Scope of work

Information capture and goal setting
We convene with the owner, the AOR, and other key stakeholders to document project objectives, site constraints, preliminary budget targets, and any known regulatory triggers. This aligns with the AIA definition of schematic-design services, which begins with clarifying the programme and performance requirements of the project.

Market and highest-and-best-use analysis
Drawing on regional absorption data and developer benchmarks, we test multiple development scenarios. The AOR confirms zoning feasibility while we quantify each option’s sellable or leasable floor area and its revenue potential.

Rapid 3-D massing and visualisation
Within days we deliver an LOD 200 model (Revit/IFC) that illustrates alternative façade languages, stacking diagrams and core placements. This model becomes the seed of the BIM environment and can be navigated by stakeholders in real time.

Value-maximising concept selection
Together with the client we compare the revenue efficiency of each massing study—optimising perceived build quality and net-to-gross ratios—to identify the concept that achieves the highest potential exit price.

Incentive scanning and preliminary cost plan
We screen Federal (§45L, §179D), state and utility incentives and fold the findings into a DIN-276 cost framework cross-walked into CSI UNIFORMAT II. The resulting cost estimate gives the owner an early, evidence-based snapshot of capital expenditure.

Optional sustainability pre-assessment
If a sustainability target is anticipated, we can perform a DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) pre-certificate analysis in parallel. The DGNB process allows a provisional certificate as early as schematic design, providing a clear sustainability roadmap for design development.

Structured data hand-off
All quantitative findings—area schedules, cost lines, incentive notes—are embedded in the BIM model’s property sets, ensuring that no information is lost when the project moves into Design Development.

Deliverables

• LOD 200 federated 3-D model (Revit/IFC) with alternative massing options
• Programme brief and performance objectives register
• Market and highest-and-best-use memo
• Preliminary DIN-to-CSI cost plan with incentive synopsis
• DGNB pre-assessment report (if commissioned)
• Data-rich BIM exchange file ready for Phase 3 coordination

This approach gives the owner a clear, model-based decision package, while preserving full flexibility for the AOR to advance detailed zoning and code compliance in the next phase.

What we do

• Precise 3-D design modelling
  We raise the building information model to LOD 300, producing dimensionally correct plans, sections and elevations. Architectural intent, structural grids, and primary MEP routes are federated so that clashes can be detected and closed before the permit set starts.
• Functional and economic optimisation
  Unit layouts, circulation paths, and service cores are re-tested to maximise net-to-gross ratios and tenant usability. Envelope assemblies are engineered to German Passivhaus/GEG performance levels, giving the owner a path to very low operating costs without compromising U.S. constructability.
• Detailed cost verification
  We update the capital-cost plan in a DIN 276 structure and translate it into CSI UNIFORMAT II for U.S. estimators. Each design iteration is stress-tested against target budgets, allowing informed value-engineering decisions.
• Interdisciplinary coordination and authority interface:
  Weekly model reviews with the Architect of Record and specialist engineers keep structure, MEP, and code items aligned. Where required, we help prepare technical narratives or energy-performance data for preliminary authority consultations, without assuming the AOR’s legal responsibilities.
• Seamless BIM data hand-off
  All quantities, performance values, and cost lines are embedded as model properties, ensuring that the information travels intact into the Construction-Document phase and later 4-D/5-D simulations.

Outcome
By the end of Design Development, the owner holds a clash-free, performance-optimised LOD 300 model, a validated cost plan, and a coordinated drawing package that the AOR can carry straight into the permit process—reducing downstream rework and giving every stakeholder clear, data-rich direction for the next phase.

How we reinforce the AOR:

Document production under the AOR’s direction

• We escalate the model from LOD 300 to LOD 350 and draft all plans, sections, elevations, schedules, and outline specifications exactly to the AOR’s layer, title-block, and notation standards.
• Energy models, envelope U-value tables, and other quantitative reports are auto-generated from the same dataset, giving the AOR crash-proof numbers to stamp.

Turn-key permit submission—always in the AOR’s name

• Once the AOR has reviewed and sealed the sheets, we load them into the jurisdiction’s e-plan portal (or assemble the hard-copy sets) and verify that every file passes intake QC.
• Throughout the review cycle we maintain a live comment matrix, route each agency query to the relevant consultant, draft the technical response, and present it to the AOR for sign-off before resubmission.

