Location

Asheville, NC

Speakers

Don Baus

One Project, One Community, One Team: Delivering Design Excellence Through Integrated Collaboration

Great projects do not happen by accident. They happen when architects, engineers, contractors, and owners commit to shared goals, open communication, and collective accountability. This panel discussion explores how a highly collaborative, team-driven approach shaped the transformation of Hilton Head Island High School, a complex, multi-phase K-12 project delivered on an active campus. While no formal integrated framework existed at the outset, the project required the team to work across traditional roles, adapt processes over time, and build trust through early coordination and continuous collaboration. Equally critical to this collaboration was meaningful community engagement. The project team worked closely with district leadership, educators, and the local community to honor the island’s cultural heritage, including the influence of Gullah-Geechee history and identity. These conversations informed not only design decisions, but also how the team aligned priorities, evaluated trade-offs, and measured success. Through first-hand perspectives from the architect, owner’s representative, contractor, and engineer, attendees will learn how alignment around design intent, constructability, budget, schedule, long-term operations, and cultural context emerged through practice.