Capabilities

If you are interested in engaging Cassisi Architects to carry out a building project we can provide you with advice to assist you in making the best possible decision. We are able to arrange an initial meeting in our office or meet you at your site to discuss the brief, site constraints, and planning controls. We can provide you with some ideas on the best way to develop your property.

An existing building may need to be measured or land surveyed to provide us with further parameters and design constraints. Sketch plan proposals are then produced and presented to the client. Once these sketches have been agreed will produce 3D views to allow you to understand the design and appreciate the design spatially. This allows us to fully explore the building, how it fits within the site and its surrounding context. At the completion of this stage, a Quantity Surveyor could be engaged to provide an accurate estimate of the project cost and to make sure that the design fits within your budget.

Cassisi Architects will be able to assist you if your project requires Town Planning Approval. We will prepare all of the necessary documentation and submit the application together with the drawings to your local Council. We have a track record for obtaining Planning Permits and we always suggest that you engage the services of a reputable Town Planner (we can suggest a couple) to assist in providing initial site investigation, assistance with planning controls and also producing the accompanying reports which Council requires in order to obtain a Planning Permit from council.

If your project does not require a Town Planning permit, the Design Development stage helps to design the project in more detail following on from the Schematic Design stage. The initial drawings become further developed to include plans, elevations and sections, we discuss and finalise external materials & details. We discuss things like the type of heating and cooling systems and also recommend the various consultants to assist us with the next stage of the project. We bring years of experience to assist you in making the best decisions for your project.

Following the Design, Development stage is the Contract Documentation stage. This is where we need to produce a set of construction documents that thoroughly describes the extent and quality of building to be built. In order for us to call tenders, it is necessary to produce very detailed and accurate drawings and specifications. This is the ‘contract documentation stage’. We will prepare documents and liaise with the selected Building Surveyor to obtain a Building Permit.

The process of building is relatively lengthy and often complex. Our role as architects is to administer the contract (tendering, arranging the contract, certifying payments to the builder as well as issuing any variations and so on) and to inspect the works so that they are built in accordance with the documents. We arrange meetings on site with the contractor, conduct periodic site inspections, inspect shop drawings and assist in the handover of the building called the Practical Completion stage. Once the project is complete and occupied we remain involved in the project to oversee any issues that might arise over a 12 month period call the Defects Liability Period to ensure the builder fulfils their contractual obligations.

To ensure you receive a competitive price, we will need to tender your project to selected contractor. We can suggest the best and suitably qualified to carry out the construction work. When the tender closes we assess the tenders and advise you on the outcome. We then organise a meeting with the selected tender and the client to finalise the agreement and sign contracts.