Our Process
"Architecture, engineering and construction are not separate ideas and pursuits, but the pursuit of one idea set before us by our client."
Why architecture? Why construction? Simple. The opportunity to orchestrate ideas into tangible materials, structure and place. It’s our work. It’s what we do. It’s why we are here. It’s passion for our process and the art of construction. A core philosophy which views architecture, engineering, and construction as a singular, unified pursuit driven entirely by the client's vision and requirements. The belief and manifestation that each detail is part of the whole and informs the next action. You cannot separate them. You cannot act upon them in silos. The storyline demands a collaborative process and integrated disciplines in pursuit of one idea. How? We are architects that understand engineering and cost. We are construction managers with a desire to construct art. We are superintendents supplying guidance and demanding excellence.
One entity for ONE IDEA. We IMAGINE. We ENGINEER. We CONSTRUCT.
Our Work. One Idea.
It’s time to break ground. It’s tranquility before chaos, and just over the horizon are numerous obstacles waiting to disrupt the work. We don’t know what they are, but we know they’re coming and they will utilize everything in their power to halt your idea in its tracks. Our response? We lean into our experience and continue to move forward. We plan meticulously, we anticipate chaos, we solve the obstacles, and most importantly we facilitate our trades success. We strive for perfection and we embrace chaos. It’s necessary. And we live for it!
We help our clients identify opportunities while discovering challenges, and constraints early. The review and understanding of boundary surveys, land development codes, easements, geo-technical reports, etc. are vitally important. The purchase contract will dictate limited time, so it’s essential to act efficiently and with purpose.
Our solution begins to take form with serious intent. Architecture and engineering are conditioned to fail at this key moment, and this is where we break the mold. We think about materiality, modular dimensions, structural systems, building systems, cost and schedule. Why? Because we live within our process. We know each detail is part of the whole and informs our next action.
What is cost engineering? For us, it’s the coordination and development of the financial aspects of our solution. We monitor and develop project budgets, control estimates, contractor bidding, purchase orders and committed costs. It’s the culmination of our Pre-Construction, Architecture and Engineering effort and solidifies the financial vision of the project prior to permit approval. When our effort and cost engineering align, it’s a beautiful result for our clients.
This is how we manage your solution. It’s the heart of what we do. We’re continuously providing input on constructability, cost, schedule, long lead items and numerous other details. We are processing these details simultaneously with design development to ensure our decisions are strategic and cost effective. The constant interaction between our creative instincts and grounded solutions enable us to imagine the possibilities.
This segment of our process may be the most satisfying and rewarding aspect of our work. It assembles our core beliefs and pragmatic solutions into documents embedded with passion and knowledge. It’s where the pursuit of one idea begins the transformation into built form. How do we describe our drawings? Technical. Comprehensive. Coordinated. Beautiful. The documentation of one idea to be guided and implemented by the others.
We love great engineering. It’s essential for the manifestation of our process. It doesn’t matter if they’re calculating tributary area, bending moment, flow rates for air and water, heat gain, sprinkler load or amperage, the systems they engineer are necessary for our solution. What’s even more critical is the implementation of their individual parts into the comprehensive whole. How do we ensure this happens? We Question. We Coordinate. We Verify.
An Early Work Opportunity can allow us to compress our process and gain ground on the project completion date. A note of caution. If early work is something that needs to be pursued, it must be discussed early. It’s a key decision that impacts every phase of the process. If it is implemented correctly, existing structures can be razed, building pads constructed and foundations installed. Let’s talk early!
We begin to translate our client’s vision into buildable solutions. We discuss building setbacks, floor to area ratios, parking requirements and storm retention capacity. We weave the civil engineer into the solution. It’s the true beginning for us, where each step is informed by our unique understanding of the entire land development process. In the end, the site selection is complete, the purchase contract is closed, and we’re fully involved with pursuing the development order.