The Two Phases of Construction
Construction has two distinct phases, and college teaches only half of one of them.
Phase One: Analysis and Design. This happens after site investigation and client brief. It is the most important phase because the end product depends entirely on it. A minor design fault can lead to disaster—loss of life, loss of property, and decades of regret. For this reason, design is entrusted to the most experienced professionals.
Phase Two: Site Execution. This is where the rubber meets the gravel. Where drawings become concrete. Where theory meets weather, labor shortages, delayed materials, and last-minute client changes.
Here is the truth no textbook will tell you: A person can be a master of analysis and design, but they will never be a truly good designer unless they have site exposure.
The real education in construction happens on site. You watch a column being poured. You see a reinforcement detail that worked beautifully on paper but cannot be tied because the bars overlap in impossible ways. You observe a foundation settling differently than predicted. You learn from mistakes—not from errata sheets, but from the exhausted face of a site engineer at 11 PM trying to solve a problem the designer never imagined.
A person with good site experience can become a superior designer because they have seen what actually fails and what actually works. Therefore, the path is clear: to be a good designer, you must start at the site.
Imagination Becoming Reality
Construction is the process of converting imagination into reality. We picture something that does not yet exist—a bridge, a hospital, a tunnel. Then we draw its plan, analyze its forces, design its members, and finally execute at site. When the last tile is laid and the last bolt is torqued, our imagination stands before us, now real.
That transformation—from thought to thing—is the deepest satisfaction of this profession.
Types of Construction
Broadly, construction falls into three categories:
- Building and infrastructure construction – Housing, offices, roads, bridges, drainage.
- Heavy construction – Dams, tunnels, ports, railways, power plants.
- Industrial construction – Factories, refineries, steel plants, chemical complexes.
Each has its own tolerances, risks, and rhythms. But the overall process follows a common sequence.
The Four Steps of Any Large Construction Project
1. Tendering
Before tendering, site investigation is completed. An approximate design is prepared. Empirical formulas—derived from decades of experience—are applied to estimate the project cost. This estimate becomes the basis for quoting a price.
2. Designing (Detailed)
After the tender is awarded, the contractor prepares a detailed layout through full analysis and design. These drawings are sent to site only after client approval. No concrete is poured without approved drawings.
3. Execution
The longest phase. Materials are procured. Labor is mobilized. Foundations are excavated. Concrete is cast. Steel is erected. Finishes are applied. Problems are solved daily.
4. Handing Over
The finished product is delivered to the client. Documents, warranties, as-built drawings, and operation manuals are transferred. The project is now a living asset.
Construction Contract Types
Not all projects are bought and sold the same way. The contract type shapes everything—risk, cash flow, and even how the design team behaves.
Lump Sum (Stipulated Sum)
Most common with Design-Bid-Build procurement. The contractor agrees to provide specified services for a fixed price. The owner agrees to pay that price upon completion or according to a negotiated schedule. In developing a lump sum bid, the builder estimates labor and material costs, adds overhead, and includes profit.
Risk to contractor: High. Any underestimation comes out of profit.
Unit Price
Work is broken into parts—usually by trade—with a fixed price per unit. For example, painting is priced per square foot; excavation per cubic meter. Unit price contracts are seldom used for an entire major project but are very common for subcontractor agreements, maintenance, and repair work. Like a lump sum contract, the contractor is paid the agreed unit price regardless of actual cost.
Risk to owner: Quantity uncertainty. Risk to contractor: Price accuracy.
Construction Management (CM)
A Construction Manager is selected to build the project based on fully completed drawings and specifications. The CM provides advice during design and is selected through competitive proposals (typically three to five firms).
What makes CM different:
- The project manager approves the CM’s staff and their time commitment.
- The CM provides pre-construction services—cost estimating and constructability review—throughout programming and design.
- The project manager approves subcontractor bid lists and selected subcontractors.
Risk distribution: Shared, with owner retaining significant control.
Design-Build
An old method that fell out of use and is now returning. The owner selects a single contractor to both design and build the project. Typically, the owner chooses a builder, who then hires the design team as needed.
When is it used? Primarily to save time. Since designers and builders work together from the beginning, design effort can be reduced substantially. Detailed drawings are less necessary if the builder already understands what needs to be done.
Why is it less common? The owner sacrifices some control over quality. It is difficult to verify the contractor’s adherence to specific materials. Changes are harder to implement mid-stream.
Risk to owner: Quality and change control. Benefit: Speed.
The Players in a Construction Process
No single person builds anything significant. A complete construction process requires:
- Design Team – Architects, structural engineers, MEP engineers, civil engineers.
- Financial Advisors – Cost estimators, quantity surveyors, project financiers.
- Legal Advisors – Contract specialists, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance.
- Interaction of Expertise – Regular coordination meetings, clash detection, value engineering sessions.
The last item—interaction of expertise—is where projects succeed or fail. A brilliant design that ignores the financial advisor’s cost ceiling will never be built. A legally airtight contract that ignores site reality will be torn apart by the first rain delay.