Dezeen promotion: a panel of esteemed industry professionals discussed how working as a team during the early stages of a project can drive solutions in this talk hosted by Longboard Architectural Products, as part of Dezeen Awards 2021.

Titled True Construction Partnerships, the panel discussion explored the ways in which bringing different teams together with varying expertise before starting a project can open it up to "out-of-the-box" thinking, and ultimately make it more successful.

The discussion was moderated by a representative from Longboard Architectural Products, which provides top-quality extruded aluminium interior and exterior products.

Speakers included Tony Stewart, who leads the Design Construction Integration team at Skanska, Simon Martinez, an associate principal from TVS Design, and Pipa Bradbury, director of interior design at NORR.

The talk focused on how working as a team can drive innovative solutions. Each panelist focused on a particular project where they had implemented a collaborative approach to the project design and construction.

Stewart discussed Skanska's 43-million-dollar renovation to a 1960's building on the main campus of the University of Washington, completed in partnership with international architecture firm Perkins&Will and sub-contractors Auburn & McKinstry.

The two companies created a "risk-reward" incentive programme that measured team behaviours. According to Stewart, the focus was on how behaviours can be quantified and rewarded within teams.

As the speaker explained, three primary behaviours contributed to the project's "wild success" including open dialogue, decisions being made for the whole rather than favouring the individual, and working together to solve problems.

Martinez discussed his work on the 1.4 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Centre, where TVS Design collaborated with four other local architectural and engineering firms from across the US to meet tight deadlines and overcome challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The teams used tech-driven tools like SketchUp to help move the project forward and to merge architectural design intent with practical building systems.

Bradbury compared two projects: UNFI Allentown, which was developed in partnership with Arco Design/Build, and AMLI 808 N Wells, which saw Bradbury work with Walsh construction.

Bradbury placed emphasis on the importance of including the entire team in all client meetings to ensure true collaboration from the start, which helped drive fast solutions when the project was further into development.

This created a "community spirit" throughout the project, she explained, as each person involved knew where the building was heading from a design standpoint and was able to offer creative solutions from different angles.

The panel took place via video call on 17 November as part of this year's Dezeen Awards, which highlights the best architecture and interior design projects across the world.

Longboard Architectural Products was the sponsor of the Dezeen Awards 2021 interior design studio of the year category. The company offers products for siding, soffit, battens, beams, acoustical ceiling systems, privacy screens, and a panelboard system.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Longboard as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.