Our process

An apartment building in wood framing, with a tower crane above it

Three stages.

  1. 01

    Vision

    • Predesign
    • Placemaking and exploration
    • Programming

  2. 02

    Design

    • Schematic design
    • Design development
    • Pricing and value engineering

  3. 03

    Execution

    • Construction documents
    • Permitting
    • Construction administration
    • Project launch

Nothing gets dropped.

You’ll never have to chase us for an answer.

Blitzen.

Our own automated QA/QC, built in house. It reviews every set before it leaves the office.

A building section through a covered drive under apartments, with three of Blitzen’s findings clouded on it 123
A3.11 · Building section at covered drive

Issues4Sheet A3.11

  • 1

    #214 · Fire separation · Blitzen

    Wood floor trusses over the covered drive can’t reach the 3-hr separation

    Structural · Due Mar 14

    Open
  • 2

    #215 · Code · Blitzen

    UL L585 is a 1-hr assembly; the drive needs a listed 3-hr

    Architecture · Due Mar 14

    Open
  • 3

    #209 · Coordination · Blitzen

    Garage and corridor wall: confirm the rated assembly at grid 4

    Architecture · Due Mar 10

    In review

  • #198 · Coordination

    Slab thickness at covered drive, per S2.01

    Structural · Due Mar 3

    Closed

  1. 01

    Checks every set

    Across disciplines, sheet by sheet.

  2. 02

    Pins what it finds

    Each finding goes to Forma, on the sheet.

  3. 03

    Compares issues

    Shows what changed from one set to the next.

  4. 04

    Researches the code

    With the sections to back it up.

  5. 05

    Reads plan review comments

    And turns them into a tracked list.

  6. 06

    Reviews RFIs and submittals

    The research is ready before our architect answers.

On site until it opens.

Construction administration from design development to closeout.

Four of the CBA team in hard hats and vests, looking out over a city from a framed upper floor
A building site from above, its first floor framed in blue shoring

Quality is built in.

Problems found on screen, not in the field.

  1. Building section through the drive-through in schematic design, framed in wood

    01

    Found in schematic design

    A wood-framed drive-through couldn’t reach its three-hour rating.

  2. The same section in design development, in structural steel with a three-hour assembly

    02

    Solved in design development

    Structural steel, and a listed three-hour assembly.

Modeled to be built.

LOD 300.

A cut-away Revit model of an amenity building, with its structure, ductwork, plumbing and foundations coordinated in one model