Our approach to the preconstruction process has been refined over the past century and is guided by three key principles:

 

Team Collaboration

We believe that successful projects stem from a unified effort among the Owner, Architect, and Contractor. Our practices foster open communication, clearly define roles and responsibilities, and identify shared goals, challenges, and solutions, ensuring everyone is aligned throughout the project.

 

Scope Verification

Our aim is to maintain your design intent while adhering to budget constraints. We facilitate a collaborative exchange between Woodward, our clients, and their design teams to ensure that the project meets its programmatic goals, as well as budget, schedule, quality, and long-term maintenance requirements.

 

Budget and Schedule Accuracy

Recognizing the urgency of effective fund utilization, we work diligently as your preconstruction partner to establish and refine the budget and schedule from the earliest design phases. This proactive approach helps identify potential cost overruns, enabling us to develop solution-driven strategies that maximize value and inform your decision-making.

By adhering to these principles, we ensure a streamlined preconstruction process that sets the foundation for successful project outcomes.

Woodward Design Group combines the creative vision of architecture with the practical expertise of construction. Our team of licensed architects and experienced design professionals thrive on the challenges of the built environment, offering a flexible range of services tailored to meet our clients’ needs.

Conceptual Visioning and Programming

 

We collaborate closely with clients to translate their goals and preferences into a cohesive design vision. This foundational phase ensures alignment with the client’s vision and practical considerations. Key activities include:

Research

Analyzing site conditions, user requirements, and regulatory constraints to inform design.

Preliminary Concepts

Developing initial design ideas that encourage discussion and solution exploration.

Scope Definition

Establishing functional requirements and space needs to guide the design process.

 

 

Schematic Design

 

With the program established, our team tests and refines design concepts through client feedback.  This phase shapes the project’s form and function based on client input. Activities include:

Conceptual Drawings

Creating sketches that outline layout and spatial organization.

Design Alternatives

Presenting various approaches to meet project goals and constraints.

Programmatic Elements

Defining room sizes, relationships, and functional requirements.

Evaluation

Assessing designs against site constraints, budget, and regulations.

 

 

Design Development

During this phase, the design is significantly advanced based on agreed-upon concepts. This phase results in a comprehensive plan ready for construction. Major objectives include:

Refinement

Developing detailed designs incorporating client feedback and requirements.

Detailed Drawings

Producing layouts, materials, and construction methods.

Collaboration

Working with engineers and contractors to integrate systems into the design.

Compliance

Ensuring the design meets building codes and technical standards.

 

Construction Documents

Our team prepares thorough drawings and specifications necessary for permit and construction. This phase communicates the design intent clearly to subcontractors. This includes:

Detailed Plans

Producing precise documentation to guide construction.

Material Specifications

Describing finishes and construction methods for clarity.

Integration

Ensuring all systems are accurately represented in collaboration with specialists.

Verification

Confirming compliance with building codes and zoning requirements.

Bid Preparation

Creating documents for contractor bids and evaluating submissions.

 

Contract Administration

In this crucial phase, we oversee construction to ensure adherence to design documents. This phase ensures a smooth construction process, maintaining the integrity of the design vision and quality standards.Key responsibilities include:

Site Visits

Regularly inspecting construction progress to ensure compliance with plans.

Submittal Review

Approving contractor submissions to meet design requirements.

Problem Resolution

Identifying and addressing construction issues as they arise.

Quality Assurance

Conducting inspections to verify the quality of completed work.

Change Management

Reviewing and managing changes to the scope of work.

Woodward Engineering Group is made up of highly skilled and forward-thinking professionals who bring quality and integrity to every project from the earliest stages. Our flexible team is equipped to meet clients’ structural engineering needs independently, collaborate directly with Woodward’s operations teams, or work alongside outside architecture firms, integrating seamlessly with our full range of divisions.

We focus on ensuring the safety and stability of both new and renovated commercial structures. Our primary services include:

Design, Analysis, and Modeling

Our team develops detailed plans and models to assess how structures will respond to various forces and loads, such as gravity, wind, and hurricanes. Utilizing specialized software like RISA and Revit, we simulate these forces to ensure the integrity and resilience of each design.

Material Selection

We carefully select materials—such as steel, concrete, and wood—based on design requirements, environmental conditions, and cost considerations. Our goal is to ensure that these materials can support the intended loads while providing durability.

Code Compliance

We ensure that all designs adhere to local building codes and regulations, which are critical for maintaining safety and structural integrity throughout the project.

Construction Oversight

Our team often oversees construction to guarantee that buildings are constructed according to our designs. This includes site inspections, progress reviews, and addressing any issues that arise, ensuring that the outcome aligns with our rigorous standards.

At Woodward Engineering Group, we are committed to delivering structural engineering solutions that prioritize safety, functionality, and collaboration.

Design-Build

No other process ensures speed of schedule and accuracy of pricing as the design-build method. And Woodward’s had over 100 years of perfecting our approach.

