The design and execution process of a housing project

Have you ever wondered how your home was built? Today we want you to learn about the home construction process with Julián Sanz, Site Coordinator and Civil Engineer, and Carolina Morales, BIM Lead and Architect, as well as its systems, methodologies and permits.

To do so, we'll start with a brief descriptive tour of the stages that make up every civil construction project, and then go a bit deeper into the methodology we implement at Arquitectura y Concreto to innovate in our construction systems.

• Conceptualization stage

• Structuring and design stage

• BIM 360 methodology, our great ally

• Execution stage

Every project begins with ideation or conceptualization, which usually originates within the construction company's team, although it can also begin with a business opportunity when the company has an available lot. 

From then on, market research is used to determine the best purpose, use and project that could be developed.

This is when the project's architectural design is carried out, or what the industry calls the pre-sizing stage, and once the architect finishes the design, we begin other important aspects of the project:

• Soil study: helps us check the feasibility of construction and is a decisive factor when setting final sales costs. For this, Arquitectura y Concreto has always relied on firms that know the area's soils well and have extensive experience with them, since their knowledge is very valuable for completing the foundation design.

• Structural design: at this point, the structural design and the architectural design enter an adjustment phase, starting from the soil study to clarify the feasibility of the project's design. 

This stage also includes electrical designs (network operators such as internet, telephone and television) and plumbing designs (sewage, stormwater drainage and drinking water network).

For Arquitectura y Concreto, maintaining a high level of quality in each of our buildings has always been a priority, which is why we've constantly sought new ways to innovate in the industry, and one of them is our work methodology.

Thanks to BIM (Building Information Modeling), we can see the project as a whole and appreciate how each stage and design come together. With this, our team can extract data that lets them be more precise and accurate in the project budgets. BIM also makes it possible to create a virtual pre-construction that helps us anticipate design conflicts or inconsistencies, generating sound solutions that make the project easier to execute.

Using technology platforms such as BIM 360, we seek to integrate all project INFORMATION into a digital environment; that's where we integrate, manage, control, organize and process data, aiming to reduce the likelihood of errors in projects and deliver the best product to our clients, who are our reason for being.

Would you like to learn more about this way of working? Click here to read our article BIM, our work methodology

Once possible design inconsistencies have been identified with the help of BIM 360 modeling, our team begins executing the project, taking into account the solutions proposed in advance thanks to our methodology, saving time on site and maintaining our brand's high quality standards.

Each designer, architect and engineer is responsible for analyzing and approving their designs, which, once marked as approved in the BIM tool, are used on site to execute the housing project.

Once construction begins, we start with earthworks, which vary greatly depending on soil conditions; in fact, some projects require much smaller excavations than large-scale housing projects.

Next come the foundations, which may include hand-dug piles or micropiles with self-drilling bars. Their timing varies depending on the type of soil, since that determines the level of complexity required to excavate the foundations.

Once the foundations are finished, the construction team begins the structural phase, forming concrete columns and slabs. It's worth noting that at Arquitectura y Concreto we've been working to develop the best technique for structures, because even though they're later covered by finishing work, we want them to be of the highest possible quality, even if it takes more time and effort.

Moving on to masonry, we check its reinforcement and ensure compliance with Colombian code, which requires masonry strong enough to withstand an earthquake without coming loose.

Once masonry and waterproofing are finished, the electrical and plumbing networks are installed; once they're ready, the final finishing stage can begin, where each owner starts personalizing their home, choosing faucets, tiling, woodwork and even the location of gas lines.

In the final phase, our team paints each home and does a thorough general cleaning, because we love for each new owner to find their home in the best condition to move in.

All our projects go through a final technical handover to various entities, where, for example, EPM checks the gas, drinking water and sewer networks, allowing utilities to be legalized before the homes are handed over to their owners.

Finally, the deed process begins so each property can be handed over. 

We love seeing Colombians happy with their homes; we know each property represents effort, commitment and a well-deserved reward for hard work, which is why every stage of building a housing project is so important to us, because we want you not only to be happy with your property, but to feel every day that it was all worth it.

Civil Engineer from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín campus. He has worked for Arquitectura y Concreto since February 1995. He started at A&C as Site Director and since 2000 has served as Site Coordinator. He has experience in residential complexes, office buildings, medical office buildings, hotels and shopping centers.

Carolina Morales Díaz  

Architect by profession, with 25 years of experience in different areas of the construction industry. She has been with Arquitectura y Concreto for 21 years and is currently the BIM Lead implementing the methodology across the organization.