Architectural Construction Documents 

Construction Documents, or CD’s, are prepared by the design team and used by the general contractor and his subcontractors to construct the building. Depending on the design of the building, this process often takes a minimum of five weeks to complete. 

Once the second round of planning documents have been submitted, the architect and design team should begin preparing the Construction Documents. There is some risk starting these prior to final planning approval, however, any significant barriers to construction would most likely have been addressed by the second planning submittal. 

CD’s are a comprehensive assembly of layouts, design, details and schedules. Most important, though, is the inclusion of equipment and car wash systems needing integration into the building. Figuring out which systems this applies to for your individual project and gathering this kind of detailed information takes time. 

CD’s are complicated and involve several consultants working in tandem. Due to the high level of collaboration required, there are a number of progress and review sets compiled for quality control during their preparation. Other than the initial 25% Design Development Set (more below), you’ll have several opportunities to review the drawings prior to completion. 

25% Design Development Set 

This set of drawings represents the further development of the schematic design of the site and building produced in Phase 5. The drawings incorporate any revisions as a result of the planning approval process and include all of the car wash equipment needed for engineering. 

75% Coordination Set 

As the name implies, coordination is critically important to the success of your project. Feel free to ask the consulting Project Architect to walk you through this set as this is your opportunity to make any last-minute changes to the design prior to their completion. 

100% Coordination Set 

The design and engineering is complete and reviewed for quality control. You are free to use the drawings for preliminary estimates only. Final bidding should not occur until after the permit is received as the plans are subject to change during Permit Review.