Design-Build Proves High Design and City Reality Can Coexist

When some people think about the design-build project delivery method, they think of using it for a building. Perhaps, they think of applying the method to a new hospital or greenfield distribution center. However, design-build is not just reserved for these types of projects.

When working with cities to maximize aesthetics for the community, big ideas usually reduce in size once discussions of budget, schedule, and client requests arise. This usually results in design becoming secondary to these realities.

Does design always have to be sacrificed in the constraints of the city’s reality? Haskell’s team didn’t think so.

Case Study: Southbank Riverwalk | Jacksonville, Florida

The St. Johns River, often considered as the City of Jacksonville’s greatest asset, creates a plethora of business and recreation opportunities. With this, it is important that access and accentuation of the natural asset be handled accordingly. Therefore, the City selected Haskell to replace and redesign Jacksonville’s Southbank riverfront to become the destination it had once been.

Southbank Riverwalk | Read more about the complete project »

The team’s main goal was to ensure the combination of visionary design and proven construction implementation methods remained central to the project. By using design-build, the constraints were not stifling; instead, it made the project team's grand ideas more strategically focused to maximize the visual and functional impact. The use of color, materials, patterns, lighting, shade, and art contributed to a creative vision still within the city’s economic reality.