ALBANY, NY – The McCaffery-Wagman Tennis & Wellness Center, an integrative new facility that houses student health, fitness and wellness resources in one, intentional space on Skidmore College’s campus, and the achievement of Consigli and CannonDesign’s design-build delivery approach, was recently featured in the Albany Business Review.

Mike Wood, Project Executive at Consigli Construction Co., Inc., joined Moray Newton, Principal – Education Practice Leader at CannonDesign and Dan Rodecker, Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Planning at Skidmore College, to highlight the project, its phased construction, and the ways that design-build can strengthen collaboration.

“The design-build approach provides that single point of contact, not just from a communication standpoint, but also from a team standpoint…When we’re involved in pre-construction, we understand design choices to a degree, but in a design-build environment, we are really more ingrained into that collaborative process.”

– Mike Wood, Consigli 

They shared insight into how utilizing a design-build approach can provide project partners with a more comprehensive understanding of design and construction decisions to benefit higher education clients and end users. Through their design-build partnership, Consigli and CannonDesign were able to establish early communication and streamline decision-making, laying the foundation for a smooth transition from the design phase to construction, and enhance the team’s approach to complex project features and sustainability initiatives.

“Even before we put pen to paper, we got the user groups involved. That worked well for us, because it supported our commitment to being creative and approaching the project with sustainability top of mind…Overall, the collaborative and forward-thinking approach allowed Skidmore to stay true to our goals and values and helped shape a space that is functional, inspiring, and aligned with our educational mission.”

– Dan Rodecker, Skidmore College

Read more about the project and its successful design-build delivery here.