2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Architectural firms use simple unit area-based pre-design budgeting to develop/confirm project scope with clients based on project history plus knowledge of local conditions and contingencies. As an architect representing owners in the selection of architects and contractors for project development, I deployed a cost estimating tool that modeled risk assessment of the influence of location, labor availability, staging, complexity and code enforcement. The tool was developed using a database of 60+ projects within the Long Island region and. It was used successfully in the capital planning of a major non-profit organization for 10+ years.

The conceptual cost method and spreadsheet has been adapted to teach design students to use estimating to test size, construction type, and function early in the design process. Using a spreadsheet and historical cost data, students can be trained to develop a budget for design, construction and project management costs that can be used to compare construction types, use groups and size quickly without extensive experience in conceptual design or field experience in construction.

This tool has been used for several years to examine the influence of size and construction types in preparing design responses in junior- and senior-level design courses, and data that presents evidence of ABET outcomes (SO 3) conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results to improve processes and (SO 5) apply written, oral, and graphical communication in both technical and nontechnical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature based on the use of the tool will be presented.