Service Descriptions
Feasibility Studies
What's a feasibility study for?
A feasibility study can be done separately from the full scope of architectural services to see whether your site or existing building can accommodate the spaces you want and whether it makes sense to move forward with the subsequent stages of design. The feasibility study can also give you a clearer idea of what the total costs might be.
We will discuss with you and gather as much information as possible about all your specific needs and requirements for the project you have in mind.
We will research the zoning code and building code to see what limitations or opportunities exist on your site or within your existing home or building.
We will incorporate your specific needs and preferences into one or two plan
options for your review and discussion. If one of the plan options meets your requirements, we can then proceed with the full design process.
Full Scope Architectural Services
What does 'full scope architectural services' mean? This refers to a typical architectural project that requires all phases of an architect's service. The phases consist of Pre-Design, Schematic Design, Design Development and Construction documents.
1. Pre-design phase
Program Development: This is the important step of getting information from you about the spaces and activities you would like to accommodate within your new building or home. We love this part because we get to learn about you and your personal needs and aspirations. We also take into account your budget and schedule which are important factors that will influence the design going forward.
AIA contract agreements: Once we fully understand your goals, needs and requirements for the project, we will draft a standard agreement for your approval. We welcome an open discussion about any aspect of the agreement before it is approved. An agreement should be reached before our design work begins.
Project Schedule: We will put together a schedule of our design services through all phases taking into account the time needed for our clients review and approval of design work, the duration of consultants work, and the time required for the review of authorities having jurisdiction over the project.
2. SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE
During the first phase—schematic design—we consult with the owner to determine project goals and requirements. Often this determines the program for the project.
The program, or architectural program, is the term used to define the required functions of the project. It should include estimated square footage of each usage type and any other elements that achieve the project goals.
During schematic design, we commonly develop study drawings, documents, or other media that illustrate the concepts of the design and include spatial relationships, scale, and form for the owner to review. Schematic design also is the research phase of the project, when zoning requirements or jurisdictional restrictions are discovered and addressed.
This phase produces a final schematic design, to which the owner agrees after consultation and discussions with the architect. Costs are estimated based on overall project volume. The design then moves forward to the design development phase.
The deliverables at the end of this phase typically include the following:
● Site plan
● Preliminary building plans
● Cross-section drawings and elevations
● Preliminary 3d views for our clients visualization
● Preliminary selections of building systems & materials
● Preliminary suggestions for sustainability such as materials & systems
● A cost estimate will be provided by our selected estimating consultant
● We will submit all the above information to our client for their review and approval.
3. Design Development Phase
The Design development phase of the project is for the most part an interim development phase of the construction documents but are also an end in themselves. These documents may be part of approval processes, such as the building permit, and they are also submitted for owner approval. For clients, the documents clearly illustrate the building systems and materials and generally how they are coordinated with the work of consultants such as Structural engineering, Mechanical, and others.
Design development drawings generally are the basis of an estimate of the cost of the work, which would generally be a trade breakdown estimate. Design development documents are also a significant milestone toward the completion of construction documents
5. Construction Documents Phase
The next phase is construction documents (CDs). Once the owner and architect are satisfied with the documents produced during DD, the architect moves forward and produces drawings with greater detail. The construction document phase is where the architect produces a set of drawings that include all pertinent information required for the contractor to price and build the project.
Once CDs are satisfactorily produced, the architect sends them to contractors for pricing or bidding, if part of the contract. The level of detail in CDs may vary depending on the owner’s preference. If the CD set is not 100 percent complete, this is noted on the CD set when it is sent out for bid. This phase results in the contractors’ final estimates of project costs.
6. Construction Administration Services
Contract administration (CA) services are rendered at the owner’s discretion and are outlined in the owner-architect construction agreement. Different owner-architect- contractor agreements require different levels of services on the architect’s part. CA services begin with the initial contract for construction and terminate when the final certificate of payment is issued.
The architect’s core responsibility during this phase is to help the contractor to build the project as specified in the CDs as approved by the owner. Questions may arise on site that require the architect to develop architectural sketches: drawings issued after construction documents have been released that offer
additional clarification to finish the project properly. Different situations may require the architect to issue a Change in Services to complete the project.
