MM Systems provides a specialized approach to Design Assistance to improve delivery time, mitigate risk, and reduce budget.
Design Assist Process
Design Assist in during engineering and architectural planning offers substantial advantages when creating new building projects. By leveraging advanced tools such as CAD and BIM, our team can achieve higher accuracy, reduce errors, and mitigate risk across multidisciplinary efforts. These technologies enable rapid design iterations, real-time collaboration, and early detection of structural or spatial conflicts, resulting in smoother workflows and fewer on-site issues.
Relying on 6+ decades of experience, we’re able to better anticipate your structural, budgetary, and sustainability needs with an effective value engineering approach. Overall, Design Assist enhances project efficiency, quality, and long-term building performance. Today’s construction schedules are often so compressed that thorough design and development is difficult for the Design Team. Design Assist alleviates the pressure of tight schedules by creating solutions in a systematic phase-by-phase process. Most Design Assist projects produce thoroughly-vetted solutions in just four phases:
PHASE 1: Discovery
We begin the process with initial and subsequent on-line meetings between MM and the Project Team. Following the initial meetings, we would develop a condition-by-condition assessment, working drawings, and animated models of the proposed system designs to meet all service conditions.
Discovery scope includes:
- Workshop – A workshop would be conducted to review service conditions and contract drawings either in person or via video conferencing. Including:
- Any impact of adjacent construction for interferences impacting functionality of expansion joint systems.
- Contiguous waterproofing designs for impact of fastening concepts.
- Possible modifications to concrete slab edges to eliminate embeds.
- Follow-up – Teleconference workshops would be scheduled for any additional review or revisions
PHASE 2: Evaluation & Preliminary Engineering Calculations
This phase is a primary evaluation of all information generated during the Discovery Phase and refinement of proposed system configuration and attachment methods.
Deliverables include:
- Developing and providing final design solution concepts.
- Producing CAD and Revit details for each service condition
PHASE 3: Final Detailing & Structural Calculations
This phase consists of crafting isometric drawings for all transitions between joint types or changes in plane/direction for each joint type. This phase also includes any 3rd-party structural calculations that may be required.
Deliverables include:
- Isometric drawings for transitions between changes in systems or changes in plane.
- Structural calculations for load capacities, wind resistance, and reaction loads from joint system to structure.
- A thorough technical submittal package including location plans, material specifications and physical samples of primary joint systems (e.g., exterior roof, exterior wall and exterior loading dock).
PHASE 4: Installation Training & Site Assistance
During this phase, we will provide on-site training and installation assistance as well as live webcasts to support the construction progress or resolve field conditions at no cost.