Professional Architectural Design, without the Professional Architectural Prices.

You deserve to live, work, and play in a home that reflects who you are, inside and out.

Our Architectural Design Process  

  1. Pre-Design 

  2. Schematic Design 

  3. Design Development 

  4. Construction Documents

  5. Permitting

These phases will look different depending on your scope and delivery method, but most projects follow a similar formula. 

CH Benninger will begin by engaging stakeholders, establishing goals, and exploring concepts with the client’s goals as the main focus. As you proceed, the design becomes more refined, detailed, and tangible. This method allows you to explore your options before committing to a final design. 

1. Pre-Design

Our architectural design process begins long before your architect sits at the drawing table. Your design team should begin by engaging stakeholders and listening to their needs. Meetings and workshops help you define the scope and requirements of your project. 

Kick-Off Meeting 

Typically, a kickoff meeting is the first step of pre-design. In the meeting, you will meet your design team and project manager—your primary contact throughout the design process. 

You will identify key decision makers, establish communication flows, and discuss file-sharing systems and schedule milestones. CH Benninger may also use this meeting to better understand your organization and mission—setting the stage for the collaborative process ahead. 

Programming Meeting   

In addition to the kickoff meeting, your CH Benninger will facilitate a visioning workshop. While the kickoff meeting establishes managerial objectives, a visioning workshop sets the design process in motion. The aim is to walk away with high-level goals to steer future design decisions.  

2. Schematic Design 

After establishing goals in Pre-Design, your CH Benninger can start to develop design options that can be reviewed, modified, and refined. 

Design Concepts 

CH Benninger will begin with preliminary sketches of design concepts. This is an opportunity to think creatively and develop multiple concepts for consideration and review. 

As the design evolves, CH Benninger will solicit feedback through regularly scheduled meetings.

As you progress through the design process, making changes becomes difficult, time-consuming, and costly. As such, it’s important to take your time and explore ideas before setting anything in stone.

Consultant Collaboration

Once you have finalized a design concept, your CH Benninger will create more detailed plans. 

At this point, Structural, Civil, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical (MEP) engineers join the process to start planning the building’s systems, while CH Benninger collaborates with all parties involved.

This research helps you weigh initial costs against maintenance and replacement costs for systems that impact building performance. 

During this stage, systems and material discussions remain at a high level. As the project progresses, cost estimates will get more accurate, allowing you to finalize your choices.  

As the Schematic Design phase concludes, you will receive a report that reviews the completed work, including scheduling and cost estimates. 

3. Design Development 

In the Design Development phase of the architectural process, CH Benninger begins finalizing the design with increasingly detailed drawings and specifications. 

To begin finalizing the design, CH Benninger will create more developed floor plans, elevations, roof plans, ceiling plans, and other documentation.

Using a life-cycle cost analysis, you will select building systems and materials. For example, you may use the analysis to find the most economical, low-maintenance flooring option. 

By the end of this phase, cost estimates are more detailed and accurate. Now is the time to finalize the design and prepare for construction. 

4. Construction Documents

In the Construction Documents phase of the architectural process, CH Benninger will create a set of finalized drawings and specifications. These documents convey the functional, aesthetic, and performative intent of the project to the contractor. 

Nevertheless, you can expect to meet with your design team regularly and receive updates on their progress. 

5. Permitting

With a finalized set of construction documents, it’s time to select a contractor. CH Benninger will assist with the permitting process with your local jurisdiction as necessary and perform construction administration along with your selected contractor per agreed upon terms and conditions.

CH Benninger will be available for coordination to ensure your design is built to your desire. With a contractor in place, you can coordinate groundbreaking and prepare for construction.

The architectural design process can seem overwhelming. CH Benninger will be there with you every step of the way to help you enjoy the process.