Derrington Building Studio

Derrington Building Studio

Reference document

Workflow A reading of the architectural process — six phases, thirty-five services.

What each phase covers, what each service delivers, and how they fit together. Useful for clients reviewing a proposal, consultants joining a project, and anyone who wants to understand how a building moves from first conversation to certificate of occupancy.

Contents

  1. 01 Predesign The conditions everything else rests on.
  2. 02 Schematic Design Where the project becomes itself.
  3. 03 Design Development Broad strokes give way to specifics.
  4. 04 Construction Documents Drawings precise enough to build from.
  5. 05 Permitting & Pricing The bridge between design and construction.
  6. 06 Construction Administration Where the design meets the building.
  7. 07 Miscellaneous Work that sits outside the phase structure.

00

Phases, services, tasks.

Three layers of structure that make the rest possible.

Our process is organized into three layers. Phases are the largest unit — chapters in the project's progression, each closing on a deliverable both client and design team can act on. We adopted the AIA's standard phases and refined them to match the kinds of projects we take on.

Services are the building blocks of each phase: the specific activities we perform — coordination, drawings, code research, selections — sized to the project. Tasks sit beneath those: the documented actions that keep each service held to a predictable minimum standard of care. Tasks live in our internal production system; what travels out into a proposal is the framework below.

The structure is the discipline; the customization is how we adapt it to the project at hand. Most firms apply a one-size-fits-all approach. Ours is to keep the framework constant and let the work inside it move with the project's scale, complexity, and goals.

01

Predesign

The conditions everything else rests on.

Predesign sets the conditions for the rest of the project. The work is about gathering the information that lets later decisions hold — about purpose, site, program, schedule, and the constraints that shape what is possible.

We begin with the project itself: what it is, who it serves, how it should perform. Through interviews, walkthroughs, and working sessions with the client, we develop a picture of the project's program and ambitions. Budget, regulatory obligations, and schedule enter the conversation here, not later. Late accommodation is more expensive than early clarification.

Site analysis runs alongside. If a site has not been selected, we help evaluate options. If it has, we study what the site asks of the project — topography, climate, utilities, surrounding context — and what the codes and zoning require. The aim is to understand the site as a partner in the design rather than a backdrop to it.

The phase concludes with a project program: spaces, sizes, relationships, and the qualitative considerations that will shape design — sustainability, accessibility, security, brand, the texture of the use. Predesign is unglamorous and indispensable. The decisions made here propagate through every phase that follows.

Services

  1. 01

    Land Use Assessment

    What a property will and won't allow, before design begins. We document zoning, setbacks, easements, floodplain, and environmental constraints so decisions about project type, scale, and feasibility rest on the actual rules rather than assumptions.

    Includes — PDF summary of findings.

  2. 02

    Preliminary Code Assessment

    Building-code research at the front of the project, before a specific design is on the table. Covers height, area, sprinklering, construction type, and occupancy classification — the decisions that shape everything downstream. Primarily IBC, with other codes folded in as needed.

    Includes — PDF summary of findings.

  3. 03

    Project Roadmap

    A plan for how the project moves from first concept to permit in hand. Identifies phases, decision points, who's involved when, and what each milestone produces — so timing, sequencing, and approvals are explicit rather than assumed.

    Includes — Roadmap document outlining milestones, phases, players, and key deliverables.

  4. 04

    Visioning

    The conversation that defines architectural strategy and style before any line is drawn. We explore directions, weigh priorities, and align aesthetic intent with how the project actually needs to perform — establishing the spirit the rest of the design rests on.

    Includes — Report summarizing the chosen strategy and style, with imagery and recommendations.

  5. 05

    Model Existing Conditions

    A digital model of the site or building as it stands today — dimensions, structure, setbacks, easements, trees, topography (if a survey exists), and any features that will shape the design. The honest baseline that everything new responds to.

    Includes — DBS scans the existing building via LiDAR; a third-party vendor processes the scan data into a 3D model, which DBS then formats and refines into a clean, dimensionally reliable basis for Schematic Design.

  6. 06

    Project Coordination (PD)

    Stakeholder alignment before formal design begins — primarily client, sometimes landlord or investors. The work is gathering priorities, surfacing where they conflict (architectural quality versus speed versus cost tolerance), and getting them documented for intellectual and aspirational alignment.

    Includes — Documented program summary, plus one site visit to document and observe existing conditions.

02

Schematic Design

Where the project becomes itself.

Schematic Design is where the project becomes itself. The information gathered in Predesign meets the client's intent and our judgment, and the result is a coherent proposal — design that holds together as a whole rather than a collection of preferences. This is the most creative phase, and almost entirely in-house.

