A M King Construction Co. created an innovative new Design Center at its Charlotte, N.C., headquarters.

“We truly believe in a collaborative and integrated design-build process and its advantages for our clients,” says Brian King, president. “The value of design-build is in taking a project from concept through construction through a more streamlined process with less chance of miscommunications or delays when compared to more traditional delivery methods involving multiple and fragmented firms.”

“The Design Center provides us the unique environment to even more fully integrate the design-build process,” King adds. “It’s a physical location where both our clients and our design team can define their visions and collaborate together with the preconstruction and construction teams to see those ideas come together in a complete and efficient design that will lead to lower overall project costs and greater project quality.”

“I have never before seen a space like this devoted to collaboration between design and construction,” says John Koury, member of the American Institute of Architects and director of Design Services for A M King, and manager of the Design Center. “As an architect, I have an appreciation for benefits of the design-build delivery method. This Design Center allows us to maximize that process as a team in a collaborative space. This delivery method is more in line with the pre- 20th century tradition of building where client, designer and constructor are on the same side of the table instead of opposite each other."

The collaboration begins when clients come to the Design Center to discuss project objectives and desires.

“When people think of design, they tend to think about aesthetics,” Koury says, “but so much of the success of design-build is in the process. By having a place to talk through the design expectations and project goals with the entire project team, we have a much better opportunity to explain the process to our clients and give them the tools and knowledge they need to move forward with confidence.”