Design-Build Delivery for Boulder Valley Projects

An owner who hires an architect and then a contractor holds two contracts and carries the gap between them. When the drawings come in over budget, the owner is the one who negotiates between two firms that each did their job. Design-build closes that gap by putting the designer and the builder under one agreement, so the question of whether a design can be built for the money is answered while the design is still being drawn.

That matters in the Boulder Valley because the building department, the energy code and the design review process all shape the plan, and each one changes cost. A team that has priced the energy-code requirement, the floodplain footprint and the height limit while the building is still a sketch avoids the late redesign. We offer design-build with a design team selected for the project, and we also work with owners who prefer to keep their own architect in a design-assist role.

What the single agreement covers

The agreement usually begins with a design phase at a fixed fee, in which we and the design team develop programming, concept design, a site and code review and a budget. When the owner approves the concept and the budget, the agreement moves to a guaranteed price for the balance of design and the construction. The owner can step out at the end of the first phase with documents in hand.

The scope includes architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering, permitting support, procurement, construction, commissioning and close-out. Specialty consultants join as needed: geotechnical engineers, energy modelers, fire protection engineers and landscape architects. Because the same team continues, early cost reviews drive the design instead of arriving after it. Projects often begin with the cost work described in preconstruction and estimating.

What the agreement leaves out is as important as what it includes. Land costs, owner-furnished equipment, furniture, utility impact fees and the owner's own consultants usually sit outside the guaranteed price, and we list them at the start so the budget the owner shows a lender is complete. Allowances for items not yet defined are named, sized and tracked, and the contract states who benefits when an allowance comes in under and who pays when it runs over.

Projects where it fits

Design-build suits projects with a clear program and a firm budget or date. Redtail Ridge in Louisville is a large example of the pace of change: the council approved the 389 acre development on a 5 to 1 vote reported in August 2024, with plans for an industrial and medical research park, a hospital relocation and more than 500,000 square feet of office space. Owners of individual parcels within a development like that need teams that can design to a fixed schedule and public review conditions. Read about Redtail Ridge for the local setting.

Boulder Junction is a 160 acre redevelopment area guided by the 2007 Transit Village Area Plan, which council amended in September 2023, with Phase 2 east of the railroad tracks following Phase 1. Mixed-use and housing builders there deal with plan requirements and the transit station, and design-build lets them align the design with each. See also Boulder Junction.

Overlapping design and construction

The schedule advantage of design-build comes from overlap. Site and foundation packages can be issued while the upper floors are still being designed, and long-lead equipment can be ordered once the systems are chosen. A well-run design-build project saves weeks or months compared to a sequential approach, though permit review remains outside anyone's control.

We schedule around review points. Boulder's height limit of about 35 feet and its charter ceiling of 55 feet, with taller buildings possible through site review, can influence how many floors a building can have, and a site review adds time. We submit early and keep the permit path visible in the schedule, with fallback options if comments arrive late. Renovation work follows similar logic and is explained in renovation and adaptive reuse.

How we run it

We assign a project executive, a design manager and a superintendent on day one. The design manager coordinates consultants and holds regular reviews with the owner. The superintendent contributes constructability comments from the start and takes over site management when design is complete. Decisions are recorded in a log so everyone sees what was decided and why.

Cost control is built in. At each design milestone we compare the estimate to the budget and show the owner alternatives where the numbers diverge. We value-engineer by function, not by quality: alternatives are described in terms of what the owner loses and gains. In energy-code-forward jurisdictions, the mechanical and envelope choices are made together by the designer and the builder, which gets compliant buildings out of review sooner. The CM at-risk model is the main alternative, and we explain when it is better.

Owners who choose it

Developers of housing and mixed-use buildings often prefer design-build for speed and cost certainty, and multifamily developers in particular appreciate the single point of responsibility when lenders ask about the schedule. Healthcare owners use it for clinics, outpatient buildings and renovations where clinical requirements and the budget must meet, and healthcare systems value coordination with infection control and licensing review.

Light industrial and research owners use design-build to deliver specialized buildings quickly, which ties to our work on flex and light industrial buildings, and hospital owners use it for additions linked to the building type described in hospital construction. In each case, the owner defines requirements and approves milestones, and we carry the risk of delivering them.

Bring the program and the budget

Tell us the use, the site and the date you must open. We will propose a design-phase scope, a team and a path to a guaranteed price.

Questions Owners Ask

Do I lose control of the design in design-build?

No. The owner approves programming, concept, materials and the budget at each milestone, and can include an owner-side architect or consultant. The difference is that cost and buildability are tested as the design develops.

What if I do not like the price at the end of the first phase?

You can end the agreement after the design phase and take the documents, or rebid the work. Most owners continue because the price has been tested throughout design, but the exit is real.

Does design-build work for public projects?

Sometimes. State and local procurement rules govern whether and how public owners can use it. We explain the rules for each owner and follow the process they require.

How are energy-code requirements handled?

The designer and builder model the envelope and systems together early. In Boulder, new commercial projects are generally all-electric with exceptions for items such as labs and emergency generators, and must beat the ASHRAE baseline by a set margin. We confirm which rules apply to the parcel.

Can design-build be used for tenant improvements?

Yes, and often it makes sense, especially when the landlord approval and the permit path are complicated. The same team handles drawings and construction in one schedule.

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