Achille wrote:
a) How is the FPA area calculated? Do you include also patios in it?
b) Why do you include the Contractor's name on the building permit? Is it binding? Can't the client change his mind on who will build?
c) Are there any structural drawings? I see there is a Structural Engineer on the team
d) Are there any HVAC drawings?
Achille,
a.) Sorry, I am not sure what you mean by FPA. If that is another acronym for GFA (Gross Floor Area) it greatly depends on what jurisdiction or area you are in. In Canada there are local By-Laws which dictate virtually everything to do with how the site is used. For example calculation of building height, building setbacks, what is included in Gross Floor Area Calcs. etc. There are no standards between cities or municipalities at all.
b.) It is not necessary or perhaps even typical to include the General Contractor on the CDs. In this case the builder is in high demand because of his quality and clients approach him to get on his schedule which right now is booked up well into 2012. I have developed a good relationship with him so that if the client has not yet chosen a designer, he will pass my name on to them for an initial meeting. They may chose someone else but in most cases I get the design contract. I would not include it if the client has come to me without a builder in mind and wishes to go to competitive bid. I should mention that in Canada most houses, perhaps as high as 90% or more, are not designed by registered Architects. The exemption of requiring an Architect is only for small Residential projects under 600 sq.m. And no, even if I put his name on the drawings it would not be binding but because I know it beforehand it is handy to have for the Building Dept. as the General Contractor is the one who calls for all the necessary inspections.
c.) Residential construction is still treated under a separate section in the Building Code from Commercial or Institutional. A lot of the structural requirements are spelled out in the Code for the typical construction method which is wood frame. For things not found in the Code a Structural Eng. is required but he will usually mark up a set of the CDs and add any details or notes as addendums. These will then get submitted with these drawing for Permit Application along with a sealed Survey. In some cases the design is complicated enough that the Eng will do his own complete set. In this case I just supply him with DWGs. I will normally send an initial design to the Structural Eng and Truss supplier for beam size confirmation or other details I need which may impact the design. The Truss suppliers in Canada also supply Eng. Floor Joists and Eng. Wood Beams. They supply Eng. Layouts for Roof Trusses and Floor Joists and all the required Engineering for those elements. It is a bit of a hodgepodge.
d.) There are no HVAC drawings required for Residential. In this case the client will be using a air source heat pump with forced air in the two upper levels and in-floor hot water heat from a small boiler for the lower floor area. Because there are lots of areas for ducts which I have designed into the lower floor ceilings, I have not in this case coordinated anything with the HVAC supplier. I will do the HVAC layouts for any designs which require any special considerations or requirements and consult with the HVAC supplier during the design process. I just had to do this recently with a modern design which had very open ceilings so all of the heating and cooling ducts were incorporated into the walls and slab so the layout was very important.
If I missed anything don't hesitate to ask.
Cheers,
Gerald Hoffman
“The simplification of anything is always sensational” GKC
Archicad 4.55 - 27-6000 USA
2019 MacBook Pro-macOS 15.0 (64GB w/ AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU)