Supplementary evidence & “last-mile” clarifications

• If the authorities request fire-rating tables, acoustic calculations, daylight studies, DGNB pathways, or similar addenda, we prepare the exhibits and attend virtual plan-check meetings—always as the AOR’s technical delegate, never in a signing role.

Owner benefits

• Shorter approval times
  The AOR receives a clash-free, fully coordinated package that answers most reviewer questions upfront.
• Single point of legal accountability
  All signatures and code interpretations remain with the AOR; our contribution is purely technical.
• Full traceability
  Every dimension, quantity, and narrative note links back to the federated BIM model, reducing resubmittal risk.

In short, we give the contracted Architect of Record a high-precision, low-friction permit engine—allowing your project to reach “approved for construction” status faster and with less administrative drag.

Our specific contributions

Architectural LOD 400 modelling
We enrich the architectural Revit file to LOD 400: correct thicknesses, joinery, openings, tolerances, fixing points and manufacturer article numbers. This satisfies the BIMForum definition of a fabrication-ready model and lets shop-drawing software pull geometry without manual redraws.

Multi-discipline coordination inside the BIM hub
Discipline consultants upload their structural, HVAC, plumbing and electrical models to the common data environment. We federate those files against the architectural baseline, maintain shared coordinates, and perform rule-based clash tests (hard & soft). Each issue is logged, assigned to its authoring consultant and tracked to closure before any drawings are re-issued.

Sheet and drawing extraction for the AOR
Following the AOR’s title-block and notation standards, we publish architectural shop drawings—plans, sections, elevations, enlarged details, door-window schedules—directly from the LOD 400 model, ensuring every dimension matches the federated clash-free geometry.

4-D / 5-D hooks
We attach schedule objects and cost codes to architectural model elements so that the contractor’s 4-D sequencing and 5-D earned-value tools can read them. Numerous industry studies show that such model-based time-and-cost integration cuts re-work and delay claims; our role is to prepare the architecture data so those benefits are achievable.

Quality-control linkage
Inspection checklists derived from DIN/VDI workmanship tolerances are connected to model elements. Field inspectors can tap a wall, window or slab in the viewer, record the measured tolerance, and sync the result back to the digital twin—closing the feedback loop between design intent and built reality.

Value to the project

• Fabrication-ready architecture:
  shop detailers can consume our LOD 400 components without re-modelling.
• Conflict-free coordination:
  structural and MEP clashes are resolved in the virtual environment, not on site.
• Data continuity:
  schedule and budget systems read directly from the architectural model.
• Clear responsibility split
  we supply architectural detail and BIM coordination; each trade retains control of its own model; the AOR retains full professional responsibility.

With this focused scope, we give the AOR and the wider project team a high-fidelity architectural model that drives construction logistics and cost control, while ensuring that every other discipline fits around it seamlessly.

Model-driven quantity take-off

Since every wall, door, and finish in the architectural LOD 400 model carries an object code, we can extract counts and measurements automatically and export them to a structured Bill of Quantities (CSI MasterFormat or DIN-conform Leistungsverzeichnis, as required). Academic studies show that BIM-based takeoff increases accuracy and reduces manual effort, producing measurable savings in both consultant hours and change-order risk.

Complete, consistent tender documentation

The same dataset yields material lists, performance clauses, and visual references, so bidders see exactly what is to be priced. Because the quantities and descriptions originate in a single model, discrepancies between drawings and schedules—still one of the most common causes of claims—are eliminated before the package is issued.

Digital bid reception and “price-mirror” analysis

We host a cloud folder into which contractors upload their bids. When the deadline passes, each proposal is parsed against the model-derived Bill of Quantities; gaps or unit-rate anomalies are flagged automatically. The result is a side-by-side price mirror and a short narrative that highlight the most competitive offer in terms of cost, programme, BIM capability, and sustainability credentials—so the AOR and the owner can make an informed award decision, not merely pick the lowest lump sum. Industry guidance notes that a disciplined, criteria-based bid evaluation protects the project from hidden cost and performance risks.

Clear interfaces and responsibilities

• We produce the quantities, specification snippets, and price mirror.
• The AOR remains the signatory on the Invitation to Bid and the party that answers contractual RFI-questions.
• The owner or CM/GC decides whom to award.

