services
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
We are adept at navigating jurisdictional, regional and governmental processes for affordable housing developments. Our services range from project start to finish, with programming and design, obtaining city entitlements, complying with CTCAC financing rules and regulations, assistance through the competitive bid or negotiated contract process, and overcoming challenges of occupied rehabilitation and resident relocations. We share an altruistic real world passion for improving communities through affordable housing and understand the goal to maximize dollars to bring the highest quality of life within tight budgets and time frames. We are intimately aware and knowledgable with the form, function and durability required. We are proud of our work improving amenities for residents while reducing operating costs and cost of living through lowered utility bills on every project completed to date.
preservation
We provide services for a wide range of historic buildings including institutional, commercial, multifamily and adaptive reuse. These services include evaluation of historic building envelope cladding components, such as terra-cotta, brick masonry, sand stone, ornamental metals, steel and wood windows. We utilize a range of modern technologies, like laser scanning, to obtain accurate as-built drawings. Our approach to preservation is to restore the building envelope elements in a manner that maintains the integrity of the historic character of the building while improving their performance as weather protection components.
FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE & Engineering
Our scope of services include facade and building envelope rehabilitations, waterproofing and structural engineering repairs. Commonly we have been tasked by our clients to identify stress signals in buildings which we diagnose on a regular basis that may include water intrusion, efflorescence, cracks, settlement, bulges to name a few. We are particularly adept at forensic evaluations of building envelope water intrusion through failed or poor performing membranes, curtain walls, window systems, roofs, wall claddings and building joints.
Many building defects which require repair or replacement often have an Owner not willing to change the building’s existing aesthetic appearance. In some cases these projects have gone through litigation or perhaps required an extreme amount of maintenance. For those projects we work closely with Owners to maintain the architectural integrity of facades and finish surfaces successfully on all our projects.
Our engineering projects have included engineering solutions for seismic upgrades, structural retrofits, structural design for new work and remedial structural designs to address failures or deficiencies. We are adept with unique juristictional requirements such as the San Francisco Wood-Frame Seismic Retrofit Program ordinance and provide our clients with expert interpretations of such.
waterproofing consultant
We are often requested to support another Architect, or a Contractor, as a waterproofing consultant. In this capacity, we specialize in all forms of waterproofing, including subgrade structures and slabs, roofs, decks, fenestrations and curtain walls, coatings and sealants.
litigation support
Working for both plaintiff and defense attorneys, we have experience with many different building types and systems. We have represented Homeowners Associations, private owners, general contractors, developers, Architects, framers, and other sub-contractors.
Throughout the settlement process, we assist the client by participating in mediations and settlement conferences. We testify at depositions, arbitrations, and trials in cases where satisfactory settlements cannot be reached.