Way back, when celebrated Italian architect Brunelleschi was busy giving shape to the world of Renaissance architecture, the concept of the ‘master-builder’ was in vogue. This post was held by an architect, who had complete knowledge of design as well as construction methodologies of building. Construction technologies were relatively simple then; integration, so to speak, was automatic.

Over the years, as building design and construction evolved into an increasingly complex and multi-layered phenomenon, building systems required more and more specialisation. This led to the industry becoming fragmented, compartmentalised and even adversarial. Today, however, increasing owner demands and technological evolution call for transformation in the way the industry functions. Apart from these two factors, many limitations of the traditional work models have instituted a movement among the industry players towards ’Integrated Practice’ (IP).

The approach that builds a collaborative platform for people, systems and business structures so that the participants together achieve optimum results, increased value for the owner, minimum waste and maximum efficiency, throughout a structure’s lifecycle is known as Integrated Practice. Born out of business and technological innovation, it caters to the industry’s need for increased predictability and accuracy in outcomes. It involves cross-functional teams working together on a building’s design, construction and lifecycle management. The objective is to achieve optimum project results through technology-enabled processes.

IP promises better outcomes but to be able to achieve that, each of the participants must consciously inculcate the principles in themselves and their surroundings. Architects, as designers and collaborators, play an important role by taking necessary inputs from the other participants for better design decisions. Since they are required to process large quantities of project information, early contribution of knowledge and access to better technologies allow them to best realise their potentials. Engineers must get involved in the early decision-making stages such as site selection to detect issues and hurdles in advance. By making the necessary analysis and assessment, they contribute further by expediting design implementation. Constructors, too, when involved in the initial stages, can participate fully in the design process on matters such as schedule production, cost estimating, phasing, systems evaluation, constructability reviews and early purchasing programs. Thus they play a greater role in commenting on and influencing design innovation. Finally, the owners are required to partake in ascertaining the project metrics in advance. They must also be available to resolve on-site issues as and when they arise, throughout the project lifecycle.

Integrated practice brings to the table several benefits:

• Early goal definition and early exchange of ideas
• Increased productivity
• Reduced waste
• Reduced building and building operations’ cost
• Sustainability
• Reduced errors
• Better margins
• Healthy conflict resolution
• Optimised results