Living Labs and Inclusive Housing: How Design-Build Serves Higher Education

Design-Build Delivers

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In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, we spotlight one of the fastest-growing sectors for design-build: higher education. From inclusive student housing to sustainable infrastructure, campuses across the country are embracing collaboration, speed and innovation.

You’ll hear from two design-build pros—both named Jason—who bring award-winning expertise to the table.

👤 Jason Dunster, Senior Director, Integrated Design at McCarthy Building Companies, joins us to talk about UC Riverside’s North District Phase Two—an intersegmental housing project that blends university and community college students into a shared, inclusive campus community.

👤 Jason Tobias, Project Executive at Skanska, shares how Wake Tech’s Central Energy Plant became a living lab, a sustainability standout, and a model for progressive design-build—earning recognition with multiple DBIA Project/Team Awards and Green Globes honors.

🎓 Whether you're on a campus, working with one, or just curious about where design-build is headed next, this episode has something for you.

📌 Resources Mentioned:

• 2024 FMI Design-Build Utilization Study
• The Role of the Owner Advisor in Design-Build
• Project Delivery – A Design-Build Done Right® Primer
• DBIA Certification
• Design-Build Done Right® Universal Best Practices (2023)
• Deeper Dive – Progressive Design-Build
• Design-Build Delivers Blog
  • How Design-Build is Shaping the Future of Healthcare Construction (Part 1)
  • How Design-Build is Shaping the Future of Healthcare Construction (Part 2)
• DBIA Project/Team Awards
  • Wake Technical Community College, Central Energy Plant, Site Work and Infrastructure

This episode is brought to you by U.S. CAD, an ARKANCE Company.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.
DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Kapitel

1. Design-Build Grows in Higher Ed (00:00:00)

2. Why Higher Ed Needs Speed, Flexibility — and Design-Build (00:03:15)

3. Progressive Design-Build on Campus (00:06:28)

4. Building an Inclusive Housing Experience (00:08:28)

5. Smart Pivots and Collaborative Flexibility (00:13:09)

6. Two Schools in One Community: Designing for All Students (00:16:07)

7. Lounge Laundry and Club Kitchens: Human-Centered Housing (00:18:17)

8. Guided by Best Practices — and a Bit of Novation (00:20:41)

9. Equity, Speed and Quality (00:23:23)

10. Infrastructure That Teaches (00:27:08)

11. Start with Expectations, Build with Trust (00:28:05)

12. Hitting Net Zero with Courage (00:30:18)

13. A Living Lab: Infrastructure Meets Instruction (00:33:33)

14. Blasting Rock and Crushing Curveballs (00:35:54)

15. Accountability and Alignment: Advice for First-Time DB Users (00:38:42)

16. What’s Next: Sustainability, Speed and Team Buy-In (00:40:15)

17. Why the ‘Why’ Still Matters: The Real Meaning of Useful Space (00:42:48)

18. Jason Appreciation + Award Nominations (00:44:06)