helping communities thrive through human centered design

Team Structure: At a minimum, each team consists of a Principal, Project Manager, and Project Engineer. Every project will have a dedicated Principal as well as QC review by our dedicated QC Engineer.

Mentoring and Team Development: As consultants, we add value by solving design challenges efficiently. To ensure teams are able to consistently provide effective solutions, we're committed to an intentional mentoring program which combines group and one-on-one discussions, design exercises, and clear process documentation. We clearly define our expectations so each engineer has a clear understanding of what a win is, and where they need to adjust and grow.

Design Process and QC: We trust in a clear design and QC process to ensure your project is a success. Our goal is to make every project team successful by watching their back through a clear process of design and review:
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1. Feasibility Study: We identify key variables, design risks, and the context of the project. Our three most experienced engineers will look over the concept and identify site concerns, providing many years of combined experience at this critical stage. Ideally a survey has been prepared showing utility and grading information. If you're not sure what kind of survey you need, we're happy to help out and coordinate. We will review the title work as well as the survey for boundary or encumbrance concerns and avoid time consuming surprises later on in the project.
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2. Concept Design: At this stage, we coordinate with the design team, often with a Design Charrette, to define what a "win" looks like for your project. We can often provide valuable insight regarding project fees and realistic scheduling. We will identify potential worst case scenarios to help the design and ownership team develop a robust plan and reduce risk.
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3. Schematic Design: Regardless of the type of project, it's helpful to provide a schematic phase to check pricing and other variables to ensure we're on the right track and project goals are clearly defined. This is typically after some initial civil submittals have been made and initial jurisdiction feedback has been provided to ensure we're aligned with the review team.
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4. Design Development: Depending on the project type, this may be combined with the schematic design phase. This phase provides increased detailing of construction documents for better pricing. Civil engineering documents often need to be ahead of other design disciplines and will likely be close to approval by the jurisdiction. All major variables need to be identified with a high level of confidence and worked out with the city to find acceptable solutions. At this time, enough coordination has occurred that major changes are not likely. We will review the entire DD package to ensure we're supporting the rest of the design team and identifying areas that require more coordination or revision.
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5. 100% CDs and Approvals: Final design and approvals have been completed or are very close for the project. Final pricing and the financial closing (if required) will take place as the project gears up to break ground. We will assist you with your closing needs, such as ALTA survey coordination and CHFA coordination for site related matters. At this time, our QC engineer will review the plans to ensure any errors are caught and corrected before final approval and construction commences.
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6. Construction Administration: After a project has attained the required permits, the project  enters the construction phase. We prefer to be involved with all site related pre-construction meetings, and review the final construction documents to confirm any changes that may have taken place between approval and start of construction. We review relevant material submittals and respond to RFIs quickly and accurately to make sure the contractor has what is needed to stay on track.