Benefit to the project
A bid package grounded in the BIM model removes ambiguity, compresses tender periods, and cuts early change-order exposure—delivering demonstrable value before a single shovel hits the ground.

How we add value

• Receipt and first-pass screening of bids
  All offers are uploaded to the project’s cloud folder. We verify that every bidder has priced the full Bill of Quantities exported from the BIM model, that unit rates are arithmetically sound, and that alternates, exclusions or provisional sums are documented.
• Model-driven “price mirror”
  Using the same BIM-derived quantity dataset for each submission, we generate a like-for-like cost comparison (the German “Preisspiegel”). Outliers—whether unusually low totals or line items priced far above the median—are flagged so the AOR can seek clarification before negotiations begin.
• Negotiation support
  During clarification meetings we provide live model views and quantity breakdowns so that scope questions can be resolved on screen. If a bidder proposes a substitute product or sequencing method, we simulate the effect on cost, programme and BIM coordination, giving the AOR and the owner a factual basis for accept-or-reject decisions.
• Award recommendation and hand-off
  When negotiations close, we assemble a short award report: ranked price mirror, schedule impact analysis, BIM capability score and sustainability notes. The AOR remains the party that signs the contract award; we supply the analytics that make that signature safe.

Benefits realised

• Comparable, gap-free bids—no “apples versus oranges.”
• Faster, evidence-based negotiations that protect budget and schedule.
• A fully traceable audit trail: every figure in the award report links back to the federated BIM model.

By providing this structured, model-backed support, we shorten the path from bid opening to contract signature while leaving legal authority exactly where it belongs—with the Architect of Record and the owner.

1 | Remote visual supervision with OpenSpace

A field tech walks the site wearing a 360° camera; OpenSpace Capture uploads the footage and auto-pins every frame to the architectural model. Stakeholders can walk the job virtually from anywhere and see progress day-by-day. openspace.aiopenspace.ai

2 | Point-cloud “reality capture” and model overlay (on request)

For milestones such as structure complete or MEP rough-in we run a LiDAR scan. The point cloud is imported into Navisworks, where it overlays the federated model. Deviations beyond tolerance—mis-aligned sleeves, missing embeds—light up instantly, enabling early corrective action.

3 | Quantity-based invoice validation

Because every wall, door and fixture in the BIM model carries a cost code, we can compare the installed quantities derived from the point cloud with the planned quantities that underpin each payment application. Discrepancies feed a variance report that the owner or AOR can use to approve or adjust monthly draws and final invoices.

4 | Coordination across trades

All subcontractor models (structure, HVAC, electrical, plumbing) are federated around the architectural baseline. We run automated clash checks on any field-driven revisions and push issue tickets back to the responsible trade until closure—keeping site work aligned with the approved intent.

Value delivered

• Fewer surprises – Deviations are caught in the scan, not at hand-over.
• Invoice accuracy – Payments reflect verified, model-matched quantities.
• Full transparency – The owner, AOR and CM/GC share the same live evidence base—reducing disputes and accelerating decisions.

By pairing high-resolution reality capture with a federated BIM environment, we give the project team a digital twin that tracks quality, cost and schedule in near real time—without changing the contractual roles that keep the AOR in responsible charge.

• 360-degree virtual tour:
  After final cleaning, we run one last reality capture of every room and corridor. The stitched imagery is uploaded to a cloud viewer where users can walk the building online and jump between hotspots. Ideal for leasing teams, investor relations, and press releases.
• Time-lapse video:
  Using the full OpenSpace image stream, we generate short time-lapse clips that show the structure rising from ground-break to ribbon-cutting. Perfect for social media and milestone events.
• Laser-scan “digital twin”:
  A final LiDAR sweep produces a point cloud that is aligned to the architectural model. Key zones such as the lobby and MEP rooms are also meshed for easier viewing. The result is an objective, centimeter-accurate record that supports future fit-outs, facility benchmarking, and warranty claims.
• Open-format as-built model:
  We deliver a cleaned IFC that merges architecture, structure, and MEP geometry with verified field dimensions, ensuring long-term accessibility independent of any single software vendor.

Because these showcase items are mostly built on data we already collected, they add minimal cost and nearly no extra time to the close-out schedule—simply let us know before the final scans begin and we will fold them into the hand-over package.