Design
Pre-Design
Each project is unique. We begin by asking questions, listening and learning our clients’ goals. While we bring years of experience to formulate ideas, we also want each project to reflect our clients’ personality and lifestyle or brand and culture. Site review is also critical to ensure our solution appropriately relates to the context and landscape.
Schematic Design
From traditional to modern, style is a pathway. We believe great design is the result of purposeful attention to function and aesthetics, balance and composition, texture and materials, to create beautiful structures and spaces that are comfortable and intuitive.
Design Development
This phase includes working through all facets of the design to develop what each space and elevation will look like and optimize its function. Materials, finishes, fixtures, and architectural details are all advanced to help refine the design, enhance the aesthetic character, and accentuate the style.
Documentation
Construction Documents
While all successful projects start with a great concept, their success is often dependent on the attention to details. We love the details. From providing framing plans to make sure a truss doesn’t interfere with a drain location, to studying how a stair tread becomes an integrated bench, we vet out the details on paper so it gets built right in the field, the first time.
Creating a thorough and well detailed set of plans is critical to obtaining accurate pricing from contractors and to give them the necessary information to build the project to the level of quality and ensure the physical end product is exactly what was painstakingly designed.
Permitting
We have experience working with municipalities in the largest cities and smallest towns across the country and we are adept at navigating their unique bureaucracies. We’ll orchestrate the application and submittal process including gathering required information from the General Contractor and other key team members. If special considerations are needed, such as a zoning variance, we will assist with that process as well.
Construction Observation
Bidding
Whether a General Contractor is pre-selected or if the project will be competitively bid to multiple General Contractors, we help to obtain detailed pricing information so you can make a well-informed decision.
We analyze each bid to ensure that the proposals are aligned with the construction documents and accurately capture the intended scope of work. We also create trade by trade bid comparisons allowing you to see how the bidders stack up side by side.
Construction
To ensure the best outcome, we review shop drawings and product submittals, answer contractor questions, look for issues on site before they become a problem, and review contractor’s payment requests before funds are released.
We take the burden off of the owner to oversee construction by being responsive to the contractor requests and documenting decisions and progress. Our goal is to work with the contractor to help ensure the end product is everything you wanted and to make the construction process as transparent and smooth as possible.
Artistry and Technology
During each phase of the design, we provide exceptionally detailed drawings utilizing many different forms of representation and technology to ensure an efficient and communicative design process.
Hand Drawings
Some may consider it a lost art, but we find hand drawing to be beautifully effective and efficient. That classic technique is complimented by our advanced 3D modeling capabilities. This provides our clients with the most creative solutions in a format that is easy to understand.
Renderings / BIM
We utilize Revit modeling software throughout the drawing process. We believe that the success of all of our project relies on the accuracy of our design models. Our expertise in computer modelling and BIM technology allows us to efficiently tackle complex geometries. As a result, we can quickly generate perspectives and renderings of our designs. We include these perspectives in our construction documents so that the contractors in the field can benefit from seeing the intended end result. We can also provide renderings to aid in the design process or for marketing purposes. Please click here for some examples of our renderings.
