SERVICES

We often see people moving projects into the design phase before the research is even started. This is like a doctor starting surgery without a thorough diagnosis. Pre-design services that analyze owner goals, project sites, space needs, costs and timelines is essential to avoid being surprised by budget overruns, time delays and low performing projects.

You may want to consider any or all of the following Pre-Design Services to ensure your project has a solid foundation for success:

Budget/Scope Reconciliation: Establish a well conceived foundation upon which to build your design. First we can help you identify your project performance goals, then define quantity, quality, timeline & costs in order to establish a realistic project budget & schedule before you launch into costly design. Low investment for big return.

Functional Space Programming: Define the project size & scope. We interview project stakeholders to identify functional space needs & relationships to define project scope so budget can be properly reconciled. Important step to analyze site & begin design process.

Site Evaluation/Analysis: Identify site constraints & opportunities before purchasing or designing. We can analyze one or multiple possible project sites to identify zoning/code restrictions, environmental/geological issues, utilities accessibility, building location/fit & other issues so you can make informed decisions. Developing a project on the wrong site can cost a fortune while understanding the opportunities can make for a superior project.

Preliminary Code Review: A preliminary code review will define or identify important issues related to building Use Group/Occupancy, Construction Type classification, area and height limitations, fire separation distances, fire protection measures, public right-of way, primary means of egress, etc. This valuable information will establish relevant design parameters for the building. This early data can impact project budget and schedule.

High performance buildings create appropriate environments where people can work efficiently, live healthy and play safely. Terrazia ensures that owner’s project performance objectives are understood by all stakeholders and achieved through collaborative teamwork throughout project development. Where we work, live and play matters! Our designs are developed using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, which creates virtual 3D building models that make it easy to visualize the design and convey design intent.

Architects vary in their design values and such values inform their project solutions as well as how they engage their clients. Consider following:

Aesthetic Design Value: Our approach is that thoughtful and well informed solutions should inform the aesthetics, not the other way around or for purposes of designer self-expression.

Consultation Design Value: We strongly encourage early involvement of project stakeholders in the design process because it leads to more timely and informed decisions, resulting in projects that perform as intended and delivered on time and on budget.

Sustainability Design Value: A robust environmentally friendly building approach is beneficial to users, society and future generations due to fostering frugal energy conservation, resource management, recycling, toxic-free materials etc.

Resiliency Design Value: There is no greater blow to sustainability than destruction. Therefore being Resilient is an essential prerequisite for being “sustainably” green.

Economic Design Value: Initial design and construction costs typically account for some 15% of a building’s life cycle costs. Therefore we regularly inform project stakeholders on life cycle costs so they can make informed decisions that impact their long-term triple bottom line.

Via stakeholder collaboration, we create detailed design solutions & highly technical construction drawings & specifications using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology. When the design phase concludes it is critically important that those decisions are clearly communicated for construction purposes via project-appropriate and fully coordinated documents. BIM software reduces discrepancies and assists with team coordination that minimizes building systems conflicts. This saves time and money.

High quality documents are necessary because they are the basis for:

• Obtaining building permits from local authorities,
• Contractor and sub-contractor pricing,
• Materials procurement,
• Project phasing & sequencing and
• On-site construction

Poorly coordinated and incomplete documents can result in unnecessary time delays and cost change orders. We do not claim to create perfect documents, but our experience has shown us how to minimize problem documentation.

The amount and type of documentation will depend on the project delivery method. Typically, the traditional design-bid-build method requires extensive documentation because contractors must competitively bid equally and assume minimal design intent. A Design-Build or Team-Build documentation can be less extensive because the contractor/builder is more engaged in the project and can allow appropriate costs to cover design intent. Our preference is for the Design-Build or Team-Build delivery as it saves time, can be most cost effective for all parties, minimizes cross-party conflicts and provides the owner with a single source of responsibility.

Upon completion of construction we ensure that the owner receives written instructions and product warranties so the building can be operated and maintained appropriately.

Within one year after building occupancy, we conduct a warranty and performance inspection and provide a written report to the owner describing any items that deserve correction or replacement.

You can count on us to be a trusted resource and advisor long after the project is completed.

Terrazia holds various workshops, presentations, and seminars for design and building professionals, government and code officials, students and other groups to educate them on high performance building strategies. These live learning sessions are a great way to not only educate your team on the latest in high performance building, but also provide a forum to discuss how to apply the strategies learned to your current projects.

Currently we are offering free educational sessions with continuing education credits on following topics:

Build with Strength (The Case for Building High-Performance Concrete Buildings): Learn how concrete construction is the simplest and most effective strategy to create resilient and sustainable high-performance facilities for our communities. We demonstrate that we cannot afford to not build with strong resilient concrete.

Paving the Way to Sustainability: Learn how our parking lots, streets and highways can be lower cost and more sustainable while also providing stakeholders with low maintenance, safe and efficient paving solutions? Hint, it’s all about benefits of concrete over asphalt. Note: we also offer a spin-off session focused on local concrete parking lots.

Paving the Way to Stormwater Management:Learn how our parking lots and streets can serve as cost-effective, low maintenance, durable paving as well as an effective low impact stormwater best management practice? Note: we also offer a spin-off session focused on pervious concrete parking lots.

Want to organize a free lunch and learn session or workshop? Contact us.

Ninety percent of a project’s performance is determined in the first ten percent of design. Terrazia teams with seasoned experts to assist owner’s project design teams early in the design process to help determine best performance & costs as a way to achieve maximum Return On Investment. Engage us at the early conceptual design phase to make greatest performance & cost impact.

Terrazia regularly teams with the Roanoke Cement Company, Procon and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) as a free design service to assist owners and their project teams to evaluate building envelopes, paving and stormwater management systems for implementing high performance concrete solutions. The NRMCA Design Assistance Program offers free energy, life cycle cost and LEED analyses for the building envelope and it provides free concrete pavement design and specifications. You can’t beat free!

A building can be designed and built to high performance standards, but if it is not operated and maintained properly, those good intentions can be wasted. That is why we have been conducting building performance audits since the 1970’s. The audits can include utility, energy and building envelope evaluations. Let’s not waste our resources unnecessarily.

Third party certifications, such as LEED and Passive House US (Passivhaus) are a great way to verify a project’s performance just as college degrees verify educational accomplishments and state licensees verify professional capabilities. We offer certification guidance and documentation services to owners, architects and contractors. Let us help you prove it!