Work proceeds in two deliverables, sequenced deliberately. The 2D plan establishes spatial logic: how the program fits, how circulation moves, how the building organizes itself. Preliminary thinking on structure, materials, and systems begins here, but the conversation remains primarily about layout and relationships. The plan is presented for review and refined until the client signs off.

The 3D model and renderings follow. With the plan settled, we move into volume, light, and material — the experiential dimension. This is where the project becomes legible as architecture rather than as diagram. The model also surfaces issues that 2D work cannot: proportion, shade, sightlines, the feel of a room. Renderings are produced for client review and sign-off, marking the close of the phase.

Services

  1. 07

    Schematic Site Plan

    An initial layout of the site — buildings, parking, drives, landscape, and the relationships between them. Drawn at architectural scale but without final dimensions, with people, vehicles, and trees included so the plan reads as a place rather than a diagram. Typically developed alongside the civil engineer for non-residential projects.

    Includes — PDFs of the proposed site plan at architectural scale, with one design and one round of client-directed revisions.

  2. 08

    Schematic Floor Plan

    An initial layout of the building's interior — rooms, circulation, and spatial relationships. Furniture and figures are often included so each space reads as something used, not just measured. The intent is to test organization and flow before committing to complex modeling.

    Includes — Two design options provided — the proposed design and an alternate for comparative purposes — with one round of client-directed revisions to the preferred version. If the alternate is preferred, the DD and CD scope and fee may need recalibration.

  3. 09

    Schematic Model

    A three-dimensional study of massing, form, and the spatial experience of the building. Material approximations, light, and shadow demonstrate the design's character — the complement to the floor plan's logic, showing how the building will actually feel.

    Includes — Same as Schematic Floor Plan.

  4. 10

    Exiting & Fixture Plan

    A code-driven plan documenting exits, egress paths, door locations, and plumbing fixture counts. The drawing where life-safety and occupancy math gets reconciled against the design.

    Includes — PDFs of the proposed plan(s) with the information above.

  5. 11

    Project Coordination (SD)

    Coordination during Schematic Design, primarily with client and civil engineer. The focus is on the moves that are important to get right — building placement, user experience, and how the design responds to the site — handled while changes are still cheap.

    Includes — A coherent overall design strategy, with coordination across client, civil engineer, and landscape architect.

03

Design Development

Broad strokes give way to specifics.

Design Development takes the schematic vision and resolves it. Materials and finishes are chosen, structural and MEP systems are coordinated with consultants, code analysis tightens, and cost estimates sharpen. DD is collaborative by design — we bring consultants into the conversation early and work the geometry until everything fits.

For Assembly-occupancy projects in particular — restaurants, bars, fitness centers, gathering spaces — this coordination matters more than usual. Higher occupancy loads mean stricter egress, ADA, and life-safety requirements, and those have to be designed in, not added on.

Cost discipline runs through the phase. As the design firms up, the estimate firms up with it. The aim is not to value-engineer beauty out of the project but to find the alignment between what is wanted, what is possible, and what is affordable. DD also resolves how the building's infrastructure shows up in the architecture — mechanical, structural, and electrical elements as part of how the building presents itself, not afterthoughts to be hidden.

Services

  1. 12

    Kickoff Set

    The first formatted documentation set, drafted to bring consulting engineers onto the project. Sheets and placeholders are in place; floor plans, RCPs, and elevations are roughed in. Not yet detailed, but a clean starting point that allows for scoping and coordination.

    Includes — Clean, organized PDF export of formatted sheets — the framework consultants begin from — plus a slab diagram and 3D model of the proposed superstructure.

  2. 13

    Detailed Code Assessment

    Deep code research tied to the actual schematic design — exits, corridors, fire ratings, accessibility, and the specifics that emerge once the building has shape. IBC, TAS, and other relevant codes are integrated into the documents so compliance is built in, not retrofitted.

    Includes — PDF summary of findings incorporated into the drawing set.

  3. 14

    Selections

    Choosing the materials and finishes that carry the design — types, qualities, colors, textures — across structure and interior. Aesthetic intent, durability, budget, and code are all factored. The result is a coherent palette rather than a list of products.

    Includes — PDF outline of selections, often with imagery in presentation format.

  4. 15

    Complete DD File

    A fully developed BIM file ready for CD production. The complex BIM environment is cleaned, purged, and formatted to match the eventual bid set specific to the project at hand. The work is where the vision morphs into technical documentation.

    Includes — Production-ready architectural BIM file, optimized for technical development.

