"Measure twice, cut once." We believe that thorough preparation is the key to successful project execution.
We begin each assignment with an examination and analysis of the nature and extent of deterioration. The solution is conceived to incorporate the client's goals—aesthetic, technical, financial, and strategic. Its implementation includes accurate projection of cost and schedule, carefully prepared construction documents, thorough review and comparison of submitted bids, monitoring of the contractor's performance, and comprehensive administration of the construction process.
Investigation and Analysis
From examination of observable symptoms, we determine underlying causes. Then we devise solutions that are sensible, cost effective, and buildable. We present the client with a readable report delineating problems, solutions, priorities, time frames, and estimates of construction costs. We review our findings with the client, and agree upon a formalized project scope
Conservation and Materials Testing
Superstructures' conservation studio is integral to our overall practice and serves as a resource to our clients and to the broader community of architects, preservationists, and contractors. The studio provides analysis, creates conservation programs, and operates our materials testing laboratory. Superstructures is equipped to perform a full complement of meaningful tests on stone, slate, brick, mortar, terra cotta, stucco, concrete, plaster, metals, coatings, and painted finishes, both on-site and in our laboratory. In-house capabilities include determination of compressive strength, depth of carbonation, water absorption and vapor transmission, petrographic, spectrographic and microscopic investigations, and other mortar, salt and concrete analyses.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE Testing and EVALUATION (NDT&E)
Our investigative capabilities incorporate an ever-growing inventory of high-tech NDT&E tools that provide critical information about the condition and configuration of a building with minimal disturbance to its fabric. State-of-the-art equipment at our disposal includes infrared and electrical moisture meters and scanners, sonic and ultrasonic delamination detection tools, borescopes and laser levels, covermeters and Schmidt rebound hammers, and other devices used to assess and track the health of masonry, concrete and steel. We continuously monitor the latest NDT&E methods and apply those that add value to our projects.
Construction Documents
Our design solution is expressed in a meticulously delineated set of working drawings and specifications. Their clarity, precision, and level of detail is unrivaled in our industry.
Our construction documents employ a unique labeling system. Every item of restoration work receives a label that illustrates its specific location, the type and extent of the work, the precise materials to be used, and their proper configuration. Specifications are coordinated with the drawings, and include manufacturers' "cut-sheets" identifying acceptable products and components.
Our system saves the client time and money. It facilitates competitive bidding among a broad field of qualified contractors, and minimizes price dispersion among bidders. A contractor who knows in advance exactly what is required, is better able to complete the project on time and within budget.
Cost Estimating
With dozens of similar projects under construction at any time, we methodically track material and labor costs in a computerized database of unit prices. Because our construction documents are "intelligent" and linked to stored costs in the database, we have the ability to quickly and accurately calculate the total required quantities and cost of each restoration item in advance of the bid process.
Our success in tracking costs provides our clients with confidence that our design solutions, and bids that they generate, are consistent with their fiscal projections and budget.
Bidding
We work with the client in assembling a list of qualified bidders. Our familiarity with the marketplace tells us which contractors are best suited to the demands of each project.
Our bid documents include a summary of the total quantities of each item of restoration work required. This eliminates errors in calculation or interpretation on the part of the bidders, freeing them to concentrate on project logistics, rather than performing quantity take-offs.
Bidders are required to submit a lump sum fee for the entire project, as well as a separate price for each restoration item. We prepare a detailed spreadsheet analysis, assuring an "apples to apples" comparison among bid submissions. We assist the client during negotiations to assure that bidders' price concessions do not entail a reduction in the quality of their work, ultimately securing the best price from the most suitable contractor.
Administration of the Construction Process
We protect the client's interests during construction. Construction administration services include processing of contractor's shop drawings and submittals, payment applications, and change orders. Though the clarity of our construction documents reduces the likelihood of contractor error, our field engineers make regular visits to the site to monitor the quality and progress of the contractor's work.
