The built environment has many factions- team Design, team Owner and team Construction. Recent trends in sustainable design and evidence based design require buy-in from all sides and a cooperative effort to carry concepts through into completion and operation. The rise in popularity of design-build and integrated project delivery attempts to balance responsibility and risk more evenly.
Can we really transition successfully from an "us vs. them" mentality? Or are we hardwired to struggle between achieving design goals, achieving profitability goals and achieving operational goals? We are living through a paradigm shift that is both neutralizing our individual silos and adding responsibility to our effort. But with this come a greater opportunity to stop competing and start collaborating. Can we all be on the same team and realize that these goals are mutually dependent, not mutually exclusive?