  5. 16

    Project Coordination (DD)

    Coordination during Design Development — architectural, structural, MEP, and lighting strategy resolved as a single integrated system. The work is translating design intent into something constructible, and catching spatial conflicts, material questions, and environmental issues before they become drawings to redo.

    Includes — PDF set of consultants' progress drawings, with coordination across client, structural and MEP engineers, and product reps.

04

Construction Documents

Drawings precise enough to build from.

Construction Documents translate the resolved design into a set of drawings and specifications precise enough to build from. They serve three audiences at once: the contractor, who builds from them; the city, who reviews them; and the client, whose vision they encode and protect.

The drawings are exhaustive. Site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, large-scale details of critical conditions — every piece of information a contractor needs to construct the building correctly should be present, locatable, and unambiguous. The specifications run alongside, describing materials, products, and workmanship standards in technical detail. Together, drawings and specs constitute the legal scope of work.

Coordination is the through-line. We integrate consultant drawings into ours, hold regular coordination meetings, and resolve conflicts before they reach the field. Errors caught in CD are corrected with a redline; the same errors caught on site cost real money. The goal is a set of documents that is internally consistent, complete enough to price accurately, and clear enough to leave no room for interpretation drift.

Services

  1. 17

    Permit Drawings

    The drawing set produced for the Authority Having Jurisdiction — plans, elevations, sections, and site documents focused on demonstrating compliance with zoning, code, and life-safety. Specifications complement the drawings where required. Reviewers are looking for safety and legality; the documents are tuned to communicate those.

    Includes — PDF set of stamped project drawings for permit submission (architectural et al), comprising:
    • Floor & Mezzanine Plan with dimensions and fixture locations
    • Reflected Ceiling Plan
    • Roof plan
    • Exterior elevations with materials and heights
    • Building section through mezzanine and wash bay
    • Wall section, foundation to parapet
    • Door, window, and finish schedules
    • Exterior wall sections and stair details

  2. 18

    Specifications

    Written documentation of materials, workmanship, and quality standards — the contractor-facing companion to the drawings. Specifications carry the requirements that drawings can't show, anchoring the project's quality expectations.

    Includes — Combination of outline specs, sheet notes, and a finish schedule.

  3. 19

    Permit Prep & Submission

    Preparing and initially submitting the full permit packet — architectural, structural, and MEP drawings plus the supplementary forms each AHJ requires. Covers preparation and the first submission only; ongoing back-and-forth with the AHJ is shepherded separately.

    Includes — PDF documents required by the AHJ, in addition to the Permit Drawings. A permitting consultant is assumed to interface with the AHJ.

  4. 20

    Project Coordination (CD)

    Final coordination of architectural, structural, and MEP systems during the Construction Documents phase — refining the decisions DD established and resolving the last spatial and integration questions before the documents go out.

    Includes — PDF set of consultants' complete drawings, with coordination across client, engineers, product reps, etc.

05

Permitting & Pricing

The bridge between design and construction.

Permitting & Pricing sits between the completion of design and the start of construction. Two parallel tracks run through the phase: working with the Authority Having Jurisdiction to secure the building permit, and working with the General Contractor to establish a construction price.

Permitting is more than a submittal. We act as the project's primary point of contact with the city, answer reviewers' questions, and coordinate revisions to the documents when local code or interpretation requires them. Most reviews surface comments; how those comments are handled determines whether the project moves or stalls. We treat this work as design coordination rather than paperwork, because that is what it is.

Pricing runs on its own logic. Sometimes we engage the General Contractor early — well before this phase — when their input on constructability or preliminary cost is useful. Other times, pricing happens here, with a fuller set of drawings issued for accurate bidding while a leaner set goes to the city for permit. The two tracks don't always align in time, and that is fine. The phase closes with an issued building permit and a contractor ready to mobilize.

Services

  1. 21

    Permit Shepherding

    The work between permit submittal and permit in hand — responding to AHJ inquiries, providing supplementary documentation, and coordinating the parties needed to resolve comments. A phase that benefits from active navigation rather than waiting.

    Includes — Navigation of building department bureaucracy resulting in an issued permit.

  2. 22

    Bid Drawings

    A drawing set tuned for contractor pricing rather than permit review — typically more detailed than the permit set, with the precision contractors need to estimate accurately and bid apples-to-apples. The intent is to reduce ambiguity so bids are comparable and the field has fewer surprises.

    Includes — PDF set of stamped project drawings for bidding (architectural et al).

  3. 23

    AHJ Directed Revisions

    The revisions that follow the AHJ's comments on the permit submittal. We review the comments, adjust drawings and specifications as required, and resubmit — the path that converts a submitted permit into an issued one.

