-By Robert Puleo, associate IIDA

In an increasingly competitive and complex marketplace, it is important for design firms to take advantage of every opportunity to expand their business by promoting an integrated design approach.

What is an integrated design practice?

It is the means by which firms effectively combine and coordinate separate and diverse disciplines to create an organized team that is focused on the goals of the project.

How do I begin?

First, identify all the resources that could benefit the project or whose voices should be heard. This involves not only design professionals but also project stake holders, such as clients, end-users, and the local community. For the designer it involves reaching out to consultants from engineers to acoustic and audio/visual specialists, as well as ancillary design-related professionals. It may also involve forming joint partnerships with specialty design firms or local designers/architects when you are out-of-area. As soon as these players are identified, it is imperative to gain a commitment of their time and the focus of senior members for the duration of the project. This is also true of your client. Many clients are not aware of how much time and effort needs to be applied to a design assignment apart from their daily activities, and it is critical for them to assign team players who will actively and consistently participate in the process.

How can I work this into my business model?

Large or small, any firm can create a successful model that supports integration. For a recent high-security project, our firm researched consultants who specialize in programming and planning high-security facilities. We retained these consultants as part of our project team in marketing and securing the assignment. Our client recognized that this firm was a separate entity, and all communication and management came through us as the lead consultant to the project. In this scenario, the firms collaborated concurrently through each of the initial phases of needs assessment, programming, and design with the specialty consultant taking the lead. As the project developed into 3-D designs, documentation, and construction administration, the emphasis shifted with the specialty firm assuming an overview capacity. This model works well when two firms offer non-competitive, complementary services.

Another scenario is a joint-venture partnership. For a large juvenile court and detention facility completed last year, our firm created a separate partnership with another large architecture firm that had greater experience in detention facilities. At 450,000 sq. ft., the assignment offered distinct components that allowed our firms to equitably divide the project into specialties that responded to the strengths of each organization. Each firm met separately with the client group and designed areas of the project concurrently but separately from one another. The success of this arrangement is in assigning a strong project manager from each firm who will work together to coordinate design and documentation.

How do I implement this process?

Effective integration does not respond to an autocratic approach. We like to begin the process with an off-site team-building session with our client where they get to meet each of the disciplines involved and they state their requirements and concerns for the project. At this session we identify the goals and objectives of the project, the means by which we agree to communicate and collaborate, and the schedule to which everyone commits their time. To maintain momentum from the team-building session, the designer must be a disciplined task master in approaching the project timeline with regard to establishing work sessions with the client. Including clients in this timeline is a great way for them to understand the process, prioritize their objectives, and gain a sense of ownership for the project.

How do I track progress?

The project schedule should include milestones so the team can stand back and review where they have been with the purpose of refocusing efforts as the project moves forward. In the past, we have implemented mini workshops involving the client with the team to review completed drawings and documents to assess the challenges we have encountered and to determine how to best move forward. These sessions promote flexibility in adapting the design process while still adhering to the overall project schedule. At the conclusion of several of these milestones we have assisted our clients in presenting our progress to concerned stake holders outside the team, such as local community groups, community design review boards, or a student body to familiarize them with the progress of the project, to excite them about the project, or to diffuse misunderstandings.

What are the benefits?

An integrated design approach benefits design professionals and clients alike. Integrating your client early in the design process fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility to the project and keeps them apprised of evolving issues. This helps to create long-term relationships that promote repeat business and referrals—the cheapest but most effective marketing tool. Also, a successful integrated design approach builds on the strengths of individual team members to provide entrée to market opportunities that they might not possess on their own. In our experience, forming long-term relationships with complementary design professionals increases our exposure to new marketing opportunities without adding specialists to our own payroll or incurring extra marketing expenses. Often, specialists have existing relationships with end-users and attend or conduct workshops that give them insight into prospective clients—invaluable information when targeting new market sectors.

Forming strategic alliances with other architectural firms has provided us with a presence in other parts of the country and allowed us to be competitive in alternate markets. In a challenging economy, joining with professionals outside your own office helps to keep overhead low and profits high.

Robert Puleo, associate IIDA, is associate partner and director of interiors at Irvine, Calif.-based MVE & Partners. He specializes in interiors for hospitality, educational, corporate, and institutional clients.