Commercial Architecture Consulting
If you’re a developer building a commercial property, absolutely, hire a building-science consultant (also called an enclosure consultant). Ideally, this firm will represent you—not your contractor, not your architect, but you.
I can’t tell you how much unaccounted-for risk I see as a result of a misalignment of interests among developers, contractors, and architects.
On the front end, your architect’s job is to design something beautiful and functional that you can sell. But the architecture firm that can do that best often does not also have the technical knowledge to assess the risk associated with various design decisions and present you with your best options. This doesn’t mean there anything wrong with your architect—it means is that it’s a good idea to hire someone who understands a lot about architecture, construction, and building science to help the architect develop an approach that aligns with your expectations regarding performance, risk, and construction costs.
At a minimum, that consultant will ensure that each element of the enclosure meets generally accepted standards of care for the industry. But a good consultant—working closely with a good architect—will help tailor the drawings to your needs, identifying things that could be done more efficiently and those other things where you may wish to exceed the minimum standard of care. On a typical multi-family podium project, I can usually identify half a dozen important design adjustments (and dozens of smaller ones) that have very small or negligible aesthetic and cost implications but will disproportionately reduce risk for the developer. Would a slab depression be helpful here? Is there an easier way to install the windows? Is there a way to avoid having this trade mobilize twice to complete this detail? What’s in the drawings now, but has a good chance of being overlooked during bidding? What’s not in the drawings now, but should be?
During construction, it is important to remember that your contractor’s job is to complete the building on budget and as quickly as possible, and that there is probably some sort of bonus structure—often a very generous one—rewarding individual managers and superintendents for doing exactly that. This is fine, except that in the absolutely inevitable situation in which there is a decision to be made between a quick and inexpensive solution or a more costly and time-intensive solution, the general contractor is strongly incentivized to choose the former. What this means is that an individual superintendent gets the benefit of that decision now in the form of a cash reward while the developer bears the majority of the risk. Your enclosure consultant is a hedge against that risk.
(If, of course, you’ve picked a competent consultant and listened to her advice!)
I can’t tell you how much unaccounted-for risk I see as a result of a misalignment of interests among developers, contractors, and architects.
On the front end, your architect’s job is to design something beautiful and functional that you can sell. But the architecture firm that can do that best often does not also have the technical knowledge to assess the risk associated with various design decisions and present you with your best options. This doesn’t mean there anything wrong with your architect—it means is that it’s a good idea to hire someone who understands a lot about architecture, construction, and building science to help the architect develop an approach that aligns with your expectations regarding performance, risk, and construction costs.
At a minimum, that consultant will ensure that each element of the enclosure meets generally accepted standards of care for the industry. But a good consultant—working closely with a good architect—will help tailor the drawings to your needs, identifying things that could be done more efficiently and those other things where you may wish to exceed the minimum standard of care. On a typical multi-family podium project, I can usually identify half a dozen important design adjustments (and dozens of smaller ones) that have very small or negligible aesthetic and cost implications but will disproportionately reduce risk for the developer. Would a slab depression be helpful here? Is there an easier way to install the windows? Is there a way to avoid having this trade mobilize twice to complete this detail? What’s in the drawings now, but has a good chance of being overlooked during bidding? What’s not in the drawings now, but should be?
During construction, it is important to remember that your contractor’s job is to complete the building on budget and as quickly as possible, and that there is probably some sort of bonus structure—often a very generous one—rewarding individual managers and superintendents for doing exactly that. This is fine, except that in the absolutely inevitable situation in which there is a decision to be made between a quick and inexpensive solution or a more costly and time-intensive solution, the general contractor is strongly incentivized to choose the former. What this means is that an individual superintendent gets the benefit of that decision now in the form of a cash reward while the developer bears the majority of the risk. Your enclosure consultant is a hedge against that risk.
(If, of course, you’ve picked a competent consultant and listened to her advice!)
So, what does this kind of thing cost?
A design review of a typical podium-style commercial building will be between $3,000 and $6,000 per review, and you should count on at least four reviews: one at design development, the second at 50 percent or 75 percent CDs, the third at 90 percent or 100 percent CDs, and then a fourth and final review to check that the architect has picked up all the changes. As someone who has done a great many of these reviews, I can assure you that each review does not take the same amount of time as all the others! It’s easy to look at that last conformity check and think, “Well, that probably only took her a few hours, surely I shouldn’t be charged the whole amount.” Fair enough, but it’s also true that your consultant will have needed to invest a phenomenal amount of time in simply understanding the building and how it goes together before making a single recommendation during those 50 percent and 90 percent reviews.
And, while these things are usually measured in hours, it isn’t the hours you’re paying for—it’s the recommendations. Don’t confuse the means and the ends.
In addition to these formal design reviews, your contract with your consultant will also likely include additional design consulting that is billed hourly. Rates vary from about $200 to $300 per hour, and, depending on the complexity of the project, you may need between 20 and 40 hours of consulting during the design phase. This is for your consultant to meet with you and the architect to develop details, discuss trade-offs, and help develop the construction documents.
During the construction phase, your consultant will review product submittals and shop drawings and visit the job site during critical phases of construction. You will want your consultant to attend some of the more important pre-installation meetings in person, as well as any mock-ups and window testing. For a small podium project, you may only need six site visits, but for a tower you’ll want fifteen or even twenty. Usually a firm will charge you a fixed fee per site visit. This can be as little as $1,500 for someone local or $4,000 for someone outside your area. The submittal and shop-drawing review typically is priced hourly (again at between $200 and $300 per hour) and you should count on 40 to 80 hours for a mid-sized podium project.
In my opinion the best firms providing these types of services are Building Science Corporation and RDH Building Science. (And please do tell them I sent you!)
And, while these things are usually measured in hours, it isn’t the hours you’re paying for—it’s the recommendations. Don’t confuse the means and the ends.
In addition to these formal design reviews, your contract with your consultant will also likely include additional design consulting that is billed hourly. Rates vary from about $200 to $300 per hour, and, depending on the complexity of the project, you may need between 20 and 40 hours of consulting during the design phase. This is for your consultant to meet with you and the architect to develop details, discuss trade-offs, and help develop the construction documents.
During the construction phase, your consultant will review product submittals and shop drawings and visit the job site during critical phases of construction. You will want your consultant to attend some of the more important pre-installation meetings in person, as well as any mock-ups and window testing. For a small podium project, you may only need six site visits, but for a tower you’ll want fifteen or even twenty. Usually a firm will charge you a fixed fee per site visit. This can be as little as $1,500 for someone local or $4,000 for someone outside your area. The submittal and shop-drawing review typically is priced hourly (again at between $200 and $300 per hour) and you should count on 40 to 80 hours for a mid-sized podium project.
In my opinion the best firms providing these types of services are Building Science Corporation and RDH Building Science. (And please do tell them I sent you!)