    Includes — Documented revisions to the Permit Set that result in an approved building permit.

  4. 24

    Bid Management

    Reviewing contractor bids for completeness, accuracy, and alignment with the project's scope, schedule, and budget. The work is comparing bids fairly, surfacing discrepancies, and giving the client what they need to choose with confidence.

    Includes — Set of contractor bids.

  5. 25

    Negotiation Support

    Helping the client land favorable terms with the selected contractor — price, schedule, scope, and the technical specifics that often slip through a contract conversation. We act as the architecturally-informed party at the table.

    Includes — Ongoing negotiation activity culminating in an executed contract between client and contractor.

  6. 26

    Project Coordination (PP)

    The coordination work that doesn't fit neatly into the other PP services — alignment with landlord, lender, utility provider, or whoever else needs to be in step before construction mobilizes. The intent is to surface and resolve conflicts before they become delays.

    Includes — Typically intangible.

06

Construction Administration

Where the design meets the building.

Construction Administration is where the design meets the building. Our role through CA is to protect the integrity of the design as it is constructed — to ensure that what gets built reflects what was drawn, specified, and agreed.

Site visits are the backbone of the work. We visit at regular intervals and at significant construction milestones — foundation, framing, dry-in, finishes — to observe the work in place and verify it against the documents. These are not inspections; they are architectural reviews, oriented toward design intent rather than construction means and methods. When deviations from the contract documents appear, we document them and report to both the client and the General Contractor.

Submittal review is a steady current. RFI responses keep sequencing intact. We certify payment applications, validating that the work invoiced has actually been completed at the quality observed. CA closes with the building delivered, the punch list completed, and the warranties in place. The project is no longer ours to draw — it belongs to the people who will use it.

Services

  1. 27

    RFI Response

    Timely answers to contractor questions about the construction documents — material specifications, design details, construction techniques, anything ambiguous in the set. Prevents delays, keeps the project aligned with design intent, and resolves issues before they become field decisions.

    Includes — Documented RFI responses addressing contractor inquiries.

  2. 28

    Submittal Review

    Reviewing the materials, product data, samples, and shop drawings the contractor submits before procurement. We verify each submittal against the specifications and design intent, catching mismatches before they're ordered, delivered, or installed.

    Includes — Complete set of reviewed and approved submittals documenting compliance.

  3. 29

    Construction Observation

    Regular site visits to observe progress and quality against the documents. Discrepancies get flagged, solutions get proposed, and communication stays active across the parties. The intent is to catch issues while they are in progress and before they are paid for.

    Includes — Site visit reports documenting observations and recommended actions.

  4. 30

    Construction Issue Resolution

    Resolving problems that surface during construction — design interpretations, material discrepancies, unexpected site conditions. We work with contractor, engineers, and stakeholders to land a solution that protects design intent without forcing the schedule or budget.

    Includes — Documented solutions and adjustments for ongoing project use.

  5. 31

    Payment Application Review

    Reviewing contractor pay applications against the schedule of values and actual progress in the field. Verifies that what's invoiced matches what's been built, supporting fair payment and budget integrity.

    Includes — Approved payment applications reflecting verified work progress.

  6. 32

    Punch List Development

    Near the end of construction, we walk the project and compile the final list of items needing correction or completion before closeout. The standard is the documents and the agreed-upon quality — what gets the building complete for use.

    Includes — Detailed punch list document outlining necessary corrections and completions.

  7. 33

    Close Out Review

    Reviewing and approving the contractor's closeout documentation — as-builts, warranties, maintenance manuals, and operational records. The deliverable is the package the client will rely on for years after construction is finished.

    Includes — Complete set of reviewed and approved closeout documents.

07

Miscellaneous

Work that sits outside the phase structure.

Some work cuts across phases or stands alone as a one-off study. We treat these as discrete services, defined per occurrence and tracked the same way the phase-bound services are.

Services

  1. 34

    Value Engineering

    A structured re-evaluation of design, materials, and methods against their cost. The work is finding lower-cost or higher-value alternatives that still deliver the design intent, then revising the documents to reflect what the team agrees on. Collaborative by nature, surgical in execution.

    Includes — Revised set of construction documents reflecting value-engineered solutions.

  2. 35

    Miscellaneous

    An open category for the architectural work that does not fit the services above — a specialized study, an unexpected need, a custom request. Defined per occurrence, scoped to the situation.

    Includes — Varies by task or request.

Tasks live inside each service — the documented actions that keep execution consistent across projects. They sit in our internal production system rather than in this document; the framework above is what travels into a proposal.

Tell us a few sentences about your project. We send a scoped proposal — services above, sized to the project — within five business days.

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