The May/June 2009 issue of "Facilities Manager" introduced APPA readers to the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)--today's most comprehensive Internet-based depository of resources contributing to a systems approach for everything of a building nature. The emphasis in that article was on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) issues and procedures. In…

Third party management of the development and facilities delivery process is a response to trends in the design, construction, and legal industries. Changes in the process and the architect's organization, the role of the project manager, drawbacks to third party management, and the relevance for educational construction projects are discussed.…

Details the value management process in which a group of diverse, disciplined professionals work together to design a better facility for a given budget. Areas addressed include a definition of value management, some derived benefits, negative aspects, projects best suited to this method, specific results, who pays, who is involved, scaled-down…

Interdisciplinary Coordination design review is instrumental in detecting coordination errors and omissions in construction documents. Cleansing construction documents of interdisciplinary coordination errors reduces time extensions, the largest source of change orders, and limits exposure to liability claims. Improving the quality of design…

Suggests that using a single consultant instead of multiple architectural and engineering firms in renovation and construction projects will lower costs and add value for improved functionality for university programs. Details the process the University of Rochester followed in selecting, retaining, and using a consultant. (RE)