Our primary mission is to provide our customers with inventive and energy-efficient architectural planning and design services that are timely and affordable. Each of the following steps brings us closer to making your vision a reality while providing practical solutions for your needs. Whether you’re operating in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and D.C., we’ll design a unique plan for your project!

Before any design work begins, the project requirements must be determined. The property where the building is to be constructed will be analyzed and surveyed for environmental features like desirable views, well and septic locations, prevailing winds, terrain, and road access. Qualified land surveyors or civil engineering consultants will be employed for these tasks where necessary.

During this preliminary phase, we coordinate with local authorities on building and zoning codes and prepare schematic floor plans that address your program requirements. During this phase, many questions are explored which will determine the overall quality and direction of the project. We work in three dimensions from the start, ensuring enhanced understanding of the design.

During this preliminary phase, we coordinate with local authorities on building and zoning codes and prepare schematic floor plans that address your program requirements. During this phase, many questions are explored which will determine the overall quality and direction of the project. We work in three dimensions from the start, ensuring enhanced understanding of the design.

Once you have gone over and approved the design documents, we will move onto the construction documents phase. This is where we further define the construction aspect of your project by adding details for plans, elevations, material specifications, and schedules. A project manual will be developed to include contract and bidding requirements. If cost estimates have changed over the past few phases, we will discuss this with you during this phase.

At the beginning of the bidding phase, a pre-bid conference is held in order to inform bidders of the project requirements and answer any questions they have. The building permit is applied for, and queries are responded to in order to prepare an addendum to the original bidding documents (if necessary). Bids are received at a specific time and place and are then opened and analyzed. We then submit our recommendations to you as the owner and establish the duties each party will be responsible for during the construction phase.

As your project’s architect, our duties during the construction phase will generally include:

• Acting as your representative.
• Making periodic site visits to ensure that the project and build is being developed according to construction documents.
• Viewing the contractor’s payment applications to determine whether work has progressed to the point stated.
• Reviewing samples, drawings, and submittals from the contractor to ensure conformance with our design intent.
• Preparing any change orders necessary for your approval.
• Performing punch outs to get an idea of what work is still remaining and to establish dates of substantial and final completion.
• Going over maintenance manuals submitted by the contractor and forward documentation for your use in facilities management.

Once construction is finished and we have confirmed compliance with all terms associated in the original agreement and design, but also your complete satisfaction with the final product, we make ourselves available during the warranty period and further in order to tie up any loose ends with local officials, suppliers, and contractors. Our goal at project completion is to ensure the end result is one that suits your needs and lasts many, many years.