Cutting Through Complexities With an In-House MEP Team

At Hoefer Welker, we know that bringing our clients’ extraordinary visions to life isn’t a simple process – but we’ve discovered a way to make it smoother, faster, and more collaborative. The key? Our in-house mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) team. This integrated approach streamlines the entire process, giving our clients a seamless experience from concept to completion 

Our renowned group of MEP engineering experts collaborate alongside our architecture, sustainability and clinical technology solutions teams. This integrated approach allows us to navigate intricate hurdles, cut out complex communications and provide value-driven solutions for our clients. By consolidating what’s typically two separate teams and eliminating the need for outside MEP consultants, we work as a holistic design-build model. 

Take a glimpse into our strategic process and learn the advantages of having an in-house MEP engineering team:

A Single Cohesive Team

Eliminating Communication Barriers

Hoefer Welker’s engineers follow the traditional path of receiving a project scope of work and then working alongside architects to identify and navigate MEP needs. However, one of our biggest advantages from utilizing our internal MEP team is the direct collaboration between architects and engineers. This structure eliminates the need for a liaison, fostering a continuous flow of communication and readily available information among our teams, including our engineering, architecture, specialized interior design, clinical technology solutions and sustainability teams. 

Providing Seamless Interdisciplinary Workflows

With the advantage of face-to-face connectivity and camaraderie, our cohesive teams are well-experienced in coordinating and strategizing as a unit to create technically advanced and state-of-the-art buildings. Seamlessly integrating our cross-disciplinary teams allows us to share perspectives and responsibilities and understand the reasoning behind every step of the project. 

Ultimately, this comprehensive approach to engineering and architecture furthers our ability to create tailored solutions that exceed client expectations with efficient timelines, transparency and a properly managed budget.

This process also allows our teams to become extremely familiar with one another. After consistently working together, forming strong relationships and gathering an understanding of how each collaborator typically operates, we understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows quick problem identification and the ability to proactively compensate for one another, leading to fewer problems and reducing the need for remedies along the way. 

Tailored Client Planning and Outcomes

Providing MEP Solutions From the Start

In the architecture and design industry, it's uncommon to bring external consultants into early client discussions. However, with our in-house MEP team, our engineers are engaged from the beginning of a project’s lifespan. This ensures that technical insight and transparency into what’s possible are provided up front, ensuring clear expectations have been set and that the project’s scope of work is accurately defined. Once the project officially begins, the team already has an understanding of when, where and how to approach building systems and solutions. 

At Hoefer Welker, our first step is an eco-charrette, which allows our team to sit down with the project owner to create an initial vision for the project and to discuss design goals and plans. The “eco” portion is where we add the sustainability and MEP team into this initial process to audit and discuss the granular details, such as HVAC needs and comfort levels based on a “good, better, best” system. Based on their insights, we proactively identify strategies to bring their ideas to life in a fluid process alongside our architecture and specialty teams. 

Enhancing Client Benefits

Having this insight and transparency from the beginning avoids the need for creative or unforeseen solutions at a later stage of the project, which can quickly add unexpected costs and construction delays. Understanding that mechanical and electrical systems are typically 25-30% of a project cost, we deeply value our clients' time and budget, and having our integrated team provides quicker construction turnaround times with simplified solutions and cost-effective results.

Collaborative Problem-Solving

Removing External Confusion

In the design and build industry, project roadblocks and problems are inevitable. However, with one unified team of MEP engineers and designers working together as your partner, there’s no finger-pointing, only problem-solving. 
Our job as a firm is to make the planning and construction process seamless for our clients, especially when it comes to finding solutions and making course corrections. There’s no need for time-consuming mystery solving with our team, as we collectively own situations and quickly collaborate among our service teams to create the most efficient and effective solutions. This creates opportunities for us to easily identify issues within a project and quickly collaborate to resolve them. 

Advancing the Process

While outside consultants have a standard process they have to follow during project coordination, our process simplifies when “project partners” are sitting side by side with the rest of their team in the Hoefer Welker office. 

By removing the barrier between project architects and MEP engineers, which is usually unavoidable with consultants, turnaround times are also condensed. In contrast to receiving numerous emails, scheduling meetings to discuss project details and next steps, and navigating formalities for approvals, our engineers have constant access to our designers.

Ready for Your Next Project?

Working with our integrated team ensures seamless workflows throughout the initial start of design and the implementation processes. We pride ourselves on providing transparent communication from the outset, and on being a dedicated team that supports each other to deliver the highest-quality work, bringing client visions to life in the most effective manner.

Learn more about our engineering team and their previous work here, or contact us today to get started on your next project.