Process Phases
Every construction project moves through the same broad sequence of phases, from an idea taking shape to the finished building's eventual end of life. Each phase page below covers what actually happens during it, who's involved, and what makes it different from the phases on either side of it.
9 phases mapped so far, in the order a real project moves through them.
Idea & Feasibility
Before a single drawing exists, someone has to decide the project is worth pursuing at all. This phase turns a want ("we need more warehouse space," "this land
Design
Once feasibility gives a green light, Design translates an idea and a budget into drawings and specifications precise enough to price, permit, and build from. I
Permitting & Approvals
Most people fold this into "the paperwork" and move on, but Permitting is genuinely its own phase, one that can outlast Design itself on a complicated project.
Procurement & Pre-Construction
With permits underway or in hand and a design finished enough to price, the owner has to actually hire the people who will build it, or, if a builder was alread
Site Preparation & Mobilization
Before anything gets built, the site itself has to be made ready to build on, and the contractor has to actually set up shop. This phase is the unglamorous stre
Construction
This is the phase most people picture when they think "construction": the building actually gets built. But it isn't one continuous activity; it's a sequence of
Closeout & Handover
Closeout is the phase that turns a finished building into a building someone is actually allowed to use, and it's rarely as fast as it looks from the outside. G
Operations & Maintenance
This is the phase almost no construction-education content ever covers, and it dwarfs everything before it. A typical building spends a few years total working
Renovation, Restoration & End-of-Life
Every other phase in this sequence happens once in a building's life. This one is different: it's the phase that closes the loop, restarting a miniature version