Regional and National DBIA Honors for ARB

The Applied Research Building (ARB) has been recognized in the Western Pacific Region of Design Build Institute of America (WPR-DBIA) and at the National level of DBIA with honors in the Educational Facilities category (see https://dbia.org/project/applied-research-building/). 

Western Pacific Region (WPR-DBIA) Awards

Project of the Year, 

Excellence in “Lean in Design”, and 

Excellence in “Virtual Design and Construction”

DBIA National Awards

Project of the Year, Best in Design - Architecture, 

Award of Excellence, and Award of Merit

Noting that the project was completed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the DBIA judges stated that though ARB faced significant supply-chain challenges, it was finished on time and within budget.  Because of the continual interaction between the customer and contractors that is characteristic of “Design-Build Done Right®”, those challenges were met in innovative ways that did not increase project costs or diminish the quality of the finished product. 

They also noted that 60% of the trade partners were local with outreach to underrepresented communities including the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.  In their words,

“The team’s focus on teaming and integrated partnership fostered a culture of trust, transparency and mutual respect which allowed them to navigate the complexities of the pandemic and ultimately deliver a world-class facility that exceeded expectations.”

DBIA, members are architects, engineers, construction professionals, building owners, academics and students who’s mission is to “promote the value of design-build project delivery and teach the effective integration of design and construction services to ensure success for Owners and design and construction practitioners”.  The design-build process is a collaboration in which the owners, designers, builders, and other stakeholders work tightly together through the complete design and construction phases of a building project to ensure  timely construction that meets the needs of the buildings owners and occupants while minimizing wasted time, effort, and materials.  In addition to the economic benefits, design-build facilitates innovation and creative problem solving between stakeholders at all levels.

Lean design focuses on four key concepts: team collaboration, problem solving, decision making skills and sharing information to eliminate waste and maximize value by encouraging all stakeholders to offer design input up front.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is an important component of that process involving construction of a detailed  building-information model (BIM) on the computer that allows designers and builders to spot potential conflicts and opportunities for  improvements at an early stage to prevent them from causing delays, rework, or material waste.

Brian Brandis was the Project Manager and Dana Sylvester was the Construction Project Manager.