Abstract Material costs, labor shortages and tight schedules have caused architects, engineers and contractors to explore alternate project delivery methods. Overlapping design and build operations in varying degrees has the potential to reduce construction time and production costs. Integrated project delivery and multi-party agreements allow project teams to work in collaborative ways not envisioned by traditional design-bid-build. Lean construction and fast tracking strive the improve quality, reduce waste and avoid conflicts. Building information modeling allows for better planning, while sustainable practices focus on reducing life cycle costs. Research concludes that the design-build method is an improvement over traditional methods of.
