Design and build: a survey of architects' views

Abstract

Design and build has increased in its use for construction procurement in recent times. However, its performance as a procurement method has been widely criticized by professionals in the construction industry. This paper reports a survey of 40 architects, using a structured questionnaire to investigate the performance of contractor‐led design and build in project procurement. Although 20% of architects' private sector workload (and 8% of public sector) is derived from D&B, they perceive this procurement type to involve sacrificing product quality and design innovation. Where clients insist on a choice of D&B, architects generally prefer the use of either novation D&B or develop and construct, rather than ‘traditional’ D&B.

Citation

AKINTOYE, A. and FITZGERALD, E. (1995), "Design and build: a survey of architects' views", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 27-44. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb021001