Owner's Guide
A wise man once said: "There are two ways to fly from New York to Denver. One is to follow a flight plan, and the other is to take off and head west. Either way, you’ll probably get there but one will take less time, cost less money and be less frustrating." The flight plan to follow to create a new aquatic complex, and not wander aimlessly, is the Counsilman-Hunsaker Action Plan.
Pre-planning Research:
Quite often, well-meaning committees will discover that their own research yielded erroneous information about funding requirements due to out-of-date cost information, unforeseen soil problems, advances in technology, inflation, variables and unexpected costs; which often results in false starts and lost time.
Developing preliminary information for these questions and others is called pre-planning. In this key phase, a feasibility study is done. With Counsilman-Hunsaker’s assistance, the owner confirms the activities that will be provided and describes the physical facility, calculates preliminary opinions of construction costs, development expenses and the total project costs. The owner should also develop a preliminary analysis of site conditions. The above is necessary before a truly effective program phase can begin. Counsilman-Hunsaker refers to the next phase as program visioning. It takes place in a workshop setting with various forms of visual media, research data and cost data with which the owner’s steering committee identifies physical requirements with viable support information. These workshops stimulate creative thinking and the blending of ideas among the participants. Counsilman-Hunsaker’s effectiveness in this creative process is based on not only designing aquatic centers, but also experiencing the responsibilities of owning and operating similar aquatic facilities for over 30 years.
After the owner’s vision is identified, concept designs with respective costs are developed for the owner’s evaluation, modification and selection. During this procedure a consensus is achieved among participants before progressing to the next phase.
Schematic Design
Based upon the selected concept, the Architect is chosen, and working with Counsilman-Hunsaker, develops schematic plans, cost estimates, support data and site information for the project. These schematic designs are a work in progress and are reviewed with the owner’s steering committee for revision, approval and authorization before progressing to the Design Development.
Design Development Phase
This is an important point in the "flight plan." All input by the owner’s steering committee is processed for an action plan of design, engineering, construction and operation. All decisions should be made by the owner and by the design team at this critical phase, after which plans and specifications are developed, cost estimates are recalculated and schedules are reviewed. At this point any necessary mid-course corrections are made. The owner reviews this part of the design process and authorizes advancing to the next phase - Construction Documents.
Construction Documents
With the approval of the design development phase, the architect’s team, including Counsilman-Hunsaker, begins construction documents, or the "instructions for the contractors." At this time the professional disciplines put together plans and specs for their own respective part of the work, all of which is coordinated by the project architect.
During Construction Documents, details of the structures, systems and equipment are defined, described and drawn. Likewise, "general conditions" describe procedures and protocols, which must be followed by the contractor. After these documents are reviewed by all members of the design team and approved by the owner, they become the Bid Documents and are made known to bidders through advertising. The bids are opened at the designated time, and the project is awarded to one bidder / general contractor. In large projects, owners sometimes choose a construction manager.
When the contract is negotiated and signed between the owner and the selected contractor, the construction documents / bid documents, are attached to the agreement and become "Contract Documents". They describe specifically how the contractors shall build the entire project.
Decision-making is a key factor in creating an aquatic center on time and on budget. Revisions and changes are part of the process in the early phases of programming, schematics and design development, but changes will create delays, and costly "additional services" during the construction document phase and even more so during construction. Changes after the contractor moves off site will be even more costly.
Construction Administration
Construction administration, or "CA," requires:
- Site observation of work in progress
- Review, approval, rejection or re-submittal of the
contractors choices, i.e. submittals for construction, systems and products
- Communications between the architect and the design team members
Counsilman-Hunsaker’s decades of experience in conducting CA for "its part of the work" and its highly developed check lists, have saved owners money by identifying wrong components, flawed work, improper assembly and unauthorized substitutions.
Commissioning and Closeout
Just like programming is a key phase at the start of the process, commissioning is also critical at the end. It is essential that all systems are operating properly when the owner’s operator takes over. With 30 years of experience operating aquatic facilities, the Counsilman-Hunsaker organization has developed a proficient method for testing, analyzing and adjusting swimming pool systems.
Aquatic Operation Services
Even the most technically advanced airplane needs a well-trained pilot and crew. Operators who are moving up from older and smaller swimming pools need hands on, site-specific training. It is not a theory, it’s a fact…
Counsilman-Hunsaker has developed a training program for the new generation of aquatic professionals with special emphasis on automation, mechanical systems and efficient custodial procedures. All created to minimize man-hours, material costs and maintenance requirements. Our goal is to create a proficient operatorwho knows what to do in all situations and not just to familiarize a future operator with his or her new facility.
Counsilman-Hunsaker has found that the efforts spent teaching a staff to properly operate a new multi-million dollar aquatic complex avoids lost time and frustration for everyone.
Feasibility Study
The question is always "where to start". Many projects are handicapped in the beginning stages by a lack of accurate information used by the owner to formulate requirements, budgets and schedules. Determining the real costs, real disciplines and real operational experiences is understandably easier for professionals with years of work in this specialized field than for lay people, who are experts in their own areas of work but know little about what ontributes to the success of an aquatic center. Counsilman-Hunsaker has been developing feasibility studies for communities for over 20 years. It is part of the pre-planning phase and assists the client in determining the realism of the vision, and also the appropriate plan of action to create that vision. Such questions as to the type of aquatic facility is needed such as an outdoor, indoor, leisure, competition, combination of both, therapy, waterpark or an international competition venue may enter into the Pre-Planning Phase. With visioning workshops, community information, concept designs, opinions of project costs, projected revenues and expenses, the owner’s committee can bring into focus a priority of needs, opinions, funding requirements and cash flow. In these partnering sessions, the owner’s committee and Counsilman-Hunsaker develop a common understanding of the direction and scope, which provides a foundation for the next level of project development. With this kind of information, the design team can be selected and authorized to proceed with a smooth and consistent process.
Counsilman-Hunsaker has worked with many architectural firms- some new, some old, some small and some large. The understanding that different project managers manage in different ways enables us to meet the needs of our clients as they serve their respective owners. One of our greatest contributions is our capacity to answer questions of our clients and their owners.
Counsilman-Hunsaker’s founders saw a need by designers of pools and natatoria for specific information about how pools are used, how they are managed, how they are operated and how they are paid for. This policy remains with our firm. A significant number of our staff today are former pool managers and operators as well as being planners, engineers and architects. We are the seasoned pilots that will serve you. We will report what is out there and make sure you arrive on time and on budget.
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Counsilman-Hunsaker Services: Commercial swimming pool, Public swimming pool, Swimming pool design, Aquatic design, Aquatic consultant, Pool consultant, Natatorium design, Waterpark design, Feasibility study