(This is not a flame.)

In my experience, general contractors or construction management 
organizations that do this type of thing estimate costs based on 
specific tasks and trades - such as the area cost for poured in place 
concrete decking, or the area cost installed of Lambda-output graphics. 
I would venture to guess that Exhibit Works does that type of 
estimating as well, and uses a schedule of said costs when preparing a 
quote.

In my experience, sending a well documented RFP, with 100% design 
drawings and specifications, to multiple well-qualified firms will 
return a range of responses. I have seen that range vary by more than 
100% on multi-million dollar values among US firms.

If a square foot of the reified concept "exhibition" could possibly be 
quantified, it would then be reasonable to expect that three or four 
production firms responding to the same information would return 
similar quotes. Conversely, averaging the range of responses cannot 
serve a useful purpose.

In fact, there are variables not comprehended by an abstract 'cost per 
square foot' (or 'cost per square meter' for the rest of the world). I 
cited one type of variable.

An earlier post in this thread suggested drawing up a schedule of 
included elements and estimating those categories as an alternative to 
the $/SF illusion. That suggestion aligns more closely with how the 
real world functions.

However, I maintain my earlier critique of the (<500 word) 
Exhibitionist article, Gene Dillenburg's protest notwithstanding. 
Unsubstantiated references to 'informants' does not make a convincing 
argument and the estimates cited ranged from $120/SF to $550/SF. As I 
said earlier, 'brief to the point of useless.'

L.D.


On Mar 30, 2005, at 12:03 AM, MUSEUM-L automatic digest system wrote:

> Date:    Tue, 29 Mar 2005 09:02:50 -0500
> From:    Diane Gutenkauf <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Exhibit budgets
>
> I hope you don't mind a few comments from an exhibit fabricator... and 
> I
> hope these don't seem too random. Sorry if this is long winded and it's
> not meant to be a plug for our company. I'm speaking in general terms 
> that
> probably apply to all fabrication houses.
>
> Gene is right, speaking in terms of costs per square foot is an 
> industry
> standard. This helps designers understand how much you can afford so 
> they
> don't try to add lots of technology (pricy) to a low budget project or 
> use
> real wood veneer if all you can afford is paint. For example, you're
> pretty safe if you budget $200-250 sq foot for exhibits low on
> interactives and technology but higher on graphic and text panels. For
> lots of a/v and technological interactives (or testing time for
> mechanincal interactives) it's probably safer to budget in the $400 to
> $500 sq ft range. We have built a lot of projects and base these 
> figures
> on experience and don't feel they're out of whack with those of other
> fabricators.
>
> We're often asked to provide budgets for building exhibits at the 
> concept
> stage. At this point, the number we give you has to be a little 
> mushy...we
> can provide better numbers as the project moves farther along. In fact,
> for large projects I recommend re-estimating them at several points. 
> Lots
> of discussion between the museum, designer, and fabricator can help
> pinpoint costs at earlier stages.
>
> Anyway, L. Dewey is right that material costs in Hawaii are higher than
> Seattle. However, material costs in Seattle probably won't be
> significantly higher than in Chicago. Any good fabricator can help you
> achieve your overall budget target. It helps if you're flexible in your
> material choices. One of our (fabricators in general) strengths is in
> understanding materials...from the tensile properties of Sintra to the
> current market price of aluminium. Our task is to assist you and your
> design firm in making appropriate choices so you achieve the look you
> desire, appropriate functionality and longevitiy from your materials, 
> AND
> keep costs within budget. Sometimes this means we'll offer suggestions
> your design team might not have considered. For example, the designer
> specs a wooden rod to suspend an object at an angle. We believe the rod
> will sag over time and suggest a metal substitute, painted to resemble 
> the
> wood rod. We also present you with costs for making this change. Now 
> you
> have to make some desicions--risk sagging or pay slightly more and be
> pretty certain no sagging will occur. These are the just some of the
> factors that affect budget costs.
>
> That said, you wanted to know how to develop that target. As Gene
> mentioned, I don't know of any method beyond "ballparking" that will 
> give
> you an exact figure if the project is in an early stage. Once an 
> exhibit
> is at the Design Documents stage (pre-engineering) we can give you a 
> fixed
> price for a build.
>
> One more comment on "regionally distinctive subordinate costs"--these
> costs probably don't come into play as much as you think. We source
> material all over the country, allowing us to get the best prices and
> freeing us from regional constraints. And we're not the only 
> fabricator to
> do so.
>
> Regards,
>
> Diane Gutenkauf
> Chief Business Developer
> Museum Division
> Exhibit Works, Inc.
> [log in to unmask]
> www.exhibitworks.com

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