Engineering, Design & Planning
Transforming Ideas Into Reality
Argon’s specialist in-house teams improve project outcomes through expert input into the design and planning stages.
Our experience and expertise, combined with cutting-edge technology and a can-do attitude, results in innovative and effective solutions to meet or exceed our clients’ requirements.
Design & Build
Argon’s design and build projects can start from as little as a conversation or “back of the envelope” sketch. We then develop this into concept drawings and a reverse brief to ensure we capture our client’s requirements. Next we complete the design and construction, ensuring the client is kept fully up to date with the design, budget and programme considerations of the project.
Argon’s in-house architectural design and engineering team has the skills and experience to ensure a project’s design meets or exceeds the client’s needs and expectations. We do this while also maximising buildability and improving safety, cost and programme outcomes. Project outcomes are improved through innovative thinking and by applying our depth of experience to assist in producing pragmatic and fit-for-purpose designs.
Argon works closely with the client team and their consultants throughout the design process, holding workshops and providing design review reports. During the design review process, Argon’s team also provides construction staging plans, so key stakeholders can envision the whole process through to completion. Once the design is finalised, we produce a procurement strategy, programme and methodology to ensure the project’s success.
Some of our recent design & build projects include:
“There is no better example than Rawhiti Estate of how a client and contractor can work together... we have pushed the boundary to new levels of design excellence.”
Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
Argon has delivered many successful projects through the ECI model. This process provides significant benefits to project cost, programme and staging of construction. It leads to improvements in the safety and quality in design, and for an efficient building handover at the end of construction. Our ECI team has a range of professional skills, including engineering, architectural design, programming and estimating.
Key benefits of ECI:
- Improvements to buildability through standardising details and simplifying construction, and the subsequent benefits to cost efficiency, programme, quality.
- Consideration of alternative materials and systems to minimise ongoing maintenance costs.
- Early consideration of safety in design and construction, with the methodology informing the design of the project to maximise safety onsite.
- Cost planning can be improved with access to subcontractor and supplier budget pricing allowing for cost certainty in the design from an early stage.
- Client requirements regarding programme and potential staging and sequencing can be incorporated into both the design and construction methodology to ensure strategic requirements are achieved.
- Completion of early staging and sequencing methodologies to allow for early handovers and occupation.
- Identification and management/mitigation of risk.
- Reducing the number of queries and issues raised during construction.
Engineering
Our qualified civil, structural, services and construction engineers have a proven record of improving project outcomes through innovation and value engineering. This knowledge and experience is crucial in identifying and resolving any potential issues before they cause delays on-site. It also ensures large-scale civil and structural works are completed accurately and effectively. Argon’s engineering team are able to provide buildability and methodology input on a large variety of projects, and have experience in many complex construction forms and methodologies. Our engineering team also provide vital quality assurance support to our site team, ensuring that works are completed to specification and ensuring that suitable checks and balances are in place with materials and execution of works.
Argon’s engineering team has specific experience in demolition, mass concrete structures, high rise construction, complex craneage and access projects, large scale civil and drainage works, swimming pools and other sports surface requirements, as well as covering engineered facades, seismic design and coordination of services. Argon’s engineers have developed methodologies and provided ECI input on many projects, including new builds, seismic upgrades, heritage projects, civil works, retaining structures, renovations, and transportable buildings.
Design Coordination
Design Coordination
Argon’s head office design coordination team looks after the architectural and structural coordination of all major projects, including focusing on the shop drawing process. They identify and resolve any architectural obstacles that might arise during the construction process, ensuring continual progress on-site.
The team works with CAD and BIM modelling to ensure the consultants’ services requirements are communicated to the specialist subcontractors and coordinated with the structural and architectural requirements. They also work with our subcontractors to ensure all shop drawings and technical submissions are completed properly and in a timely manner. In the later stages of a project, they plan commissioning, manage submission and approval of as- builts, and oversee the commissioning process and records.
Their experience, knowledge and eye for detail plays a key role in ensuring all the services come together seamlessly with the architectural and structural trades. This helps ensure an efficient construction process and provides a precision, high-quality end result.
Ready to Transform Your Project?
Contact us today to discuss your needs and discover how our expert team can help you achieve your goals. Let’s build something great together!
