Quality control begins with caring about the character of the historic buildings you are working with. Caring comes from gaining deep knowledge and feelings from the thorough investigation of the site, buildings and the social context that has shaped the building’s historic uses.

The field investigation begins with the inspection of the buildings by all members of the project team. During the inspection, photos are taken of all building conditions, and if existing condition drawings are available, the dimensions are field verified. If existing drawings do not exist, then the building is comprehensively measured and computer-aided drawings are produced. A survey of the building and site is made that includes notes and photo documentation of building materials and systems where corrections are needed.

preserve the character of historic structures, theatres, and artist live/work spaces.

Besides locating deficiencies, we discover opportunities and possibilities for making the buildings more efficient or repurposing the building for new uses. During this survey we explore the expansion potentials for the buildings. The information collected from the different team members is shared during brainstorming meetings that informs the whole team and generates multiple ideas on how to transform the buildings and site. The transformative ideas are analyzed and synthesized to a transformation strategy that allows the team to proceed with several design scenarios simultaneously. As the team interacts with the client and stakeholder communities the process further synthesizes the design direction into a coherent solution with clarity of design 

intent into a coherent solution with clarity of design intent.

As the buildings and sites are detailed, they are always checked for their response to the agreed upon transformation strategy, values and objectives. Our transformation strategy is everyone’s checklist for quality control. As additional consultants and contractors are added to the project team, they are immediately indoctrinated with the transformation strategy, which communicates the heart of the design intent. The strategy is linked to a timeline and budget that informs the whole team as to what is expected of them and what the limitations of resources are. Team leaders provide all team members and stakeholders with weekly updates on the design, schedule, tasks, and budget, ensuring that the project’s goals and strategies move forward in a timely process.