Why Planning, Design & Construction

Institutional Responsibility

Planning, Design and Construction team members enhance the University’s physical environment by managing design and construction for renovation, infrastructure, and minor new construction projects. We provide services in a variety of areas, scales, and types of projects. We execute this work as part of our institutional responsibility, outlined in the Handbook of Operating Procedures Section 4-1030 and the Handbook of Business Procedures Section 7.7.10.

Expertise

The department anticipates and accommodates rapidly evolving technology. Technology changes are accelerating the need for facility upgrades, and Planning, Design and Construction staff members are the University’s subject matter experts (SMEs) on future trends. They are uniquely qualified to advise faculty, researchers and administrators about:

• New classroom design and how changing classroom space can improve learning outcomes.
• Modifying lab space to further multidisciplinary research.
• Changing administrative space to increase collaboration and efficiency.

In addition, Planning, Design and Construction team members are the University’s advocates for balancing long-term building needs with the future needs of specific building users.

Building Campus Connections

Planning, Design and Construction team members take a thoughtful, coordinated approach to building campus connections among clients, professional service providers and contractors, departments, leaders and stakeholders on campus and beyond. This collaborative approach supports the University’s education, research and service mission while enhancing the physical environment and upholding design and construction standards.

Here’s how we build and leverage connections for the benefit of its clients and the University:

• Listening to clients and providing value. The department’s staff of design and construction professionals have the expertise to assist clients in gaining the best possible results in a timely, cost-effective manner, while appropriately balancing front-end costs with life cycle costs. We do this through leveraging partnerships among clients, stakeholders, contractors and professional services providers.
• Handling administrative and oversight issues for its clients. We ensure projects are well-coordinated and administered. The department also assures they comply with federal, state and local regulations as well as UT procedures and campus standards. We help align client needs with institutional values and goals.
• Keeping safety at the forefront. Staff members work with clients, contractors and other university departments to make sure projects are carried out safely and will remain safe for occupants and others.
• Aiming for sustainability. The department collaborates with clients and other stakeholders to help ensure outcomes are sustainable over time—operationally and fiscally.

Project Management Services

• Provide conceptual planning for projects
• Serve as liaison between the client, the designers, and contractors
• Manage the project's scope, which requires understanding the client's needs and ensuring that these needs are met by the design
• Manage the schedule based on the client's needs and the various approvals required
• Manage an appropriate budget, maximizing the scope within the designated schedule
• Listen, learn, observe, and lead

Benefits of Working with a University of Texas Project Manager or Construction Planner:

From inception to completion, the project management leadership is critical to the success of any construction or renovation project. Project managers and construction planners respond to client’s questions and concerns, navigate the complex approval process, and ensure that the project stays within budget and on schedule.

Though many clients may have experience working with contractors on home projects, the process of building on campus is quite different. As a world-class institution, UT Austin must abide by stringent statutes, regulations, and codes. Furthermore, campus construction is designed for greater longevity than private or commercial construction may be, requiring a more lengthy design and construction process.

Our professional staff navigate this extensive and detailed process with and on behalf of clients. They work in cooperation with designers and contractors and ensure the requirements of the university are met, to create the best possible outcome for the client and the University.