The Benefits of Early-Stage MEP/FP Design
Imagine this: You’ve done the hard work of negotiating a lease agreement, programming your space, obtaining stakeholder approvals, and securing finances. Everyone at your organization is buzzing in anticipation of moving into what promises to be an awe-inspiring architectural environment. You’re holding talks with qualified contractors about turning your vision into reality. Everyone on your team is moving in lockstep.
Until your engineering partner comes aboard and informs you that the lease terms you’ve agreed upon are insufficient. Or the architectural program you’ve crafted is not feasible. Or the budget does not account for X, Y, and Z scope items. Your programming, budget, and schedule are now compromised. What felt like a seamless process has been disrupted. You’re back to the drawing board, frustrated and worried that your project won’t be completed on time, in budget, or at all.
Fortunately, this nightmarish experience can be prevented by onboarding your engineering partner at the appropriate time: well before lease agreements are signed, the architectural program finalized, the stakeholders given their blessing, and the preliminary budget locked. For MEP systems – while often not the focal point of an end user’s experience – are a key component to effective planning. Accordingly, let’s dive into the first segment of our proven process, coined the Stark Operations Process (SOP): “Ducts in a Row,” which constitutes the following.
1. Request, digest, and organize information.
2. Record and distribute preliminary coordination items.
3. “PTO” (prepare the others).
Request, Digest, and Organize Information
Our project managers are responsible for requesting, digesting, and organizing relevant information such as landlord work letters, record engineering documents, site survey data, equipment assessment reports, architectural test-fit plans, and preliminary cost assessments.
Record and Distribute Preliminary Coordination Items
We maintain and distribute comprehensive lists of coordination items – be those questions, recommendations, or items for awareness – itemized by the appropriate responder such as Owner, Architect, Landlord, and Expediting Agent.
“PTO” (Prepare the Others)
Our recordkeeping, due diligence, and coordination efforts prepare the others for successful project planning. Others, in this context, might include architects, designers, dealmakers, and construction managers.
As a result, our process yields:
1. Lease agreements that protect stakeholders from otherwise unforeseen complications.
2. Streamlined architectural programming with test-fits that work.
3. Trustworthy budgets.
4. Everyone moving in lockstep.
Contact us via email at connect@stark-engineering.com or phone at (212) 243-1010 for more information on our proven process or to discuss your project planning.
Written by:
Charles J. Stark, P.E.
President & CEO
Stark Engineering, D.P.C