Service Descriptions
Visioning (by HTA)
Visioning is the conceptual direction for a project. It entails brainstorming and iterative research that considers a project's context; including economic implication, cultural implication, community viability and involvement, and the environmental context. Visioning includes multiple meetings, brainstorm sessions, idea collection and research, and establishing a strategy to execute the project. Visioning often blends with the physical components of a project and their placement and location, but it is important to concentrate first on the initial intentions and the meaning and impact of those intentions before moving to physical plans. Deliverables include brainstorm lists, vision statements, mind maps, sketches and diagrams, goal statements, and other tools to stay on target.
Master Planning (by HTA)
Master Planning includes physical planning where the vision meets physical representation in order to meet strategic directives. Deliverables include large scale site plans, area calculation for pro-forma generation, representation of other economic or other drivers that support the vision, and sketches that will help sell the vision to others. Master Planning often blends with Schematic Design because of the natural tendency to want to drill down into the actual characterization of the physical design with architectural and landscape features.
Schematic Design (by HTA)
Schematic design determines the character and physical design of the environment or buildings in order to create a "place" that is contextually accurate for the established vision. Depending on the project, schematic design often delves into spiritual, historical, mental, cultural, familial, and many other types of contextual drivers that affect the design of the architecture. Often this process is an artistic expression of character and architectural meaning. Schematic design includes research and gathering a story, establishing an inspiration for a "big idea" of design, and finally sketching and communicating the design to the users of the architecture. Sometimes it works on the first try, but many times, it is a process of changes and revisions, molding ideas and desires between architect and client until the character and schematic idea is firm.
Deliverables for schematics include written ideas, sketches, floor plans and some elevations of the architecture. It is usually conceptual, and establishes broad ideas of the character of the building, but touching upon the general materials and building systems used to achieve the right character of the concept. Design development takes the concept toward engineering and material selection. A preliminary cost budget is established during this phase.
Design Development (transition to production team from HTA)
Design Development is the start of making decisions about refining architectural details that establish the determined character. It also begins to make decisions on the building's structural system, safety systems, water, power and waste systems, building skin systems, energy systems, and interior quality systems. Deliverables include building plans, elevations, sections, written outlines of material specifications, and summaries of engineering systems (and quite possibly engineering strategies for civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, landscape, kitchen, and other systems). Basic code compliance checks are made so that the building safety systems are not hindering design or entitlement regulations.
Contract Documents (by production team with aesthetic design direction by HTA)
Contract Documents are what most people consider as "blue prints". This portion of design includes engineering design of required building systems, material selection and architectural refinement of safety, code, and regulatory requirements. Drawings are dimensioned and labeled to specify the various components of the building and their locations. Specifications are written to describe the quality, brand, or performance of the building components within the project. They include manufacturer data, warranties, maintenance, and other product information. Contract documents are the largest chunk of design and engineering services comprising of 30-40% of design and engineering fees.
Permitting (by production team)
Permitting is the process of moving drawings through the government regulatory and approval process that is paved by the entitlement process. Entitlements pave and show the direction, and permitting is the getting final approvals and sign-offs. This process in itself takes time and is filled with reviews, signatures, timing strategies, and potential fines. Some fines can be tolerated if timing is not perfect, others are project killers that drive the critical path of construction schedules. We sometimes contract an "expediter" if we think they will be more efficient. Drawings are often commented on and returned, and the design team must make corrections and turn the drawings back in to the reviewing agency. This review and response process can take time and slow the review time down. We have checklists and experience that indicate the most common comments so we can address them before hand, but (with the exception of small projects) getting no comments and a permit after initial submission is equivalent to a hole-in-one in golf, a 300 score in bowling, or 100% on a college upper level physics final exam.
Deliverables include a status report on the permits, and reports on the information provided to move the permits forward toward approval. Although we cannot guarantee the issuance of a permit, nor should it be a condition of fulfilling these services, we never fail to submit drawings adequate for application. There are many instances where our clients decide not to pull the permit for various strategic reasons.
Permit fees charged by the reviewing agencies are not included in the services described above.
Bid Administration (by production team)
Bid Administration is the process of soliciting bids and providing clarifications to contractors as they endeavor to understand the drawings and put a price to it. Within a period of a few weeks, the contractor must understand the goals, intent, vision, technical aspects, quantities, and specifications of the project. It is a difficult task, and we make our best efforts to keep communication clean, professional, and fair during the bidding process. Services also include assistance with negotiating the contract with the winner. At times, bid prices may come in higher than expected. Usually re-design or simplification is needed to reduce costs. This process is called Value Engineering (typically performed on an hourly basis as additional services) and is not part of the Bid Administration services.
Contract Administration (by production team with limited design advisory from HTA)
Contract Administration occurs when a contract with the construction contractor is negotiated. The contractor verifies many of the key materials specified with the architect's team. It can range from the quality of the concrete to the types of cabinet hinges. The whole review process is to ensure that what was designed, drawn, and specified is actually ordered and built by the contractor. Since the contractor is relatively new to the design compared to its author, the architect answers questions, provides clarifications, and helps account for any changes that may be needed beyond the agreed contract amount. The architect and engineers are required by state law to make a visit to the construction project during construction to observe and report what is happening.
Deliverables include: Review of submittals by contractor, accounting for contractor Requests for Information and Change Orders. Providing the owner with approvals or denials on requests for payments by the contractor. Providing site visit reports. Providing a determination of substantial completion, review of punch lists, and final completion.
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