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Faced with designing an Omaha elementary school on a site about half the size of a typical school, the landscape architect looked at the grade of the land and realized that the design team could incorporate a lower driveway for parents to drop off and pick up their children and a second level for buses to pull in. This solution might not have happened had the architect and landscape architect not collaborated early in the process, said Kevin Strehle, a principal at Beringer Ciaccio Dennell Mabrey (BCDM).

It’s an example of how more architecture firms are going toward an integrated approach, bringing multiple specialties such as interior design, engineering and construction management services in house to encourage greater collaboration earlier in the design process.

“I think it started with our personal philosophy,” Strehle said. “But we can see the clients starting to drive that as well, as project timelines seem to get shorter and they’re always pushing the budget, so the solutions have to be that much more creative to meet the expectations of the client.”

Larger firms seem more likely to take this approach, said Suzanne Schwengels, executive vice president of the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects, while smaller firms often partner with other firms or hire consultants for special expertise. “We’re not seeing here an explosion of (firms integrating services), although there are a handful of firms,” she said. “As they get bigger, I think some of them look to add those different services to their repertoire.

“Integrated project delivery is a buzzword now that does encourage everyone to work together early in the project, but that can be done in a variety of different ways with consultants and partners. It doesn’t need to be all in one firm.”

Firms that have taken the integrated approach say having multiple specialties under one roof helps them deliver a better design within stricter guidelines, schedule and budget. It also is one way to work with the new sustainable design trend, which looks at a project holistically rather than piecing the parts together over time.

“I think that the designs are stronger when you get that in-house collaboration and participation among all disciplines rather than a baton handoff,” said Rick Seely, associate principal of OPN Architects Inc., whose firm has added interior design, landscape architecture and master planning services. “You’re dealing with something as the design develops with each discipline at the table, and I think that the clients benefit.”

BCDM’s model

BCDM’s Des Moines office has grown from a staff of one to 12 during its five years at 100 Court Ave. With that growth has come additional services beyond architecture, including landscape architecture, interior design and construction management. BCDM also utilizes the company’s Omaha headquarters for mechanical and electrical engineering.

Strehle believes this approach has led the firm to win more complicated projects, such as Parkview Evangelical Free Church in Iowa City, which had issues related to regulatory permitting, wetlands and zoning. The $38 million King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort in Storm Lake is another example of a project that required the key players to come together early in the process, which included some of BCDM’s architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, structural engineering and mechanical engineering staff.

For complicated projects, BCDM often holds a charrette, where key players spend a few days in an intense planning session, which could include outside consultants, the owner and the contractor. But for smaller projects, having these services in house allows quick meetings or informal collaboration.

“I think the role is changing a little bit. … I think we have to be knowledgeable about all aspects of the project,” said architect Marvin Larson, director of project management at BCDM. “And be able to recognize the expertise of other individuals who are part of that team and be able to utilize that expertise and not just wait until a predetermined time that that expertise comes into the process.”

The result is an architecture firm that can manage the entire process from design through construction. BCDM’s Omaha office managed a few projects, hiring the construction company and subcontractors.

“For architecture, it’s a rarity, I think, in the Midwest,” Strehle said, “But again, what that really helps do is deliver to the client that project with a clear understanding of the intent from start to finish.”

Other approaches

Durrant Group Inc. started out as an architectural firm in 1933, but evolved into offering engineering and construction management services in the 1970s.

Today it focuses on an “integrated team approach,” giving the client a single point of contact for a project to develop a strong relationship with that person. Having this in-house expertise also creates a team that works with the same software and under the same company policies and makes communication easier than tracking team members down through phone calls or e-mail, said Michael Lewis, managing principal of Durrant’s Des Moines office. Plus, construction management services allow the company to do cost estimating and schedule evaluation, “so earlier in the process we can better define the cost and timeline of the jobs,” he said.

Durrant has gone further than BCDM to bring in specialists that any of its nine offices across the country can utilize. When working on the Polk County Jail, the Des Moines office used someone with a background in mechanical ventilation issues from its Madison, Wis., office and a security designer from Phoenix.

Durrant brought in employees from multiple offices for its major mixed-use projects, such as the $850 million Tivoli Village at Queensridge near Las Vegas and a 400-acre development in Spirit Lake.

“It’s pretty seamless from the client’s perspective, especially when we meet every two weeks, it’s the same people at the table,” Lewis said. “It doesn’t matter where they come from; everyone is from Durrant.”

The company’s most recent service addition has been civil engineering in its Dubuque headquarters about three years ago. The Des Moines office formed in 2001 when Durrant acquired Pulley & Associates and added an architectural firm to its mechanical and electrical engineering services.

Now its focus is less on adding new services and more on looking for new market opportunities.

OPN has evolved to offer what Seely considers the “creative disciplines,” choosing to focus on architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and master planning rather than adding engineering. It has added three employees to primarily handle construction issues, but some of the more in-depth work, such as detailed cost estimating, has to be hired out.

“I think we recognize there is better collaborative effort in house where we can have those folks participate early in the project and impact design in a very positive way,” Seely said.