The History of Design-Build - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 4

(currently this might be considered a DB bridging concept), which called for an octagonal
dome higher and wider than any ever built previously. To achieve success, Brunelleschi
had to invent special hoisting machines and brilliant masonry techniques that were ulti-
mately his most spectacular contributions to architecture.
Brunelleschi's experience had many similarities to modern DB. He was selected as
the design-builder based on a competition that emphasized demonstrated performance
and capability, rather than competitive low-price bidding. The guilds, which formed the
DB team, were oriented toward highly competent performance rather than just low price,
and they were motivated by positive inducements, such as reasonable wages. The team
members operated in a collaborative manner to identify and solve problems. The team
was challenged by the owner to achieve success but was given great latitude in the method
and manner of the performance of the work. Finally, the outcome was highly successful
and, just like the pyramids, proved to be remarkably enduring.
Late in Brunelleschi's lifetime, a contemporary by the name of Leone Battista Alberti
began to argue that there should be a separation between the design process and actual
construction. His arguments appealed to a group called separationists who argued for
architecture to be separated from the construction process. Alberti was criticized for
being a theorist and for lacking an appreciation for practical application. In comparison
to his contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci, he was considered shallow. Lacking practical-
ity, his ideas did not have significant impact for many years, but in the United States, they
emerged as a driving force during the Industrial Revolution.
DESIGN-BUILD IN THE UNITED STATES
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the United States in the mid-1800s, the success
of DB initially expanded at the same time. In fact, DB served the American public with
dramatic success throughout the nineteenth century.
Design-build proved to be remarkably effective in building the kind of construc-
tion projects that a burgeoning industrial economy needed and wanted. The most suc-
cessful design-builders tended to specialize in design and construction of standardized
infrastructure such as office buildings, banking facilities, and manufacturing shops. They
could show examples of their previous successes, and they could quote firm prices and
schedules. These were strong attractions for a nation that was experiencing rapid indus-
trial expansion.
At the same time, the repetitive use of standardized designs reduced the demand for
architectural services, putting design-builders and the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) at odds. The AIA was founded in New York City in 1857 by 13 architects and was
dedicated to promoting architecture as a full-fledged profession, with requirements in
education, training, and organizational membership, and with a goal of separation from
actual construction. As the AIA promoted its goals, it successfully pushed for legislation,
both nationally and locally, to codify its objectives, which ultimately resulted in political
decisions across the United States to move away from DB and toward DBB as the domi-
nant model.
The primary leverage for this change was AIA's code of ethics, which defined DB
as, essentially, an unethical business practice. It barred involvement by architects in the
actual construction of their designs and denied membership to architects involved in DB.