Feasibility Studies

What we do

A feasibility study is structural engineering in its sketchiest, most decision-useful form. We take a site, a program, and a massing study, and we return a one-to-three-page memo that describes the structural system we'd expect to use, the span ranges that are practical, the major lateral choices, and the cost bands each choice implies. The document is short by design. It is meant to inform a go/no-go decision, not to substitute for design.

These studies typically answer one or two specific questions. Can this existing floor take the residential live load the buyer wants to put on it? How much new foundation is required if we add a fourth story? Is a steel moment frame or a concrete shear wall more economical for this hillside site? We answer each question with a defensible number, not a hedge.

Feasibility work also scales up. For larger acquisitions we produce a more substantial study — structural comparison of two or three possible massings, or an order-of-magnitude cost delta between preserving the existing structure versus demolishing and starting over. Those studies typically feed directly into the investor memo and occasionally into the purchase negotiation itself.

Typical scope

• Site visit (where applicable) and review of available existing drawings
• High-level structural concept — recommended framing and lateral system
• Span and depth ranges by structural choice
• Order-of-magnitude cost implications — narrative, not estimate
• Comparison of two or three alternate schemes where useful
• Identification of structural risks and code-trigger items
• Written memo suitable for ownership, lender, or investor review
• Optional follow-on: schematic design, due diligence, or full CDs

When to engage us

When the project is still on a napkin. The value of a feasibility study is inversely proportional to how committed the project is — the earlier, the better.