Meet and Mingle: The Lost Art of Pre-Construction

How can the A/E/C industry broadly improve the quality of its projects and customer satisfaction? Looking to the past, the Ancient Greek "master builder" (arkhitekton) anticipated every phase of the project and integrated all critical construction and engineering details into the design phase, thus avoiding potentially foreseeable construction and timing issues. Towards the 1900s, practices began to diversify, with builders characterized as those having the ability to construct, but not design, and architects characterized by their ability to design, but not construct. It was the beginning of the bifurcation of the industry and the normalization of lump sum bidding.

To this day, lump sum bidding typically has minimal checks and balances on budget, which often leads projects to being over budget and delayed. In response to these inefficiencies, different types of approaches, from design-build to integrated project delivery and other delivery methods, have attempted to integrate the builder and the architect/design team to develop  design process where the builder must give their input on means, methods, and constructability.

AIA New York invites you to attend this lecture to discuss the issues related to the lump sum bid model. Afterwards, enjoy a networking reception at the new Brickworks Design Studio.

Please also fill out this form so that we can better understand the current interplay between the A/E/C professions in New York City.

Speakers: 
Marc Heiman, President/CEO, Richter + Ratner

About the Speakers:
Marc Heiman joined Richter+Ratner in 2005 as president and chief operating officer. The first non-family member to join the executive team, he became owner and CEO just four years later in 2009. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, Heiman has managed over $5 billion in projects. Prior to joining R+R, Heiman was the Vice President of Sciame Construction. During his 21-year career in the industry, he has overseen a variety of projects, including educational institutions (Parsons The New School, Lycée Français), retail flagships (Uniqlo, Bulgari), religious institutions (Central Synagogue), and expansion projects (Harvard Club). Heiman formerly served as an AIA New York Board Member and Board Treasurer for the Design Trust for Public Space.