Value creation in design-build projects: The role of the designers

This academic research paper addresses how designers contribute to value creation in design-build (DB) projects. In addition to identifying contextual constraints, this paper suggests measures on how designers can maximize value creation. The results are based on a literature review in combination with three separate case studies of Norwegian building projects. Each case study consists of interviews with key personnel and a document study, evaluating value creation for clients and users. Findings show that the concept of value is ambiguous, making value creation confined through the subjective perspectives of various stakeholders. Therefore, to create value, designers must understand how the intended receivers of value interpret the concept. In addition, value creation by designers in DB projects is rather oriented towards whom their costumer is — the contractor, than towards the client and users. This is substantiated in literature describing how contractors obtain the opportunity to trim process and building qualities, provided that the client's mandatory project requirements and functional descriptions are fulfilled. Proposed measures include 1) early involvement of the contractor's designers, 2) project partnering, and 3) establishing direct communication between the designers, client and future users. The benefit-to-cost ratio of implementing such measures is high.