Value-adding collaborative design and construct sustainability work practices on increasingly complex AEC projects

There is a good amount of research on how collaborative design and delivery practices, such as design & build, integrated project delivery and alliances can help in achieving project goals, sustainability among other things. Although the understanding of these collaborative practices and their advantages has increased, a large part of construction projects are still conventional, design-bid-build projects. The industry is fragmented not only when it comes to separating the design stage from construction, but also when it comes to the number of subcontractors and suppliers in projects. This situation is not going to change any time soon, rather it looks the opposite. Construction projects are becoming more and more complex requiring companies to specify their expertise to a certain design, manufacturing or installation aspect. This is a discovery and theory-led case study that explores key problems and opportunities, and illustrates how theories are applied and adapted, or adopted, in a real-life setting. The focus is on how a top tier main contracting company in New Zealand is changing its practices to be more collaborative by involving the design and construct teams, the client and stakeholders, on a regular workshop basis at the pre-construction design stages in particular. The research question is “How to use collaborative design and delivery practices at the preconstruction and construction stages to achieve a circular economy?” The vision and aim is to explore-with project examples-alternative insightful design strategies, reduce waste to landfill, associated costs, as well as enhancing the environmental impacts on the community. One of the introduced tools so far is an Environment in Design (EiD) register, in conjunction with resource sorter training, and recording all waste data, to achieve the main contractor and key stakeholders’ sustainability goals.