ABSTRACT
Designing to cost is the biggest challenge for the lead designer. Managing cost is central to the design process and although cost exercises may not influence coordination tasks, the lead designer’s efforts will have been in vain if the coordinated design exceeds the client’s Project Budget. Client teams are increasingly embracing whole-life costs and topics, such as the circular economy. The chapter considers how digital tools will continue to evolve and further transform designing to cost processes. The lead designer can assist the design process by considering how to design to cost. The Cost Plan is a core document from the lead designer’s perspective. It demonstrates that the design proposals are progressing in line with the Project Budget. Historical data is available industry-wide, and cost consultants will also have access to accurate historical data from projects against which they can benchmark. A cost dashboard is a display that appears on the design team’s monitors as design progresses.
