Design Development Phase
During the Design Development Phase of the project, the architects, interior designers and consulting engineers, along with the equipment suppliers, prepare drawings, details and specifications that describe and fix the intent of the project. Design Development includes:

• Building systems alternatives with anticipated recoveries for energy efficiency review and selection
• Site development infrastructure review and selection
• Building assembly alternatives with associated cost savings
• Equipment vendor review and selection
• Back-up energy systems review and selection
• Energy management systems review and selection
• Weatherproofing assembly review and selection
• Exterior finish alternatives review and selection
• Interior assembly and finish alternatives review and selection
• Project phasing requirements are identified, reviewed, and incorporated into the overall Project Development Schedule

At the conclusion of the Design Development Phase:

• All building assemblies, finishes and equipment have been identified and specified
• The project budget has been modified to reflect the selected assembly and/or systems
• The schedule has been coordinated to reflect the actual project requirements

Where SLI differs from our competitors is that we purchase materials directly from the manufacturers, rather than from the subcontractors. It’s faster and more economical for you, and it allows SLI to maintain schedule control.

Preparing for Construction
As soon as you approve the Design Development Documents, SLI’s architects and consulting engineers will prepare the drawings, specifications and requirements for construction of the project and assist in preparing the necessary bidding and contractual information for construction. SLI provides a minimum of three (3) Owner Representative Meetings including:

• 20% architectural, engineering drawings review
• 50% architectural, engineering drawings review
• 90% architectural, engineering drawings review

Construction Documents include:

• Drawings documenting the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil, landscape, interior design, and signage for the project. The drawings produced will be used to obtain all jurisdictional approvals.
• Specifications outlining the levels of quality and standards to be met in the construction of the project.
• Bidding requirements, including the information and forms for bidding.

In-house plan reviews are on-going throughout the documentation phase to reduce inconsistencies and/or conflicts in the drawings and details. SLI’s plan review process is a large portion of our Quality Assurance program. Based on the project requirements and development schedule, it may be necessary to produce documents by phases to allow permitting and construction of portions of your project prior to finalizing details on other phases.

Staying Within Budget
We already know the cost as the project moves from Design Documents (DD's) into Construction Documents (CD’s). Construction Documentation with a budget based on “hope” is not a strategy for success. We design in accordance to the budget outlined.

For years, SLI has lived out its business philosophy by making sure that Construction Documents accurately represent the initial budget. Monitoring the cost as CDs continue to develop is a fluid process at SLI, not an event or point in time.