Design-build is an integrated project delivery method in which a single entity—the design-build team—manages both the design and construction phases under one contract. This approach fosters seamless collaboration among architects, engineers, and contractors, minimizing miscommunication and reducing delays. By streamlining decision-making and enhancing coordination, design-build leads to faster project completion and greater cost efficiency.

The key advantage of design-build lies in its unified structure, which consolidates responsibility into a single point of contact, ensuring accountability and simplifying the client experience. Our approach harnesses the power of both our in-house design and construction expertise, allowing us to accurately assess cost, schedule, and project scope early in the process. This holistic strategy optimizes efficiency and delivers superior results.

Construction Management (At Risk)

We work in close collaboration with the design firm to ensure your projects success from pre-construction to closeout.

Through the Construction Management at Risk (CM at Risk) approach, we serve as the general contractor during construction, collaborating closely with all project stakeholders. We take on the responsibility of subcontracting work and guaranteeing project completion, providing clients with confidence in cost control and risk management.

This method offers a unique opportunity to leverage the extensive construction management expertise that Woodward has cultivated over years of industry leadership. By combining our deep knowledge with proactive oversight, we ensure efficient execution and successful project delivery.

Other Integrated Delivery Methods (Design-Assist, or general early engagement)

Experience the many of the benefits of our preconstruction services while we collaborate with your designers of choice throughout the design process.

In a design-assist role, our experienced preconstruction professionals provide critical oversight, including review, coordination, management, quality control, and compliance services. This approach ensures seamless integration between design and construction, enhancing efficiency and constructability while maintaining project integrity, even when primary engineering and design are handled by other firms.

General Contracting

We are driven by executional excellence. Focusing on safety, quality and project controls.

As one of the region’s leading builders, Woodward offers the full range of general construction capabilities. In addition to the support and resources provided by our many other in-house groups, we offer clients a highly-trained, safety-oriented workforce, strong relationships with the area’s best subcontractors, extensive experience in both negotiated and bid projects, and a tradition of quality dating back over a century.

The nature of our integrated design and construction services lends itself to the earliest stages of property development. Our ability to intuit complex considerations from regulatory and financial to market demand and retention helps clients and developers as they navigate their real estate and property development decisions.

Real Estate

Whether it is your first property acquisition or adding to a well-rounded portfolio, Woodward routinely provides insight and expertise to assist developers in streamlining the decision-making process to help discern the feasibility on a given piece of real estate.

• Site Selection and Evaluation
• Traffic Studies
• Environmental Analysis
• Zoning and Approvals
• Build-to-Suit Assessment
• Project Feasibility Analysis

 

Pre-Development Design and Construction Support

As you embark on the exciting yet challenging venture of developing your property, there are various factors that could affect its successful realization. Woodward assists in minimizing risk, anticipating challenges, and providing accurate inputs for your financial model to ensure you have the most information to make the best-informed decision.

• Master Planning and Visioning
• Regulatory Approvals and Code Compliance
• Conceptual Construction Cost Opinions
• Program Analysis
• Occupancy Analysis
• Parking Analysis

 

Community Outreach and Engagement

When considering new developments, it is critical to understand its acceptance in the community. Leveraging our experience, relationships, and generations of service to our area, Woodward provides community-focused activities to achieve a long-standing development asset.

• Community Outreach and Engagement Meetings
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Opportunities

Woodward Millwork Group is the leading provider of custom millwork in our region, enriching the largest projects with the quality of master craftsmanship.  Operating out of their 24,000-square-foot Northshore facility, they combine the skillful techniques of their master craftsmen with state-of-the-art equipment to handle everything from standard casework, to historic restoration and large scale custom designs.

While our facility is complete with advanced equipment, the heart of our operation remains our team of craftsmen. Our most experienced employees come to each project with a wealth of knowledge built over decades in the business, and they pass along their expertise to those following in their footsteps.

Woodward Millwork Group’s portfolio ranges from the duplication of historic millwork to the largest fabrication projects for hotels and institutions. Whether working as part of one of our integrated Design+Build projects or contracted by other firms for individual millwork jobs, they pride themselves at on delivering consistent excellence in quality and craftsmanship.

Woodward Steel Group offers a wide array of services from structural steel erection, pre-cast and tilt-up erection, sheet metal fabrication and installation, to complete steel building systems, including our over 60 year relationship with Butler Manufacturing.

When clients work with Woodward Steel Group, you can count on our decades of experience, reliability and the integrity of a proven leader in the field. We bring state-of-the-art equipment and industry-best techniques to every job. We staff our jobs with committed professionals who benefit from specialized and ongoing training, where our work is performed under stringent controls and safety procedures.

We are proud of our reputation, of our achievements and especially of the satisfaction that motivates our clients to entrust us with their next project. That has long been the Woodward advantage, and our commitment to that tradition is built into our every job.