s five design programs into one facility, the engineering, business and design faculty will also work to create a new design-build curriculum.

The University of Kentucky News reports:

“This donation will allow UK to realize a renovation and revitalization of the Reynolds Building — a former tobacco warehouse that has been empty for several years — into a vibrant new space for Design’s five programs. It would be the first time that the college’s students, faculty, staff and programs would be housed in one location — a move that will also allow for even greater collaboration between the college and other programs across the campus, including Landscape Architecture, which will cohabitate with Design in the new structure and Biomedical Engineering, which will share studio space and curriculum with the new Product Design program.”

“As a family and on behalf of our team members, it’s the privilege of a lifetime to make this investment in UK’s College of Design, which includes the School of Architecture where we’ve had a special kinship for almost 50 years.” …Jim Gray, Secretary, Kentucky Department of Transportation and former president/CEO of Gray.

Decades ago, Jim Gray was among a handful of industry leaders who believed design-build was a better way to deliver projects. Their leadership created the Design-Build Institute of America and revolutionized the industry.

“When Jim Gray and four other A/E/C leaders met in 1993 with a mission of expanding design-build, even these founding fathers of DBIA likely didn’t envision design-build’s significant impact and use today. But nearly 30 years later, Jim Gray is still a staunch advocate of design-build, as demonstrated by this gift, which will pave the way for design-build curriculum at the University of Kentucky, furthering his legacy as one of the more impactful individuals in design-build.” Lisa Washington, DBIA Executive Director/CEO

The Gray Design Building is slated to break ground later this year and will represent one of the most significant examples of adaptive reuse on the UK campus.

The post DBIA Founding Firm Gifts $5.2 Million and Creates New Design-Build Program at the University of Kentucky appeared first on DBIA.