Integrated Practice in Architecture: Mastering Design-Build, Fast-Track, and Building Information Modeling

“…be prepared to be happily astonished: George Elvin has written a concise, crisply crafted primer on interdisciplinary architectural thinking.” (Architectural Record, June 2008)

“Based upon 50 interviews with members of leading integrated firms, this text describes the strategies and techniques they use to ensure project success.” (Book News, February 2008)

A guide to a more integrated practice

“Integrated practice may be the fastest-growing method of project delivery in the United States. Revenues for the country’s top eight integrated design-build firms, for example, grew at nearly twice the rate of those for the top eight architecture-only firms in the last five years.”
—George Elvin, from the Preface to Integrated Practice in Architecture

Integrated practice is a holistic approach to building in which all project stakeholders and participants—architects, engineers, construction managers, contractors, and owners—work together in highly-collaborative relationships throughout the facility life cycle. For owners, integrated project delivery offers a convenient and efficient single point of responsibility for the entire project.

This is the only comprehensive book about integrated practice in architecture. Based on over fifty interviews and the author’s own extensive experience in design and construction, Integrated Practice in Architecture: Mastering Design-Build, Fast-Track, and Building Information Modeling reveals the secrets of integrated practice—the strategies and techniques used by leading integrated firms.

The book is organized around the topics most critical to success in integrated architectural practice:

• Team building

• Project planning

• Communication

• Risk management

• Implementation

Even if you’re not considering adopting integrated practice entirely, the strategies and techniques described here will help you master the vital subjects of design-build, fast-track, and building information modeling (BIM).

More than just a collection of best practices, Integrated Practice in Architecture sketches the blueprint for a new kind of practice that enables architects, engineers, contractors, and owners to work together creatively, efficiently, and collaboratively toward the common goal of improving our built environment.