About SEI Design Build
Learn about SEI Design Build, its research approach, and editor Michael Harrington, who brings 18 years of experience to the publication.
SEI Design Build is an independent publication helping owners and project teams understand design-build delivery, plan construction work, and evaluate material decisions. Its guides connect the early project brief with the choices that follow: scope, budget, design development, procurement, construction, and handover.
The publication is edited by Michael Harrington. Its purpose is to make project information easier to use, with clear explanations of responsibilities, trade-offs, and questions worth asking before committing to a decision.
Our Mission
Construction information is plentiful, but it is often scattered across drawings, contractor proposals, manufacturer literature, professional guidance, and local requirements. These sources answer different questions and may describe different assumptions. A detail that looks straightforward in isolation can affect several other parts of a project.
SEI Design Build exists to explain those connections. The aim is to help readers prepare a better brief, recognise gaps in a proposal, compare delivery options, and have more useful conversations with the professionals responsible for their work.
Who We Write For
The publication is written primarily for:
- Homeowners planning a renovation, extension, or new home.
- Property owners and developers evaluating scope, cost, and delivery options.
- Architects and designers coordinating design intent with construction requirements.
- Contractors and project managers working through preconstruction and site decisions.
- Project buyers and specifiers comparing materials and installation requirements.
Readers do not need to know every construction term before getting started. Guides should explain the concepts needed to understand a decision while giving experienced readers a useful structure for reviewing it.
What We Cover
Current coverage focuses on design-build fundamentals, comparisons between project delivery methods, early budget alignment, and preconstruction risk. These are starting points for understanding how design and construction decisions fit together.
The wider editorial scope includes residential renovation, commercial fit-out, contractor selection, project planning, and material systems. New coverage will build on those foundations. Material discussions belong in their project context: the intended application, supporting construction, installation conditions, maintenance needs, and information required before specification.
Our Research Approach
The publication uses a consistent sequence to frame a topic:
Project brief → Delivery method → Scope and budget → Materials and construction → Handover and use
For each decision, the useful questions are similar. What is the owner trying to achieve? Who is responsible? What information is available, and what remains uncertain? Which assumptions affect cost, timing, quality, or maintenance?
A comparison should make its basis clear. A lower price may describe a different scope; a shorter programme may depend on earlier decisions; a material’s suitability may depend on the complete assembly. Explaining these conditions is more useful than presenting one option as universally best.
How We Research
The research standard is to work from relevant source material, giving priority to official guidance, technical documentation, manufacturer installation instructions, regulatory sources, and professional or trade associations. Established industry publications can provide additional context.
Important factual claims and specifications should be checked against primary sources whenever possible. Source review should consider publication date, jurisdiction, product version, and intended application. Manufacturer statements should remain distinguishable from independent evidence, and an example should not be presented as a general rule.
Where information is incomplete or depends on local conditions, the article should explain that limitation. General guidance cannot establish which code provision, contract term, product approval, or construction detail applies to a particular project.
About Michael Harrington
Michael Harrington is the editor of SEI Design Build, responsible for its editorial direction, topic selection, and content review. He brings 18 years of experience to the publication.
His editorial focus at SEI Design Build is the relationship between project planning, design-build delivery, budgeting, and material decisions. His role is to turn fragmented information into practical explanations and to keep the publication focused on the questions owners and project teams need to resolve.
Editorial responsibility rests with a named person, while the usefulness of each guide depends on its reasoning, supporting information, and relevance to the reader’s situation.
Editorial Independence
SEI Design Build is an independent publication. Its editorial standard is to select topics for their relevance and usefulness to readers. Commercial consideration should not determine an editorial conclusion or substitute for supporting evidence.
Any sponsorship, affiliate arrangement, or other commercial relationship relevant to a piece of content should be disclosed alongside that content. Mentioning a company, product, or delivery method does not by itself constitute an endorsement.
AI Use
AI tools may assist with organising information, drafting, editing, and producing illustrative images. They are not authoritative sources. Important factual claims should be checked against the underlying source material whenever possible, with editorial responsibility remaining with Michael Harrington.
Illustrative imagery should not be treated as evidence of a completed SEI project, a client relationship, or tested product performance.
Corrections & Updates
Construction guidance, products, and requirements change. The editorial approach is to revisit material when new information changes its meaning or usefulness, and to distinguish substantive updates from minor wording changes.
When reporting an issue, identify the article, the passage in question, and a supporting source where available. Contact arrangements will be listed on the Contact page once the receiving process has been verified.
What We Are Not
SEI Design Build provides general research and educational information. It is not a contracting practice, and its articles do not replace project-specific design, engineering, cost, or contract advice. Readers should confirm local requirements and obtain qualified advice for decisions affecting their project.
SEI Design Build is not the legal continuation of the company that previously used this domain, and it does not claim that company’s projects, awards, licences, team, or client history.
Explore
Start with What Is Design-Build?, compare Design-Build and Design-Bid-Build, or work through the Preconstruction Risk Checklist. The Guides archive brings together the current publication.