What Strong Collaboration Brings to Design and Construction

By: Bob Wirsing | Chief Learning Officer

I recently attended the Build It Better: Chicago Commercial Construction Forum, hosted by the International Masonry Institute at the Obama Presidential Center. The program brought together leaders in development, design, construction, and the skilled trades to discuss the coordination behind some of Chicago’s most significant projects.

Members of the teams connected to the Obama Presidential Center and McDonald’s Park, the future Chicago Fire FC stadium at The 78, shared their perspectives throughout the day. Their experiences reinforced something I have seen throughout my career: collaboration is most valuable when it improves how a team makes decisions.

What Does Collaboration Mean in Design and Construction?

Collaboration in design and construction means bringing owners, architects, interior designers, consultants, contractors, and trades into an open exchange of information. When people are comfortable raising questions and sharing practical knowledge, the team can make better-informed decisions about design intent, constructability, materials, sequencing, schedule, and long-term performance.

Each person sees the project through a different lens. The architect may be focused on the larger design objective. A contractor may recognize a sequencing issue. A tradesperson may understand how a detail will affect installation in the field. An owner or operator may identify how a decision will influence daily use of the space.

The goal is not to eliminate those differences. It is to make use of them.

Strong Partnerships Lead to Better Project Decisions

Challenges will arise during design and construction. What matters is whether the project team has created an environment where people can identify concerns early and discuss them directly.

When communication is open, a question raised by one team member can prevent a much larger issue later. It may reveal a conflict between systems, a material limitation, an operational concern, or an installation sequence that was not apparent in the drawings.

Listening to those perspectives does not weaken the design. It gives the team more information with which to protect the idea behind it.

This is especially important in commercial architecture and interior design. Retail, restaurant, and hospitality projects often bring together brand standards, equipment, utilities, millwork, technology, operations, code requirements, and local site conditions. A decision made in one area can affect several others. Close coordination helps the team understand those relationships before they become field problems.

What a Construction Site Taught Me About Listening

I still remember my first construction site visit and taking the time to listen as the contractor explained how they viewed a detail.

On paper, the solution appeared straightforward. In the field, it had implications for labor, sequencing, schedule, and coordination with other trades. The contractor was not questioning the value of the design. They helped me understand everything required to build it.

That conversation changed how I approached the work. Good design requires technical knowledge, but it also requires curiosity about how drawings become physical spaces. When architects listen to the people responsible for construction, they gain a better understanding of how individual decisions affect the entire project.

Mentorship Strengthens the Project Team

Collaboration is not limited to solving the immediate problem. It also determines whether knowledge gained on one project is carried into the next.

The design and construction industries rely on experience developed through years of practice, observation, and problem-solving. Not all of that knowledge can be found in a manual, specification, or drawing set.

Mentorship gives emerging professionals access to that experience. It helps them understand why decisions were made, what alternatives were considered, and how the work of one discipline affects another. Mentors benefit as well. Teaching requires people to examine their own thinking, communicate it clearly, and remain open to new approaches.

The strongest project teams are not divided into people who teach and people who learn. Everyone does both.

Projects Have an Impact Beyond the Site

The forum also asked attendees to consider how architecture and construction affect the surrounding community.

During a busy project, it is understandable that attention centers on schedule, budget, materials, approvals, and immediate design decisions. Those responsibilities are essential, but the project will eventually become part of someone’s daily environment.

That makes it important to ask:

Who will use this space?
Who will encounter it?
How does it contribute to its surroundings?
What opportunities does the project create beyond its physical boundaries?

The panelists also discussed the need to introduce younger generations to careers in construction. Community outreach, education, internships, and direct exposure to the industry can help students and young adults understand the range of opportunities available to them.

That is another form of long-term project thinking. The industry’s future depends on whether experienced professionals are willing to share what they know and create meaningful entry points for others.

Recognition Builds Stronger Relationships

Teams are more likely to share knowledge and raise concerns when people know their experience is respected.

Recognition is not simply an acknowledgment that someone completed a task. It shows appreciation for the person’s time, judgment, skill, and role in the project.

Many contributions are no longer visible once construction is complete. A coordination question may have prevented a conflict. A field observation may have improved a detail. A conversation between disciplines may have helped preserve the design while making it easier to build.

People should not have to wait until the end of a project to hear that their work mattered. Recognizing contributions throughout the process builds trust and reinforces the shared responsibility behind the finished space.

Photo credit: Chicago Architecture Center

Five Practices That Support Better Collaboration

The forum left me thinking about five practices that can strengthen design and construction teams:

Bring key voices into the conversation early.
Create a clear way for people to raise concerns.
Listen to the professionals closest to the work.
Share knowledge across disciplines and generations.
Recognize contributions throughout the project.

During her closing remarks, architect and former AIA President Kimberly Dowdell referenced Daniel Burnham’s call to “make no little plans” and “aim high in hope and work.”

Thinking big does not mean working alone. It means being willing to test an idea, learn from others, and understand the larger effect of each decision.

No meaningful project is the work of one person or one discipline. The quality of the outcome depends not only on the expertise present, but also on how well that expertise is shared.

Bob Wirsing is a Principal and Chief Learning Officer at Chipman Design Architecture. Since joining the firm in 2002, he has led complex retail and restaurant programs for national brands, including New Balance and CAVA, guiding projects from early site evaluation and planning through design, coordination, and execution. Bob also oversees CDAcademy, CDA’s internal learning and professional development program, helping foster technical excellence and knowledge sharing across the firm. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University and is a LEED Accredited Professional in Interior Design + Construction.