Integrating Teams for Success

Although integrating architecture and engineering from the start of a complex project seems logical, it's not as common an industry standard as one might think. Page Principal and Mechanical Engineering Director John Gross explained to CSE (Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine) that clients are expecting project delivery ever faster and this supports efforts to leverage integrated solutions, regardless of whether the architecture and engineering teams are part of the same firm.

John explains the pitfalls of "traditional" design which results in engineers being brought in after design is completed and how project teams and clients all benefit from true integration. He provides examples from critical junctures in the project and explains the ramifications of separate decision making.

A recent example of a successful project with integrated A/E design on which John worked is Quarry Run Regional Operations Center, a first-responder facility in the Southwest Region of the United States that supports the county sheriff, municipal police and fire departments as well as surrounding counties with emergency operations, a public safety answering point (PSAP), and administrative functions. The benefit of the integrated design process allowed the engineers to respond to the spaces when designing the systems and to work with the architecture team in advance to accommodate their needs. As John described it, “The architecture supports the engineering which in turn supports the architecture.”

To see the full article in CSE Magazine, click here.