In a design & build contract, it is a prerequisite to have close cooperation between the designer and the contractor. It was also a case for the Randselva Bridge, where the project size and complexity required good communication and understanding between all the project stakeholders.

Early in the tender stage, the main contractor PNC Norge, after preliminary meetings with the lead design company, Sweco, decided to execute the project model-based. Since at that time there were few reference projects and none of its size, it was a decision that led to big consequences when it comes to cooperation on this design & build contract.

When doing anything innovative, we need to find new ways of doing things. Designing, and then constructing a bridge of this size required that everybody on the team ‘rises the bar’, or gives that little extra that is needed to achieve success. For instance, the designers had to think in a new way: if I do not create drawings, but the model, how can I give all the necessary information for building to the construction site? The contractor faced a similar challenge: how can we build a project without drawings?

The challenge of the drawing-less methodology is a collaboration to be set between all people and make them work as a team. Everyone should go for the same rules and have the same goals. Thanks to close cooperation and internal meetings, the designers were able to understand the contractor’s needs and produced the models that could later be used on the construction site.