PRE-DESIGN SERVICES
- Robert Stow. Architect PLC can draw on over
30 years of experience when helping
clients develop comprehensive building programs.
Programming
Building Program Documents outline the needs and
goals of the client for each project.
The Program Statement helps both Owner and Architect understand the what
and why of
a project before design services begin. Program development is, under
most industry
contracts, an Additional Service separate from design services or is the
responsibility of
the project owner.
Robert Stow, Architect, PLC has special interests and qualifications in
building
programming issues. Mr. Stow has spent much of his 30+ professional
years involved in
the special art of helping project owners and users define their
building needs. Working
through a combination of questionnaires and face to face discussions, we
will create a
document which describes the space required, the activities house or
performed within
that space, the number and classification (staff, customers, students)
of those who will use
the space, and the relationship of each space to each other space in the
project. The
completed Program Statement typically includes preliminary space and
project budgets.
Robert Stow, Architect, PLC is prepared to assist clients in developing
Program
Statements for projects of virtually any scope and complexity.
Facility Evaluation
Facility evaluations can be useful to building
owners for a variety of purposes ranging
from long range improvement planning, energy conservation planning,
purchase or sale
decisions, and developing addition /renovation/new construction decision
points. Facility
evaluations can consider the condition of the physical structure and/or
the suitability of a
structure for an existing or proposed use.
Physical Condition Evaluations
Robert Stow, Architect PLC typically
assembles a team suitable to the project
needs to conduct a physical evaluation of your facility and its
major systems
through review of existing drawings, on site evaluations,
discussions with key
personnel, review of utility and maintenance records and review of
applicable
codes and standards. The resulting report will identify any
immediate, mid-term
and long range areas with potential problems and/or opportunities
for
improvement.
Suitability Evaluations
A Suitability Evaluation explores the options
for using a specific existing building
for a new use and/or for continuation or expansion of an existing
use. The team
will compare the spaces and systems available with those typically
required for
the proposed use. The study will also identify major issues with
applicable codes
and standards.
Educational Facility Suitability
Evaluations
Because educational facility projects
typically require voted funding, it is
imperative that any evaluation of existing buildings be transparent
and
understandable to the voting public. Over the past 25 years, Robert
Stow has
helped school communities develop their own standards for what
comprises an
acceptable school facility. The evaluation standards are developed
during a
public forum led by the architect. The resulting standards are then
published and
used by the community members to evaluate their own facility (ies).
The final
report is the work of the community applying its own standards to
its own
buildings and carries considerable weight with the voters.
Master Planning
Master Planning provides building owners with the opportunity to
plan beyond
their immediate needs, to determine the ultimate capacity of a site
or facility and to
set building project priorities.
Master planning starts with a review of the
site and facility and a gathering of
existing documents. We interview key staff to determine existing
deficiencies,
existing strengths and current and future needs. A series of plans
are then
prepared to identify locations where the needs can be met. We work
with the
owner to select the best option or elements of each option and
prepare a final
master plan.
Depending upon the needs of the owner, master
plans can include long range
phasing, broad brush cost estimating, recommendations for property
acquisition
or disposal, and recommendations for zoning changes or modification.
Master planning services can be of benefit to the full range of
projects from single
family homes to large corporate complexes by providing a clear,
logical path for
improvements, replacements or acquisitions.
Feasibility Studies
Feasibility Studies differ from but are
related to Master Plans. A Feasibility Study
asks if an existing building can be converted, modified or expanded
to serve a
projected need or if a new building can be constructed or a property
developed
to meet that need–all at a cost that meets the economic and
functional goals of the
Owner.
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