Auditing and
feasibility study
Every project begins with an analysis of possibilities and limitations, which can be administrative, programmatic, technical, budgetary, legal, etc.
We conduct feasibility studies by analyzing all components of the project to provide our clients with the necessary information and start the work on solid grounds.
These studies can take various forms:
Constraints
Analysis of constraints, administrative regulations (procedures with the municipal council, study of the local urban plan, etc.)
Planning
Estimation of construction costs and definition of a schedule.
Technical survey
Conducting a topographic geotechnical survey.
Study
The study is coordinated with external stakeholders such as engineers, lawyers, real estate agents, etc.
In the end, we can clearly inform our clients about the approach to follow, the project’s possibilities, its conditions, and sometimes its limitations.
These studies need to be conducted quickly to better respond to the market and be extremely reliable, as they often determine the progress or abandonment of a project. The goal is to achieve the maximum potential of a development project and help the client reduce risks, plan necessary investments to anticipate capital reinforcements, and the corresponding scheduling.
Architecture
The architectural project is
structured by project phases.
Pre-project studies
This is the moment when the project is designed and ideas are brought forth.
The architect develops the plans, sections, and elevations, determines the dimensions of the structure, specifies its appearance, presents the adopted solutions, determines the surfaces of all program elements, and establishes the descriptive report specifying the nature of the exterior materials. The level of precision generally corresponds to graphic documents prepared at a scale of 1/100 (1 centimeter per meter).
The architect ensures the project’s feasibility by consulting with the Municipal Council and other administrative services, organizing all necessary meetings and consultations with archives. The objective is to have the most reliable understanding of what will or will not be possible to accomplish for the project.
The architect coordinates initial studies on climate and structural concepts, working closely with structural or environmental engineers to integrate options that can be decisive for the project from the very beginning.
Licensing file
The architect coordinates and synthesizes the preliminary study into the final project, summarizing all ongoing procedures during the pre-design phase.
The architect compiles the administrative dossier after verifying its mandatory content and the documents for which they are responsible.
The architect selects and analyzes all engineers who will need to be presented for the technical construction permit phase. They coordinate the work of the engineers and collaborate with them on climatic, thermal, structural, and other concepts.
Execution project
The architect performs the final synthesis between the architectural project and the technical plans of each engineer, producing all the building drawings in section and scaled façade plans at 1/50 scale.
The architect draws all significant details of the architectural project at appropriate scales. The scales range from 1/20 to 1/1, depending on the detail requirements.
The architect designs the set of interior elevations for all rooms in the project, defining for each: materials, furniture, ceilings, special details, sanitary installations, light fixtures, and any other materials or equipment to be specified.
The architect establishes all detailed specifications for the construction in the form of a schedule.
The architect performs the measurement of the entire project to include it in the specifications document.
Assistance in the awarding of contracts and consultation file for companies
The architect prepares the complementary administrative documents that accompany the project and constitute the bidding dossier: consultation regulations, book of special administrative clauses, draft contract agreements, provisional schedule, list of contractual documents with their order of priority.
The architect selects the companies based on an analysis of their construction capacity for the project and provides the complete dossier to the consulted companies. Each company receives a detailed presentation of the project, and visits to the building are organized for project presentation.
The architect responds to all requests from the companies to clarify any points of the project, ensuring that the bidding process proceeds as quickly and accurately as possible.
The architect carries out a comparative analysis of the proposals from the companies, prepares a report, proposes to the contracting entity the list of companies to be hired, and develops the constitutive parts of the contract agreements.
The architect analyzes all options to stay within budget in case of non-compliance, studying alternative solutions with the engineers and the company. However, these studies may involve a modification of the program if they significantly jeopardize the project.
Construction monitoring
The architect holds a weekly site meeting and ensures project control during the construction phase.
The architect verifies the progress of the construction work and its compliance with the contract documents, as well as with the documents submitted to the Municipality.
The architect provides all construction drawings and details to facilitate the progress of the work. They also ensure communication with the engineers to address any doubts or clarifications during the construction process.
Project Management
- Defining an appropriate strategy based on the project’s objectives and urban constraints.
- Organizing and streamlining communication among all parties and ensuring the seamless transmission of information.
- Focusing on analysis and coordination to guarantee quality, adherence to deadlines, and budget compliance.
- Site meetings and communication with the client to provide updates on the project’s progress, schedule evolution, and any changes in operation costs.
- All project management documentation will be available on the online platform provided to the client upon contract signing.
In practice, the project is directed towards the final objective and must be adaptable to frequent modifications, yet controlled and planned. Specifically, the project should remain dynamic and continually balance technical, cost, and time constraints.
The 5 points of project management:
Functional: addressing a need.
Technical: complying with specifications and implementation constraints.
Organizational: respecting a mode of operation (roles, functions, culture, resistance to change).
Timelines: meeting deadlines (planning).
Costs: adhering to the budget.
Administrative support
Creation and monitoring of the construction permit process with the municipal authorities.
Compilation of the application process for residential or tourist licenses, depending on the project’s purpose.
Conducting any other necessary procedures with administrative entities involved in the project’s development.
Construction management
Assistance in the awarding of contracts
The construction manager assembles a specialized and competent team in various specialties to carry out the construction work.
The construction manager gathers the necessary project elements for consultation, allowing the consulted companies to assess the nature, quality, and limits of their services and provide quantified offers.
The construction manager advises the client in negotiating the contracts according to the objectives (work description, price, deadlines, penalties, etc.)
Contract Execution Management
The construction manager organizes and coordinates the construction work, validating reports and monitoring the progress of the work and compliance with the contract terms.
The frequency and periodicity of on-site meetings will be established according to the progress of the work.
Assistance in the operations of project acceptance.
The construction manager, in agreement with the client, organizes the acceptance of the works, meaning a joint visit to the site for the acceptance of the works. The minutes are prepared, and a list of any questions raised by the client during the acceptance is compiled. The client or their representative, as well as the construction companies, will sign the minutes.
Project strategy
Real Estate Strategy corresponds to the analysis and decision-making process in order to choose the shortest and optimized path to achieve its objective.
A strategy is necessary when projects are complex, when the rules are unclear, or when it is necessary to find ways to optimize a project.
Strategy is often needed when integrating data from various administrative entities for a project in which expectations are sometimes contradictory.
The strategy is defined at the beginning of the project after consulting the stakeholders and entities, defining the program and project priorities. Then, this strategy will need to be adapted throughout the project and construction to accommodate any challenges or complications that may arise.
A good strategy requires a perfect understanding of the market and local administrations, as well as a very good knowledge of the country’s language and customs.