NAVIGATING COST SAVINGS IN CONSTRUCTION: STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FROM OUR EXPERIENCES

Living in Kottingbrunn | Front Facade visualisation | © TOMIĆ HAN ZT 2024

Navigating Cost Savings in Construction: Strategic Insights from Our Experiences

In today’s construction landscape, managing costs effectively without compromising on quality is more critical than ever. High construction costs are a universal challenge, and every investor aims to keep these as low as possible. In one of our earlier projects, which you can view in detail here, we faced various challenges that led to innovative cost-saving measures.

⚖️Balancing Quality and Costs

From the very beginning our team, alongside the investor, was committed to delivering high-quality outcomes while staying within budget constraints. This delicate balance required us to scrutinise every cost element, identifying “Einsparungspositionen” — potential cost-saving positions that could be adjusted without undermining the integrity and functionality of the project.

🎯Strategic Cost Savings

One of our key strategies involved optimising material selections. By negotiating with suppliers and choosing locally sourced materials, we managed to reduce transportation costs and support local businesses, which in turn offered competitive pricing due to the shortened supply chain. However, in some cases, ordering materials from other countries proved more cost-effective, even when accounting for transportation costs. Although this isn’t always the best choice for the environment or local businesses, it was the most suitable option for our client at the time. Nonetheless, we found that certain fabrications were both more affordable and sustainable when sourced locally, striking a balance between economic and environmental considerations.

Another area of savings was in the method of construction. Adopting innovative building techniques that allowed for faster construction times reduced labor costs significantly. Techniques such as prefabricated components not only sped up the process but also minimised waste on-site, which is another crucial aspect of cost-saving.

We are sharing here a series of before-and-after photos showcasing our visualisations and the final construction outcomes:

1 | Front Facade: In the design of the front façade for our project, we innovatively combined elements of a pergola and a carport. Our intention was to enhance the entrance area with “vollholz” (solid wood) to create playful shadows and allow more natural light, thereby enriching the space’s quality. The carport, designed as an extension of the house, rests on the ground on one side and is enclosed with aluminium sheeting to ensure privacy. This design choice allows the opposite side to remain open, enhancing the connection to the neighbouring unit without compromising privacy, thanks to a strategically placed garden between two neighbouring units. During construction, cost-saving measures (“Einsparungspositionen“) were necessary, leading to design modifications. Instead of a glass-covered “vollholz” pergola, the roof of the carport was constructed with aluminium sheeting, reducing the costs associated with wood and glass. Additionally, to simplify the integration with the building due to complex interface points between the facade and carport builders, it was decided to support the carport with pillars on all sides. The planned privacy-enhancing aluminium sheeting on the plot’s perimeter was also omitted to cut costs further. The accompanying images showcase both our initial visualisation and the practical adaptations made during construction, reflecting how architectural creativity adapts to budget constraints without sacrificing design integrity.

“BEFORE & AFTER” Living in Kottingbrunn | Front Facade | © TOMIĆ HAN ZT 2024

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of this cost-saving measure:

✔️ advantages:

• Cost Reduction / More Affordable to Buyers
• Faster Production
• Easier Maintenance as the glass above the pergola does not need to be cleaned (simply no glass)

❌ disadvantages:

• Constant Shade: The space under the carport is almost always shaded, meaning the main entrance to the house remains dark.
• Reduced Privacy: With the removal of the metal sheet “privacy element,” there is no longer privacy against the surrounding plots.
• Lack of Dynamic Shadows: There is no interactive play with shadows in the entrance area.
• Lack of Dynamic Shadows: There is no interactive play with shadows in the entrance area.

2 | Backyard Aesthetics: A noticeable change in the backyard is the simplification of the facade. Initially, wooden window frames were replaced with metal for easier maintenance, and ultimately, they were removed altogether, leaving the windows frameless. This design choice aimed to highlight the windows with a “fensterband” effect, lending the building a more luxurious and visually appealing look. Additionally, we intended to manage rainwater through a concealed pipeline within the facade, a technique often reluctantly adopted by construction firms in Austria due to concerns about potential leaks or thermal bridging. While these issues are technically solvable and quality can be assured, many construction companies prefer simpler, less complex solutions to keep costs down. The accompanying images showcase both our initial visualisation and the practical adaptations made during construction.

“BEFORE & AFTER” Living in Kottingbrunn | Backyard | © TOMIĆ HAN ZT 2024

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of this cost-saving measure:

✔️ advantages:

• Cost Reduction / More Affordable to Buyers
• Faster Production
• Easier Maintenance

❌ disadvantages:

• The facade is not as dynamic as it used to be and looks bare

🚀Technological Integration

Utilising Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology enabled us to simulate various construction scenarios to find the most cost-effective approach before beginning construction work. This proactive planning helped in minimising unexpected expenditures and ensured that the budget was adhered to from start to finish.

Our BIM models, as digital twins, help clients envision possible futures and decide which is most suitable for them. Clients often focus on the visual aspects of our BIM models and interactive, readable values such as quantity takeoffs and cost predictions. As architects, we harness the full potential of BIM planning and modeling, benefiting from:

1. Enhanced design accuracy and coordination
2. Streamlined project workflows
3. Improved collaboration across disciplines
4. Real-time updates and adjustments
5. Comprehensive data management and analysis

These advantages allow us to deliver high-quality, efficient, and innovative architectural solutions.

💡Challenges and Lessons Learned

However, cost-saving does not come without its challenges. It was essential to manage everyone’s expectations — especially the investor’s — regarding the necessary changes to reduce costs while still achieving the desired architectural impact.

In conclusion, our project showcased that with careful planning, innovative strategies, and technology integration, substantial cost savings could be achieved without compromising on the quality of the construction. Each project presents unique opportunities for cost optimisation, and understanding where and how to adjust costs is key to successful project management.

This was a duplex house project that was quickly acquired after construction by new users — young families. We spoke with the new residents, and they were very satisfied with the results, even though we implemented the more affordable “Plan B” instead of “Plan A.”

Thank you for reading this article. We hope our experiences and lessons learned are valuable to you. If you would like to see more photos of the exterior and interior of this project, please visit our website Living in Kottingbrunn – TOMIĆ HAN (tomic-han.com).