The refinery on the Platte River Commons site ran from 1895 until the last barrel in 1991, and the ground still remembers it. A citizen pollution lawsuit led BP and the State of Wyoming to sign a remedy agreement in 2002, and the site is still recovering from contamination. A design team that draws a building on a parcel like that, without a builder in the room, is guessing about excavation, fill, utilities and what the owner can actually do with the dirt. That is the case for design-build in one picture.
Under design-build, one company holds the contract for both design and construction. The owner states what the building must do, how much it can cost and when it has to open, and we bring in the architect and engineers, develop the drawings and price them as we go. The benefit is that cost, schedule and constructability are tested while the design is still soft, not after the drawings are finished and the bids come in high.
We use design-build most often on industrial buildings, shops, small offices and institutional work where the program is clear and the owner values speed. Before a contract is signed, our preconstruction estimating sets the budget, and for owners who prefer to keep the designer separate we also run construction manager at risk projects.
Casper is a small market, and projects tend to be practical. Owners here are oilfield service companies, local developers, school districts and agencies, and most do not want a long design process followed by a bid that exceeds the budget. Boom-bust cycles make speed more valuable: a company that decides to build when activity is high wants a building before the cycle turns.
The market also has real site constraints. Casper's climatic criteria call for a 3 foot frost line and severe weathering, Platte River Commons and other parcels near the old refinery grounds carry industrial history, and Poplar Street (WYO 220) is under a multi-year WYDOT reconstruction. A Poplar Street corridor owner has to design around construction detours, utility work and access changes that a builder knows better than a drawing does.
We assemble the design team, manage programming and schematic design, coordinate civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, prepare permit drawings and carry the building through construction and closeout. The owner stays involved at fixed decision points: program, site plan, exterior, major systems and finishes. Between those points, the team works.
For metal and tilt-wall buildings, the structure is often engineered by the manufacturer or a specialty engineer, and we integrate it with the civil and architectural design. A shop that is a pre-engineered metal building can move from concept to permit in a short time. A small office building takes longer because of finishes, and we plan accordingly. Design-build is less common on offices than on shops, but it works when the program is settled.
We start with a program and a budget and ask the owner to rank priorities. If cost is the controlling factor, we design to a number. If schedule is the controlling factor, we sequence early work packages such as site work, foundations and steel procurement while design finishes. If quality is the factor, we build a finish schedule and test it against the budget. Whichever it is, we write it at the top of the program so every later decision gets measured against it, and we say so when a request pulls against it.
We hold regular design meetings with the owner, price at each milestone and maintain a decision log. When the price exceeds the budget, we propose alternatives instead of asking for more money. By the end of design development we offer a lump sum or a guaranteed maximum price, with the allowances and exclusions listed. Where the site requires utilities, grading and drainage, our site development and utilities team is at the table from the first site plan.
Design-build offers earlier price certainty than traditional bid, but it is not a promise that nothing will change. The things that move a design-build price are owner changes, unknown site conditions, code interpretations and market price changes for materials and subs. We name each in the proposal, with allowances for unknowns such as rock or contaminated soil.
On parcels with environmental history, such as former industrial land, we recommend an environmental review and a geotechnical report before the contract is final. We do not guess at what the ground holds. For commercial real estate developers who need a lender-ready number, a design-build guaranteed price with a clear schedule is often easier to finance than an open-ended budget.
Not every project belongs in design-build. A public owner with a bid law may not be able to use it. A building with a complex program that the owner wants to control closely may do better with an independent architect and a construction manager. We tell owners honestly when another method fits better, and we explain the trade-offs.
Public agencies should confirm with their counsel whether design-build is allowed for their type of project and how it must be procured. We can help them understand the process, but the legal question is theirs to answer. For private owners, there is rarely a barrier, and the City of Casper's permit process works the same either way. Plan review covers structural calculations, engineering reports and specifications, so the design package has to be complete enough for the reviewer even when construction has already started on early work packages.
Send us the program, the site and the date you want to be open. We will return a team proposal, a budget and a schedule that names the permit and site risks.
The owner owns the completed design and the building. During design-build, the architect and engineers are our partners or consultants, and they carry their own professional responsibility for their work. We coordinate them and are responsible to you for the whole.
Often yes. Some owners prefer a particular architect, and we can contract with that firm or work alongside them. We discuss roles early, because the structure of the team affects risk and fees.
We provide a budget at the start and a firm price when design is far enough along to be priced. The price can be a lump sum or a guaranteed maximum price with a shared savings clause. The proposal lists allowances, exclusions and assumptions.
We recommend an environmental review and a geotechnical report before the price is fixed. Platte River Commons shows why: the former refinery site is still recovering. If contamination or unknown conditions are found, the contract spells out who pays and what happens.
Often. Design and construction overlap, and long-lead items can be ordered while design finishes. How much time depends on the project and permit review. A City of Casper permit is good for 180 days, so we time submittals to match the schedule.