turnkey Solutions

vertical integration

At our core, we prefer to operate as architect-developers and dedicate our time to advancing our own development projects since we recognize that the owners are the big winners of real estate development. However, for select clients seeking a comprehensive, start-to-finish architecture and construction solution, we consider offering a fully integrated service IF our goals are aligned. To reduce complexity for all stakeholders, we exclusively utilize the design-build project delivery method, operating as the General Contractor as well as the Architect.

We can manage every phase of the pre-construction process with architectural expertise:

  • land acquisition consultations

  • due diligence assistance

  • parking studies

  • feasibility studies & pro-forma cost analysis

  • return-on-investment (ROI) projections

  • discovering detention & storm mitigation requirements

With the initial framework in place, we embark on the design journey together and respond to your programmatic requirements while:

  • performing building code regulations research & compliance

  • creating 3D visualizations and/or Virtual Reality demonstrations

  • developing the design of the building through feedback & revisions

  • hiring, managing, and coordinating with engineering consultants

  • following through with construction documents and permitting

Moving into construction, our responsibilities extend to:

  • obtaining the building construction permits

  • bidding with subcontractors & creating budget allocations

  • cost estimating & strategic value engineering where appropriate

  • construction material procurement

  • scheduling & re-evaluation

  • overseeing, coordinating, & managing the construction trades

  • field reporting & record-keeping documentation

  • conducting & coordinating inspections

  • obtaining occupancy permits & project close-out handover

We communicate with periodic reporting to ensure that ownership stays involved with progress and create written documentation while we provide a comprehensive approach enveloping the design, coordination, and implementation of the project.

WHY IT WORKS

One critically overlooked dynamic in the traditional design-bid-build project delivery process and construction contract documents is that the typical design contract drawings and construction contract are with completely separate parties. This inherently creates an interlocked web of relationships between three parties where two of them do not have contractual obligations to each other and introduces the question of responsibilities- where does one party’s responsibility stop and the others begin?

Owners will hear differing perspectives at different times and finger-pointing becomes a source of confusion for them, especially since they are often not familiar with professional construction themselves and there’s no established rulebook other than the contract which does not specify every detail. This unhealthy dynamic can result in friction between parties which consumes precious time and effort (thereby increasing costs) without adding value.

One of the other drawbacks of the traditional project delivery method of design-bid-build is that drawings and specifications must be almost impossibly detailed to communicate forward design intent. The project should still be well-planned but it is futile and cost-prohibitive to provide a level of “nuts and bolts” detail in drawings and documentation due to the time involved. If we focused such effort on this aspect of the process, we would be neglecting the forest for the trees. Regardless of the planning and preparation, the construction process always contains surprises so adaptability (not excessive preparation) is the key to crossing the finish line.

  • Design-build has the necessary flexibility to address this intrinsic aspect of construction. This is more appropriate now than ever, given the current macroeconomic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and resulting material cost volatility.

  • Our streamlined approach creates simplicity: a single-source responsibility and accountability for clients, providing them with a cohesive and efficient project experience, with finger-pointing between the Architect and GC eliminated for the Owner.

  • Speed can also be improved through the efficiency of our approach by overlapping phases, and unforeseen issues can be resolved without the cumbersome back and forth processes of requests for information (RFIs) and answering RFIs.

TRANSPARENCY

Our transparent billing structure is retainer-based, following an open-book, cost-plus-fee model. Pre-construction, most costs are soft costs. During construction, hard costs—such as materials—are prioritized, billed first, and delivered directly to your site. This approach is designed to mitigate owner risk and ensure the project is the focus of spending.

However, an open book structure does not mean an open budget. Open book simply means that the construction contract is not the typical Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) model. In our approach, there is still budgeting, cost estimating, and financial oversight, but the key differences are the simplicity, flexibility, and transparency.

  • In a GMP, the GC does not openly share itemized costs with the Owner and is due to keep any extra profits, except that...

  • GMP contracts can incentivize GCs to de-value engineer a project to pocket additional margin hidden inside overall cost-reductions.

  • GMP contracts can incentivize under-bidding to win jobs from cost-conscious owners thinking they’re saving money, but then can be strategically followed up with contract-modifying change orders where pricing can be hugely inflated since there is no longer any competitive bidding environment.

  • It’s frankly just too enticing and easy for victims to be “bait-and-switched” in a GMP.

We strongly disapprove of an opportunistic or predatory change order strategy so we simply structure our business model to eliminate the possibility entirely with the built-in transparency of a fixed percentage fee.

We recognize that it will seem more expensive initially and this strategy may not “win many jobs” but we have seen this scenario unfold repeatedly over decades, where contracts become inflated with change orders— to even more than twice the original bid despite maintaining a similar scope of work.

As our website should demonstrate, our aim is fairness and transparency with all parties involved and to eliminate the sources of struggle. We have aligned our entire process in accordance with these principles because our vision is that educated stakeholders go into a project together with aligned goals, clear expectations, and that enduring relationships can be born in that trust.