Symmetry Consulting.
Highly Effective Planning for Efficient Projects
The Symmetry Companies’ Consulting Group
Symmetry
Professional real estate development & construction consultants.
Harnessing decades of construction experience, Symmetry Consulting provides development and construction expertise to developers, owners, architects, and other end-users to maximize the value and success of their endeavours.
It’s imperative to have someone on board to ask the right questions and ensure project obstructions don’t get overlooked. Poor foresight can cost a developer a lot of time and even more money. Between managing service providers, jurisdictions, and municipalities, there are countless opportunities to either stall or fast-track a project.
Your project will run smoother with a residential or commercial construction consultant that’s knowledgeable in both development and general contracting. Plus, you’ll have someone in your corner to explain anything you don’t understand and someone around the table to facilitate more cohesive conversations with the project team.
There are two primary services that we provide at Symmetry Consulting to help guarantee the success of your project.
PRE-CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
PRE-CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
Owner's Representation
Owner's Representation
An owner’s representative (or owner’s rep) is hired by an owner to plan, manage, and execute a building project on their behalf from a developer’s perspective. The owner’s rep operates as part of the project team, but under a separate agreement with the owner to be responsible for the owner’s interests throughout the duration of the project.
Since the success of every project is predicated on planning, it’s especially important to invest in this stage of the project. Many development teams don’t have the time or resources needed to correctly manage the planning phase of a building endeavour. Even if they do have these resources at your disposal, there’s a chance they won’t have the experience required for the project they want to develop.
Preferably, an owner’s rep engages with the project at the very beginning of the process. Then they can work alongside the owner to identify budget and project objectives, a realistic schedule based on the project’s goals, and a clear understanding of what success looks like to them.
Critical project planning measures.
Cost Analysis
Value Engineering
Design Management
Initial Budgeting
Building Information Modelling (BIM)
System Selection
Owner’s Representation
Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Constructability Review
Design & Engineering Services
Development Scheduling
Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Planning
Soft-Cost Planning
Land/Plot Entitlement
Construction delivery methods.
The specifics of every project can influence the delivery method of which the contractor is delivering services. Oftentimes, an owner’s representative or preconstruction manager can provide necessary guidance to a project team that’s not ready to contract with a GC.
This delivery method is often referred to as “hard-bid” and is very much a traditional construction agreement. The term suggests that a client has hired independent consultants, designers and engineers to develop the scope of work for the project via a complete a set of documents that best reflects the intent of the developer. Our estimating team, which consists of construction professionals, understand project documents, specifications, and overall design intent. First, this team thoroughly reviews all project information and then develops costing for that scope of work. They later identify alternates or “value engineering” items for more optimal approaches to the project.
With the design-build delivery method, the design-build contractor is designated as the single point of contact for the owner and handles every phase of the project. This delivery method is, in the true sense of the phrase, a one-stop shop where the client delegates all responsibilities to the design-builder. Harnessing the contractor’s experience, the design-builder works alongside the owner to develop the project design while maintaining cost and schedule control seamlessly throughout the process.
The design-assist delivery method calls for a builder to be involved in the design process at the inception of the project. Clear and effective communication is paramount with this delivery method. This communication at the beginning of the project allows for the design and construction teams to work out real-world obstacles that could affect the project’s bottom line. Specifically, design-assist contractors use their expertise to identify issues in the development plan, suggest alternative building materials or methods, and communicate and adjustments directly with sub-contractors.