THE DESIGN + BUILD PROCESS

LEARNING ABOUT YOU,

YOUR HOME + YOUR SITE

+ MEETING YOU + SEEING YOUR SPACE: Every project starts with a free consulation - at your home, on your land, on zoom or in person. This meeting allows us to hear from you about what is and/or is not working in your space, the goals for your project, and for us to offer first impression ideas and suggestions.

+ DEFINING THE SCOPE: Through a series of visual and verbal conversations, we ask that you define your budget and priorities for the project. We work with you to detail what is most important, and use common costs per square foot to look at how realistically your budget and program match.

+ DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: NOVA’s design process is to intentionally think through the whole house as we design. We believe that putting an addition on to a house that does not work in terms of flow, circulation, sightlines, light, etc makes little or no sense. If you proceed that way, you may end up with a larger house that still doesn’t function well. We often find that no addition is necessary if the existing space is reconfigured in a thoughtful and intelligent way, which allows us to do more transformational design within a smaller budget.

+ THE TEAM: We work closely with excellent and experienced builders to create the best possible quality of design and built work. We find that involving the builder from the beginning of the process allows us to keep budgets in check, find efficiencies or difficulties quickly, and respond and problem solve as a team. This collaborative approach - client, designer, and builder - will work as a team through the full span of the project.

+ PROGRAM: This evolving document lists the specific elements to be included in the design, both functionally and in terms of quality of space: light, views, relationships between spaces, inside and outside space, etc. This list may continue to evolve, or be very straight foward, depending on the project. A list might include a combination of descriptors; “three bedrooms” or “age in place bedroom + bathroom” or “daybed in the sun” or “deck for grilling off of the kitchen”. We also ask, on a more conceptual level, what is the project about? What are your dreams for the space? What do the site + context tell us?  What views are important?

+ EXISTING CONDITIONS: Once we have established a team and defined the scope of the project, the first task will be to document the existing conditions of the site. For a renovation project, this means measuring and scanning the house and site so that it can be modeled in Revit, our 3D modeling software. For a new build, the topography - the natural form of the land - of the site needs to be documented and modeled as well. Deliverables for this phase of the project are base Floor Plans, Elevations and 3D views. This allows us to sketch over an exact replica of the space, to scale.

TRANSFORMATION -

circulation -

defining the possibiities

+ CONCEPTUAL DESIGN: For the first phase of design, we will produce a series of hand sketches, computer plans and views - often showing several different examples of ways we can approach the design. We will meet to go over the plans and discuss the ideas. Often, we combine ideas from two different sketches to create the ideal space for you.

+ DESIGN DEVELOPMENT:  Choosing from the series of concept sketches, we will then focus in on the ideas that work best. We draw through the interior and exterior of the spaces, and offer 3D views of existing and new spaces. We start to answer the question of how will we build, and with what materials? The more we can define the materials, openings, character and scope, the better and more realistic the pricing will be.

+ PRICING: Deliverables include Demolition and Site Plans, Proposed Plans and Elevations, Basic Sections with assemblies, Interior Elevations and 3D Views. This drawing set will allow us to work with our chosen contractor and selected artisans to define the costs. This includes cabinet makers, countertop fabricators, and specialties like metal work, stone, etc.

+ VALUE ENGINEERING: Once we have base ballpark numbers back and have established the realistic costs of the scope of work, we will discuss ways in which we may need to cut back, and what to change, innovate on, or keep intact as a priority of the project.

INNOVATION + CREATION

+ PERMIT DRAWINGS: A set of drawings, including demolition plans, proposed floor plans, sections and elevations, engineering information, and window and door schedules. This deliverable is produced specifically for the town and will be submitted by the contractor to obtain the building permits.

+ CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS: Drawing the instructions for what we want to be built.

+ THE BUILD: Working as a team to make the project a reality.

WHY THE PROCESS MATTERS

Designing a space well results in something that looks effortless. That ease + beauty to the eye comes from its ability to move through without hesitation, to see the sunlight and the richness of the wood without a distraction in the way. When we think through all of the materials and the way they come together, the space doesn’t ever distract from life - instead it enhances the way you live, and brings a sense of warmth, cohesion, and calm. 

THE LITTLE DETAILS MATTER THE MOST

It is often the seams that are most telling - the place where two materials meet.  By thinking through the details and drawing out the possibilities, we can create spaces where the light falls a certain way and the relationships between materials are beautiful and make sense. 

DEFINING THE VISION FOR THE PROJECT

“While artists work from the real to the abstract, architects must work from the abstract to the real.“ - Steven Holl

What does the project need to do? What are your dreams for the space? What do the site + context tell us?  

By finding and defining the core ideas of the design, we are able to talk about a project in terms of its ‘concept’.  A concept could be anything from the gesture of a roof as the arms of the swimmer, the nesting of pieces into each other so as to create the ultimate efficiency of space, or the interplay of converging gable roofs.  By defining a concept, we can develop a language and a method by which to make decisions.  This language can be used with designer, client and builder.  When we are all working towards a common vision, we can collaborate that much more effectively.

BRINGING THE SPACE TO LIFE

As we start to develop the design, we begin test the ability of the concept to fulfill the needs of the program.  A good concept makes this easier, not harder.  Instead of a simple space planning exercise, we can think about the movement within the framework of the concept; we can plan space the same way we think about materials (and vice versa). It is the interplay between the different functions of a space that make it come alive and work. This might include the ways in which materials continue from an interior wall to an exterior wall, or the way an alignment of doors allows a long view or shaft of light to move through a space.

MAKING CHOICES + DEFINING MATERIALS

"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Paring a design down to the most minimal amount of consruction to achieve the maximum transformation of a space is always a goal. What is important?

As we continue to develop the design, we begin to figure out HOW to make our ideas work, and what they are made of.  By defining and refining, we can then ask a builder to price the project with a realistic sense of the size and scope, and have a clarity of our intentions for materials.

NOVA uses Revit, Photoshop, and hand drawing to show you what your space would look like.  These 3D drawings allow you to take a look inside, and to make changes very easily.  Below you can see how similar the drawing looks to the reality of the built space. 

DRAWING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Construction Documents are the instructions for the project.  The builder follows these instructions in order to know what to build and where to build it. How it is built is a collaboration between the designer and the builder or artisan.  The more the builder is involved in the design process, and the more the designer is involved in the construction process, the better the result.  It is that kind of collaboration that delivers the best possible project. NOVA works with many local artisans throughout Western Massachusetts; metal, wood, concrete, stone, landscape, furniture, and lighting are all important sculpural elements within a space.

THE BUILD

Communication between designer, builder and client is what allows us to carry the design concept all the way through the process and into reality. Using the challenges that come up in any type of construction to our advantage is what makes a project great.  It is as a team of problem solvers that a builder and designer can do their best work. NOVA will meet with the owners and builders throughout the construction process and will be available for any questions from artisans, builder, sub-contractors, and client from beginning to end.