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Why Visioning and Preliminary Design is Important in Construction

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Planning is the foundation of all successful projects, especially when it comes to construction. The pre-construction phase helps to ensure that all the decisions made are geared toward maximizing the investment. Proper pre-construction planning and design ensure that all factors fit seamlessly together. It gives your project the ‘wow’ factor. Lack of a good design may mess up the entire project; even if it succeeds, it will definitely miss the mark.

Kicking off a construction project with an accurate schedule, an appropriate budget, as well as a clearly designed plan is essential to the success of the project. But any design plan is useless in the absence of a clear vision of how the project will look like after completion. Essentially, the design process is forward-looking. Visioning makes it possible to envision possible and desirable features of a project and provides strategies for their material implementation.

The Visioning Process

The visioning process involves the evaluation of the current conditions of the project, identification of problem areas, and coming up with a solution for existing problems. It’s more than painting an idealistic picture of the complete project. It involves the steps necessary for translating your design into an amazing project through visioning. Missing any of these steps during the pre-construction, construction, and post-construction phases of project development will affect the overall quality of the project.

The first step of visioning and preliminary design involves designing and obtaining approval for the project goals. This includes establishing clear goals, responsibilities, and expectations for all the systems that will be applied in the course of the project. Budget preparation needs to be early and accurate for the project to be a success. During the planning and visioning sessions, the design company will take into consideration all the financial aspects of the project.

Key financial aspects of a construction project include materials, technology, labor, and miscellaneous costs, and incorporate anything that adds value — anything that can be justified from a budgetary standpoint — to the project. Visioning will help you, the project owner, keep track of all the factors that may affect the project. Keep in mind that the key to the success of a project is communication. Visioning and preliminary design will help you stay abreast of emerging issues and keep the entire project team up-to-date.

Diligent Planning

Diligent planning is a key ingredient of a successful construction project. Visioning and preliminary design will make diligent planning possible in a construction project. The design process must kick off with a meeting between the contractor, creative experts, and key decision makers. The items of discussion must include the vision, logistics, and final project outcome. If you are looking for a St. Cloud, MN, architect to help you with visioning and preliminary design, look no further than Miller Architects & Builders. Give us a call for more information about our services.