Site Searches

ARCHITECTURE consists of the full range of services defined by the AIA. These services include construction documents or working drawings, soliciting and reviewing bids from contractors, and Construction Administration (CA). The CA includes observing the construction progress of the job to ensure that the facility is being built in accordance with the drawings. CA also involves checking and approving shop drawings, answering contractor's questions (Requests For Information, or RFI's), reviewing and approving requests for payment from the client, and a final punch list.

Architectural services also involve the coordination of all of the other disciplines in a construction project such as Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, and Electrical Engineering.

Estimating at periodic times during the construction document phase is included in our Architectural Services.

ENVIRONMENTAL & SAFETY AUDITS consists of Dario Designs and our associates reviewing a newspaper's operations and touring the facilities. We conduct interviews to understand the environmental and safety procedures.

A confidential report is then provided with a list of the violations and some recommended solutions to more complicated matters. Our lists usually include simple things, such as illegal extensions cords and ladders in poor condition, as well as more serious issues such as the lack of proper egress and dangerous operating procedures.

We have never found fewer than 100 violations as a results of our audits. Most of them are simple custodian fixes. Others can prevent major fines, injuries, or even loss of life. A benefit of this service beyond the obvious improvement of safety is that the regulatory agencies look very favorably upon a newspaper that is trying to regulate itself, rather than being regulated by the authorities. It illustrates the intent of trying to be as safe as possible.

Finally, we will point out areas of non-compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

ESTIMATING includes Dario Designs providing cost estimates for production equipment and the construction of the facility. These estimates are provided by Dario Designs based on our historical records and experience. We also solicit and manage estimates from local contractors that are more familiar with the local construction methods and materials.

Estimates get closer and closer to the final costs as the scope gets more well defined. The various stages where estimates may be provided include the end of the masterplan, schematic design, and design development, as well as the end of 30%, 60%, and 90% completion of the construction documents.

EXISTING CONDITION DOCUMENTATION services include the physical field measuring of an existing facility and producing a CADD drawing of the existing facility. This computer-generated document is a valuable tool for all future projects. Because these documents are computerized, they are easily updated to reflect the day-to-day changes in a facility and can be used for al future planning and facility modifications. Other uses for these documents include:

Illustrate furniture plans and departmental layouts
Fire, safety, and evacuation plans.
Pricing documents for future facility modifications, such as new carpeting, raised floors, ceilings, wiring, or painting.
Illustrate locations and types of electrical, voice, data, and fiber optics services.
Illustrate heating and cooling zones for mechanical systems.
Security and facility access plans.
Plans for insurance companies illustrating current fire protection systems and precautions.
ADA compliance plans.

FEASIBILITY STUDIES are used to determine which of several potential solutions will best meet the needs set forth in the program. Typical scenarios compared in a feasibility study include utilizing the existing facility, renovating the existing facility, adding on to the existing facility, retrofitting a newly acquired building, or constructing a new facility. Other feasibility studies will compare the advantages and disadvantages between staying downtown, building a complete new facility off site, or building just a production facility and running a split operation. Feasibility studies will results in schematic floor plans illustrating the various solutions and a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Budget estimates and milestone schedules are also produced for each scenario. If a new site and building is selected, then an additional feasibility study may be conducted to determine which site best meets the needs of the program.

Site Searches are conducted with a masterplan in hand. The masterplan will illustrate the facility needed to meet the current goals of the newspaper. It will also show the size and location of the areas, which have been planned for growth. With the future plans defined, one can be assured that the sites being considered will meet the needs of the newspaper as far into the future as desired. Some things to consider during a site search include the following:

1. Geographic relationship to distribution.

2. Geographic relationship to employee base.

3. Access to highways and surface streets for distribution.

4. Access to rail, barge, an highways for receiving newsprint.

5. Availability, reliability and redundancy to electrical power.

6. Unobstructed view of southwest sky to satellite transmissions.

7. Availability of services such as gas, oil, water, sewer, and fiber optics.

8. Soils and subsurface conditions.

9. Environmental situations and regulations.

10. Proximity to publisher's house.

11. Regulatory agency issues.

12. Nearby employee amenities.