EXISTING BUILDING CONSULTING & DESIGN

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If you own an existing building, it may need repair, retrofit, or replacement of its current exterior building maintenance (EBM) equipment. Sometimes, the building’s original EBM system is flawed, or modifications/renovations to the building’s architecture render the EBM system nonfunctional.

This may also be the case if you are considering acquiring an existing building with an existing EBM system that perhaps has some challenges or does not have a comprehensive record history of use.

In either case, you have a decision about how you want to commission the needed work or negotiate on the acquisition. As you decide, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• These kinds of projects are not as simple as they may seem. An EBM system may seem operational and many property managers or building engineers do not have the technical expertise or knowledge of the relevant codes and standards to make a decision on the functionality or code compliance of the EBM system. They rely on the system users who often are also not the best source of professional assessments. 
• There are multiple critical factors that affect the outcome, and it is almost never possible to single source the work to one design/build contractor.
• Contract exclusions will leave you with tasks such as:
  – Assessment of the primary building structure
  – Electrical upgrades
  – Waterproofing/roofing
  – Determining if the proposed design solution is best suited for your building

At times like these, enlisting the expertise of a Facade Access Consultant such as OLYMPIQUE is often the best decision you can make.

Fast Evaluation for Capital Planning

OLYMPIQUE can quickly develop a preliminary evaluation of the conditions and, if needed, design drawings that can be used for capital planning and by other professionals. As the project progresses, design development plans and specifications can be used to engage the structural engineering assessment of the primary building structure and to competitively tender the construction and/or renovation work from qualified design/build equipment companies. This gives you a clear “apples to apples” set of contractor proposals for easy vetting.