ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES

GENERAL CONSULTATION

If you are only seeking advice on specific building issues and problems,

ACE can work with you on an hourly basis.

SITE INVESTIGATION AND PROJECT PLANNING [PRE-DESIGN]

If you are just starting your project and need to establish a project strategy, explore some basic construction options, or find out about code requirements, municipal approvals, and possible costs, ACE can help you to answer these questions and PLAN your project before you get too far into the process.

COMPLETE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN and DRAWING SERVICES

This is a several-phased process during which ACE works with You --

the Owner, to go over the project requirements, craft a useful and aesthetically pleasing design, produce drawings and specifications, find and select a Contractor, and then see the project through to completion with construction administration services. For details, see THE ARCHITECTURAL PROCESS below.

ROOFING CONSULTATION AND DESIGN

ACE can help you with most of your roofing concerns, including issues relating to roof slope, drainage, roofing materials, flashing materials, insulation, roof venting and many others. ACE has extensive experience with residential asphalt-shingles, commercial built-up roofing, single-ply membranes, flat-seam metal roofing, slate and tile roofing. Work can involve consultation only, or a complete architectural process with drawings and specifications.

OTHER ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES

Although these services are frequently performed as part of CONSULTING or DESIGN work, they are sometimes required as an independent project: Building Evaluations with Condition Report, Construction Cost Estimating, Accessibility Review, Site Design including Parking Lots, Interior Design, Lighting Design and others.

CONSULTANTS

Consultants for additional services may be required and would be added to the project team with your approval: Land Surveyor, Structural Engineer, Mechanical/ Electrical Engineer, Interior Designer, etc.

ACE provides quality design services with consideration for Your building’s longevity, and strives to meet the following principles:

View the project from the perspective of the Owner / user / pedestrian, when designing and setting priorities.

Work to use proper materials properly: choosing durable materials whenever possible and showing them correctly installed in drawing details will usually result in a longer lasting building.

Recognize and take advantage of existing conditions (if applicable), ultimately saving the project time and resources.

Green Building Design: ACE has been practicing architecture with a sensitivity to the environment before it became popular or mandatory to do so; providing environmentally-friendly design strategies, specifying “green” products and designing with energy-efficiency in mind.

Every project is unique with specific conditions and requirements, and so must be tailored to fit Your needs. For a complete Architectural Process, six phases are listed, but it may be possible to omit or combine some of them as needed.

Programming: Also referred to as Pre-Design; in this phase the Architect and Building Owner meet to review the Owner’s needs, check existing documentation, codes, municipal requirements, project budget and other criteria to set up a PROGRAM, which provides the basis for design.

Preliminary Design: In this phase the Architect prepares diagrams and sketches to suggest what a building layout may be, and what appearance it would have. Often more that one alternative is presented. After Owner review, this process may have to be repeated to achieve an acceptable design.

Design Development: When a design is finally agreed upon based on preliminary work, accurate drawings are prepared, dimensions added, materials are proposed.

Construction Drawings & Specifications: Following Owner approval of design development drawings, the Architect prepares Construction Documents, which include plans, necessary details, specifications and other information required to obtain a building permit, and to convey

to the Contractor the layout, type of construction and character

of the design.

Bidding and Negotiation: In this phase the Architect assists the Owner with conducting a bidding process and/ or negotiation to select a Contractor.

Construction: Per Owner-Architect Agreement, the Architect may provide Construction Administration Services on behalf of the Owner, including Construction Observation, Field Meetings, Reviewing Change Orders and other responsibilities.