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The schematic design process is intended to explore the most promising aesthetic and functional design solutions to establish a platform upon which future decisions can be made. Schematic design studies shall illustrate the scale and relationship of the components of the project for approval by the owner. During this phase building layouts, room adjacencies, and circulation pathways are determined. The exterior massing, materials, fenestration and finishes of the building shall be illustrated through elevations. In addition, major building systems will also be generally determined including mechanical, electrical, structural, lighting, vertical circulation, and other specialty items. This phase is typically 10% of the total architectural design fee but represents the greatest value as the client is getting the benefit of the architect’s experience.
The primary purpose of the Design Development phase is to define and describe all important aspects of the project so that the client can understand how the project will function and what it will look like when built. In this phase the Architect expands upon the approved schematic design studies to articulate more detailed drawings, illustrating other aspects of the proposed design. Outline specifications are prepared and the development of systems within the building are refined to finalize the design of the building. The design development phase typically represents about 15% of the total architectural design fee. At this point the project is ready to go into the Construction Document Phase.
During the construction document phase working drawings and specifications are created in sufficient detail to delineate specifically and in great detail exactly how to build the structure. The construction documents describe the quality, configuration, size, and relationship of all components to be incorporated into the project. Upon their completion they are approved by the local building department and serve as the basis for obtaining bids and the owner’s written agreement with the general contractor. This is a very time consuming part of the design process and often consumes 50% of the total architectural design fee.
When projects are competitively bid John Stoudenmire Carter Architect, P.A. will assist the owner in identifying qualified general contractors to bid on the project and to assist the owner through the bidding process. Typically, this will include making documents available to the prospective contractors and responding to requests for information and issuing addenda as necessary to answer questions that may arise during the bid process. In addition, this scope of work will include reviewing alternates and product data submittals. “Carter Architecture” will review submitted bids with the owner and make recommendations to award the contract for construction. When requested, this phase is billed at 5% of the total architectural design fee.
John Stoudenmire Carter Architect, P.A. will act as the owner’s advocate during the construction process. We will make periodic reviews of the construction and issue “field directives” and “change orders” if necessary. We will also certify draw requests made by the general contractor. While typically contracted to perform field observations on a part-time basis, we have a well founded reputation for being on the job-site far more than is required. Frankly speaking, we learn from the process and strive to provide the general contractor and the subs with timely responses to their inquires. We do not want to interfere with the construction process but to rather facilitate it. This service can be included as part of the architectural design fee, commonly 20%, or may be provided as an additional service for more extensive oversight of your project.
