As buildings become more technologically advanced and design ambition rises, the traditional boundaries between design, delivery and construction are becoming increasingly blurred.
For Tim Phillips, Managing Director of TILT Industrial Design, that shift demands a new mindset—one that rethinks risk, collaboration and how we define design value.
“Most of the projects we work on are highly technical,” Phillips told ArchifySpec.
“They require input from a wide range of specialists—whether it’s BMS, fire safety, façade or wind engineering. Traditional trade-based construction may not be able to deliver the sophisticated, future-proof buildings we need today.”
TILT is known for bringing kinetic architecture, mechanical systems and custom fabrication to life—often working alongside architects on complex landmark projects.
Right now, TILT is delivering one of the most ambitious kinetic installations in Australia—an 11-metre-high, 56-metre-long operable door at PS1, part of the landmark Parramatta Powerhouse project. The project’s scale, innovation and architectural ambition exemplify the kind of challenges Phillips says the traditional model often struggles to accommodate.
But Phillips believes their role needs to shift upstream.
“We’re moving beyond being a trade,” he said. “We want to be involved early as specialist design consultants, helping to coordinate the complex teams these projects demand.”
Where traditional Design & Construct (D&C) contracts push risk downward—from client to architect, builder and finally to subcontractors—Phillips argues the model is no longer fit for purpose.
“In D&C contracts, risk is passed down the chain and we’re often at the bottom of that. The industry is built on risk transfer, but that model makes ambitious projects borderline unfeasible,” he said.
“When risk isn’t shared, it leads to watered-down concepts and discourages innovation. Designers become hesitant. Builders default to lowest-cost options. And ultimately, the big ideas get lost.”
Phillips is also wary of the way financial pressures can skew the tender process.
“We’re often estimating and tendering before designs or site conditions are fully understood, yet contracts still push risk onto builders and subcontractors,” he said.
“The pressure to win on price leads to financial strain, compromises in design and industry-wide tension. The tender process needs to prioritise quality and collaboration, along with the cost.”
This mindset is particularly critical when it comes to specification writing. For TILT, the process of balancing creativity with constructability is deeply collaborative—and begins long before a project breaks ground.
“In our studio, we spend an enormous amount of time testing and simulating ideas, but we also lean heavily on specialist partners—engineers, fabricators, technical consultants,” Phillips said.
“Working with the best minds, both in-house and externally, gives us the confidence to push boundaries without compromising on rigour. You can’t innovate in isolation.”
That collaboration, he adds, needs to be built into the early stages of project design and procurement—not just bolted on at the end.
“Managing risk doesn’t mean stripping out creativity—it just means bringing the right people in early enough to test and refine the big ideas.”
Phillips is also passionate about long-term thinking in the industry—and believes a cultural shift is needed in how we define responsibility and value.
“If I could change one thing, it’d be the way we approach ownership and responsibility in project delivery,” he said.
“Too often, developers or builders treat buildings as temporary assets—just get it up, sell it and move on. That mentality doesn’t prioritise good architecture or long-term performance.”
“In Europe, there’s a stronger culture of ownership—people build with the intention of creating a legacy, maintaining quality and taking pride in the outcome. If more developers here held onto their buildings and invested in their upkeep, we’d see better design, better specifications and a lot more care taken at every stage.”
