by Ali Kriscenski
Preconstruction planning that includes engineering consultants can create opportunities for value engineering, schedule and procurement alignment, energy efficiency, and other cost effective strategies. Whether your project is ground-up development, renovation, or a combination of work scopes, hiring a specialized team of engineering consultants to review engineering requirements can ensure that your project’s goals are met or exceeded. Learn more in this article.
Integrated Construction Planning
High-performance buildings and energy-efficient projects rely heavily on early, holistic planning processes that facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach is useful to any project type or scale. Early coordination can identify system or component redundancies, or find synergies that increase a building’s efficiency, such as heat recapture.
Benefits of Mechanical Engineering Services
The reliability of mechanical systems is central to meeting long-term program goals. Businesses, education facilities, hospitals, and residential buildings all depend on the continuity of HVAC, plumbing, fire and life safety systems.
A mechanical engineering consultant can help create lasting MEP/FP design strategies that lead to energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and operational consistency. Their expertise can help find solutions to mechanical system challenges like integrating new and existing components, or calculating current and forecasted energy requirements. When you hire a mechanical engineer, you’re able to gain insight on current building and energy codes, as well as utility incentive programs.
Benefits of Electrical Engineering Services
Electrical systems are becoming more complex and versatile. Solar photovoltaic systems, microgrid and emergency power stations, and electric vehicle charging stations are just a few of the requirements in residential and commercial projects. Planning an electrical system for current and future capacity requires specialized industry knowledge and experience.
Hiring an electrical engineer can alleviate the stress of making the right investments. An experienced team can help you navigate through system upgrades, early technology adoption and other daunting project decisions.
Estimating Services for Schedule and Procurement Alignment
Experienced estimators, particularly within a construction discipline such as mechanical or electrical systems, can be invaluable to a project outcome. These professionals offer specialized expertise that can identify the right products, applications, and installers to maximize your investment.
Estimators offer much more than product availability and market pricing. Their ability to analyze a project’s design, goals, budget, and schedule from conception and identify risks in advance of purchase means your project can move from planning to execution with confidence.
Streamlining Construction with Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Virtual Design Construction (VDC)
The use of BIM and VDC in the pre-construction phase can improve project execution and results. While the two processes have similar capabilities, they provide unique benefits to your project.
How BIM Adds Value
The BIM process creates a 3D model using construction and design information. This virtually-constructed building model can be used to predict issues, such as systems clashes, before they are installed.
This early intervention helps MEP designers to engineer a building or campus system to maximize efficiency. The BIM process also helps reduce revision times and gain quicker sign-off for procurement. This is especially helpful when long lead time items are central to a project’s sequencing and schedule.
Using VDC to Streamline Construction
Virtual Design Construction (VDC) uses similar technologies as BIM, however it allows pre-construction teams to visualize the entire construction process. This can help model installation routes, rigging plans and requirements for major equipment installation.
VDC creates more efficiencies between disciplines, and makes project sequencing and phasing more manageable. The process also increases planning measures that enhance project safety, which leads to less disruptions, less down time and overall project budget compliance. Lastly, VDC is a tool that can contribute to the As-Built and project close out processes.
Intelligent Preconstruction Planning
Hiring engineering consultants can bring an integrated, collaborative approach to project planning. With early assessment and interdisciplinary communication, project planning identifies risks and opportunities when both are manageable. Your engineering team will be able to coordinate with architects and other designers, owners and contractors to make sure systems and installation meet budget, schedule and other critical planning and program requirements. You’ll also be better equipped to meet stringent energy and sustainability standards, such as USGBC’s LEED program.
Work with Therma
Working with a certified engineering consulting firm like Therma will help your project soar. We have a deep understanding of construction planning, electrical and mechanical engineering, procurement and more. Find the expertise to make your project a success! Contact us today.
Ali Kriscenski was trained in high-performance building design at Boston Architectural College. She has worked with leading architecture and construction firms in NYC and New England, and served on the executive team at Forest Stewardship Council International. She was Managing Editor at Inhabitat and has worked pro bono for the Green Building Institute, ISEAL Alliance and Habitat for Humanity.
