Services
Architectural Design
At McGrath & Associates, architectural design begins with understanding your goals, operations, and requirements. With over 27 years of experience, our NCARB-certified architects use advanced 3D modeling and BIM coordination to create detailed, constructable designs for commercial, industrial, energy, healthcare, and pharmaceutical environments. We guide clients through programming, design development, budgeting, and final documentation to ensure the design fully aligns with your vision.
Comprehensive Architectural Planning and Design for High-Performance Facilities
The architectural design teams at McGrath & Associates are dedicated to developing practical, buildable solutions that support your operations, budget, and long-term vision. With over 27 years of experience, our NCARB-certified architectural division provides responsive, highly-coordinated design services for organizations within the commercial, industrial, energy, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. Whether part of a turnkey design-build engagement or as a standalone service, our approach combines thoughtful planning, extensive technical expertise, and advanced 3D modeling to ensure every project is efficient, accurate, and aligned with your goals.
Programming and Planning
Each one of our projects begins with listening to your needs, so our architects meet directly with owners and other stakeholders to determine requirements, space needs, facility standards, and long-term operational goals. Whether designing within an existing space or planning a new facility, we do our due diligence to understand the size, scope, and objectives of your project then create block diagrams to convey these elements from a design perspective. This enables all stakeholders to visualize the project and ascertain whether the design truly reflects the needs and expectations of your organization. We make changes as we work through the programming and planning phase to establish a strong foundation for a successful design process.
Related Services
General Contracting
Construction Management
Design-Build
Architectural Design
Self-Perform Services
Design
The architectural team at McGrath & Associates has experience working with a wide variety of project sizes ranging from 100 square feet to 100,000 square feet, from one room to an entire building, and from single-level to multi-story facilities. Our knowledgeable architects lead clients through every stage of the design process:
- Schematic Design: Once our architects have a thorough comprehension of the owner’s vision and requirements, we develop preliminary drawings and early layout concepts that convey scope, function, and feasibility. This also helps us develop a conceptual budget.
- Design Development: At this stage we build upon the approved concept, refining architectural details, materials, MEP coordination, and layouts using detailed Revit modeling.
- Construction Documents: Our team develops finalized documents that include complete, coordinated drawings and specifications that clearly communicate intent, eliminate any discrepancies, and prepare the project for competitive bidding and construction.
Cross-Discipline Coordination
Complex projects require seamless coordination across all disciplines, including architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, civil, and specialty areas. McGrath & Associates facilitates this collaboration through:
- Weekly consultant design coordination meetings
- Cloud-based model sharing
- Clash detection
- Integration of various fabrication components (steel, mechanical, electrical, etc.)
- Early resolution of incongruities to reduce field changes
By working together and resolving conflicts before, as well as throughout, the construction process, we help eliminate costly redos, reduce change orders, and adhere to the established schedule.
Conceptual Budgeting
Our architectural designs are developed alongside early budget estimates. Using programming information, schematic designs, and our extensive construction expertise, we help our clients understand conceptual budgets long before final documents are complete and construction begins. This ensures early and informed decision-making, minimizes redesigns, and keeps the project aligned with financial expectations and capacity from the very beginning of a project.
Proactive Cost Management
Because McGrath & Associates takes a collaborative approach between the architectural and construction teams throughout the design phase, we are able to actively monitor evolving design decisions and how they affect the project budget. If material types, systems selections, or finishes begin to change outside of the established options and costs, we communicate those impacts early and make recommendations that maintain the design integrity without compromising the overall budget or schedule.
3D Design
Our architectural design team uses 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) throughout every phase of the design process. Our BIM capabilities include:
- Models of walls, doors, ceilings, lights, plumbing, equipment, and casework
- 3D walkthroughs and visualizations to help clients understand their space
- Clash detection to resolve inconsistencies prior to the start of construction
- Immersive virtual walkthroughs using VR headsets
- High-quality Lumion renderings for realistic design presentations
This level of modeling helps improve communication, enhance accuracy, and provide owners with a clear picture of their project before construction begins.
Let’s Build
Let’s Design What’s Next
Are you ready to bring your next space, facility, or renovation to life? Whether you need architectural design services or an integrated design-build partner, McGrath & Associates delivers practical designs that are tailored to the requirements of each client and project. Contact us today to get started.