The construction industry plays a vital role in our economy today. It employs about five million people in the U.S. Some of the people that make up the team are the owner, Architect, Engineer, Estimator, Project Manager, and the laborers. Each of these people play an important role in the construction process.
The first person in the construction process is the owner. The owner is the one who comes up with the idea to build the project. The owner can be public or private. Public owners consist of agencies of the federal government, state government, county and municipal entities, local boards, commissions, and authorities. These public projects are funded by appropriations, bonds, tax levies, or other forms of financing. These projects are built to fill some need for the public population. Public owners must also follow strict guidelines for bidding, construction contracts, contract administration, and other procedures related to the design and construction process. Private owners consist of individuals, partnerships, or corporations. Private owners usually have projects built for their own use such as homes, businesses, or pleasure. On the other hand not all private owners are the user in the end. These could include selling, renting, or leasing the finished structure. For the most part the owner, whether public or private, turn the design and contracts of their project over to a professional architect-engineer firm. Like everything there are exceptions to this, some owners decide to take an active role in the design and construction of their project. Some people act as their own designer, project manager, and even construct some parts of their project. In the end the owner has the final say so in all decisions of the construction process. .
The next person in the construction process is the architect. The architect is in charge of the design of buildings and other structures.