Working with a Consultant Team

Buildings are complex entities, and to bring them to life requires the coordinated teamwork of a skilled and collaborative project team. Beyond the lead architect or designer, a typical project will also involve a range of consultants and sub-designers.

Technical consultants and sub-designers are professional experts in their fields and specific subject matter, brought onto a project team to support the architect’s design and fulfill the clients’ program. Their drawings, documentation, and reports will be integrated into the final drawing set that is submitted for building permit and ultimately construction.

As the project manager, your architect will research project specific requirements and determine which consultants are needed within the design and permitting process. Throughout the process, they will coordinate communication and work among the team, bringing everyone together to properly document the design for permitting and construction.

Examples of consultants and sub-designers that are often brought onto a project team

Each project has unique considerations and constraints, and your project manager will put together a team of consultants that is suited to fit the needs of the project and permit submittal requirements.

Commonly involved consultants and sub-designers include:

• Land Surveyor

• Geotechnical Engineer

• Civil Engineer

• Structural Engineer

• Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineer (MEP)

• Title 24 Consultant (T24)

Depending on the design program, site conditions, and jurisdictional requirements, there are a wide range of other parties that can be brought onto the project team. This could include landscape architects, historical preservation experts, interior designers, wastewater treatment/septic system designers, accessibility/universal design consultants, and other specialists.

Primary consultants and their contribution to an architectural project

Land Surveyor

A land survey showing parcel boundaries and dimensions, topographical information, large trees or landscape elements, and property easements is needed at the outset of the project. This allows your architect or designer to properly locate the building and site improvements while accounting for required setbacks and site-specific conditions.  Completion of the survey also allows your project manager to complete early feasibility studies and zoning research to determine buildable options for your project.  If you don’t have a recent survey available for the property, the first step of the architectural design project should be to have one performed. This can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on the surveyor and their schedule, so it is optimal if the client either has the survey in-hand to kick off the design process or is prepared to contract a surveyor immediately following the execution of the design contract.

Geotechnical Engineer

In California, the need for a geotechnical/soils report is governed by state building code, with the final determination made by the responsible jurisdiction (such as the County Geologist or Planning Department staff). As the project manager, your architect or designer will perform research and inform you of your project’s specific requirements.

As you embark on your project, it is generally fair to assume that a geotechnical/soils report is needed for all new residential buildings (single-family, multi-family, and ADUs), large non-habitable structures, and for additions to existing buildings that fall within specific square footage criteria. Soils reports are also often required due to parcel considerations such as natural site slope, location in a specific geological zone (such as a coastal hazard zone), the creation of cut or fill slopes or retaining walls over a certain size, grading activity, evidence of high groundwater or location within a floodplain, etc. (Please note that this list is provided for broad informational purposes and is not complete).  Ultimately, this report will be utilized by the structural and civil engineers to design the building foundation and solidify earthwork requirements.

Where necessary, a geotechnical/soils report should be requested early in the design process, so that your architect may allow for any findings or needed site remediation within the design.

Civil Engineer

Architects and civil engineers frequently work together on projects of all scales. A civil engineer may be brought onto a project to design site grading, drainage, and large driveways, as well as engineering the utilities connections. If there are retaining walls or needed on site, the civil engineer will also design and detail these with the help of the structural engineer. The civil engineer’s drawings will be added to the final drawing set that is submitted for a building permit by the architect and will be referenced during the course of construction.

Structural Engineer

A structural engineer works to verify the physical integrity of the building design. Dependent on the project, they may design specific structural elements or make recommend changes to the building structure. Structural engineers are included on most projects at some level- everything from remodels and single family homes to larger commercial, institutional, or multi-family buildings.  The structural engineer’s drawings will be added to the final drawing set and are needed for building permit approval. 

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Design (MEP)

In the design development and construction documents phases of design, a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) design consultant (or consultants) may be brought onto the project. An expert in building systems, they will design and document the details of a buildings HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems to meet code and permit approval requirements. Sometimes this scope is executed by one person, where other times it is performed by three independent engineers.

Certified Energy Plans Examiner (CEPE/Title 24 Consultant)

Title 24 (T24) refers to California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Updated every three years by the California Energy Commission, the code is designed to reduce energy usage in both existing buildings and new construction.

Every project in California is required to have a Title 24 report for approval. A Certified Energy Plans Examiner (CEPE) will prepare the report and required forms to ensure the proposed design meets or exceeds the energy code requirements.

Beyond design: the role of an architect on the project team

Many people think of architecture as purely design. In reality, architects are responsible for managing and coordinating the various consultants (not to mention the planning and building officials, fire department, etc). Every project is a team effort, so it’s important that everyone knows how to work well together towards a common goal - willing to adjust the designs as changes, conflicts or revisions arise. 

Having a team that works well together is critical for the success of the project. At Workbench, we work diligently to establish strong, ongoing relationships with consultants who understand our schedules, values and design direction- simplifying the overall process.