Overlaying Your Plans

Regarding the discussion about overlaying the plan with information:

Getting comfortable with your established plan to the point that you can start layering information on it.

The consultants architects hire on a regular basis as colleagues on a regular basis to design buildings are:

Civil Engineers

setting property lines, easements, setbacks, and topography

Geotechnical Engineers

for soil reports including soil behavior as related to excavation, moisture, bearing capacity

Structural Engineers

designing footings, foundations based on recommendations from Geotechnical Engineers , sizing structural  systems, verify dead, live and loads including wind, precipitation and programatic loads 

Mechanical Engineers

Designing water  and waste systems, fire abatement, heating, cooling and ventilation.

Electrical Engineers

Designing power, and electrical systems for telecommunication IT and illumination.

Although around from the beginning in the decision making process, these consultants wait for the architect to  convert the clients programatic desires  into client approved schematic design. AT this time the Architect turns over a "backgrounds to the consultants" these are those established plan drawings confidentially prepared by architect who feels will not substantially change over the duration of the design process.  

This is the kind of confidence that YOU need to exude you use as you layer information on them. I suggested: 

Spatial Use

Levels and roofs and the structural systems that support them

Occupancy Type

Occupancy Separation borders between occupancies and a speculation of the fire rating of these separation

Egress System

Building envelope…establishing  walls

Interior circulation and use establishing rooms

Routes for Plumbing  water supply and waste lines

Routes for HVAC 

(Routing Plumbing and HVAC start to answering where services are located on the site and where building equipment rooms are positioned in the building, and vertical chases between levels )

All the above are very plan specific and therefore the plan becomes the key to design development and completion of the construction documents.