Fully Integrated Engineering Systems – The OPR Process
True innovation emerges from insight into client needs and perspectives.
We understand the owner’s desire for reliable, cost-effective systems that meet or exceed their current and future needs. Owners also want to understand how design decisions may impact how they work in the future. Our engineers bring focus to building projects by asking the right questions to clarify the vision. This begins with an Owner Project Requirements (OPR) workshop, where we gather the key project stakeholders for a series of high-level questions. This process originated in building commissioning and has proven to be a powerful collaboration tool that HGA has made standard for the pre-design/schematic design phase of a project.
Example questions could be:
- What are the overall project goals and objectives?
- What are the specific elements that must be part of this project? Programmatic Needs? Future Expansion? Flexibility?
- How will we measure the success of this project? Budget / Schedule, Sustainability Goals, Operational Costs
These first phase questions are meant to be broad in nature to establish overall project design goals. The responses then generate another series of questions to further define each goal. Following this exploration of your goals, how they will be met, and how those goals will then be verified, they are documented and published throughout the design process.
The second phase of the OPR process focuses on design details related to the building systems. Issues that occur on projects are often the result of lack of clarity with the team on design understanding, options, and key decisions. This phase also delves deeper to define detailed design requirements for the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems that align with overall goals for the project.
Items discussed include:
- Design standards
- Energy targets
- Temperature and Humidity design
- Ventilation design
- Emergency Power
- Water treatment, etc.
Our team uses a standard A3 form to guide the process. You will see the term “A3” noted throughout the OPR documents. Borrowed from Toyota’s approach to lean process improvement, an A3 originates from the size of paper (11×17) on which we outline current state, reason for action, target conditions, analysis, and a resulting action. Used as a decision-making tool, the A3 captures an issue from start to finish and documents how fully informed decisions were made for future reference. Results of the A3s are updated in the OPR and decisions are also documented in the design process. Information from the OPR is then used to make preliminary equipment selections and narratives within the preliminary Basis of Design.
A direct result of this process is the inherent value of integration with architecture. By understanding your project requirements, we create an informed design process that allows for integrated architecture and engineering solutions.