Pre-Design is a preparatory phase of the project delivery process in which the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) are established and general information about the overall project is gathered, including:

• Building Enclosure requirements (e.g. materials, durability, energy efficiency and sustainability goals, life cycle of the building and facility interior conditions)
• Community context (e.g. Codes, regulations, standards, guidelines.)
• Site information and climate conditions
• Owner desired spaces that would occur in proximity to the exterior wall, subsequently having a direct relationship to the performance of the building enclosure

• Occupant comfort requirements
• Owner’s Training requirements to facilitate maintenance and successful operation of the building enclosure
• Documentation requirements
• Other owner requirements, such as insurance company requirements, facility guidelines or preferred systems/manufacturers

The OPR developed during Pre-Design should be recognized as a starting point for subsequent design phases. The OPR will continue to evolve during the design phases in order to balance the functional, performance and budgetary criteria of the project.

Objectives:
Document the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR)

KICKOFF MEETING

Activities in the Pre-Design phase begin with a Kickoff Meeting.
The agenda of this meeting includes identification of project objectives with project team members.
The agenda may include:
Design objectives including the Owner’s approach to energy usage, facility life cycle requirements and code requirements.

DESIGN PHASE

The design phase is comprised of tasks that verify the Owner’s Project Requirements are comprehensively outlined, detailed and specified in the Contract Documents (CD’s). Design reviews are performed and documented by the Building Enclosure Specialist, and team meetings are held to review and discuss building enclosure systems and their performance for compliance with the OPR.

(35%) SCHEMATIC DESIGN (SD) PHASE

In this preliminary phase, emphasis should be on the impact on budget and schedule required for commissioning of various enclosure options. Each building enclosure system has specific tests and tools available for qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of performance, with varying degrees of certainty.

SD BASIS OF DESIGN REVIEW

Review SD BOD document to check that systems presented provide an acceptable design solution to fulfill the OPR requirements, both for enclosure requirements and integrating the enclosure with other building systems. The BOD should include narrative descriptions of building exterior enclosure systems (e.g., roof, exterior walls, floors, windows, skylights, atria, thermal mass, etc.).

SD TECHNICAL REVIEW

Perform a technical peer review of the building enclosure, including the alternative schemes for appropriateness and impact on the OPR at intervals during SD appropriate for the complexity of the project.

Review the Schematic Design phase, rough concepts of the building, and materials in comparison to the OPR. The comparison should be undertaken for the building enclosure as well as criteria for other systems and other project criteria including the functional program, budget, aesthetics and performance. Analysis of conceptual solutions should include impact of inter-dependent systems.

Throughout the design phase review and compare alternatives developed by the A/E appropriate for the development of the project.

(65%) DESIGN DEVELOPMENT (DD) PHASE

DD Phase Project Design team verification of Design/as the concept of the building is well enough established to allow resolution of the building enclosure design against highly defined and precise owners criteria. In this phase more detailed drawings, large-scale wall sections, elevations and details and preliminary specifications for the building enclosure systems are developed in support of the schematic design concept and BOD. The OPR is updated to reflect ongoing decisions. The Design Development Documents are verified against the OPR.

Early in DD, comparisons of various options for the building enclosure systems should be conducted by the design professional and reviewed by the BES. For each surface, variations between the layering of the assembly should be considered including balanced comparisons of cost, performance and aesthetics. The systems are continually evaluated by BES in comparison to the OPR.

Review the design development documents for comparison of building enclosure assemblies and details, required testing and typical details for interfacing continuity. Details to be reviewed should include, but are not limited to:

Typical details for roof to wall, foundation-to-wall, fenestration, wall to floor, wall to column, wall to floor, penetrations and other features that are common or highly repeated for the various enclosure assembly layering options.

At completion of DD, all surfaces of the building enclosure, including below grade, should be identified as a complete assembly with all layers identified. The air, water, thermal and vapor control layers as well as means to meet all other criteria included in the OPR should be identified.

(65%) CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS (CD) PHASE
During CDs, the building enclosure systems and typical details selected in Design Development are fully developed for all of the specific interfacing conditions required for the project. In this phase, more details and sections are added along with comprehensive schedules. The Construction Documents become the delivery method of the OPR and are completed to a level of detail and specificity to allow for procurement and construction of a building that meets the OPR.