I advocate better programming as part of the solution to achieve attainable housing costs.

Four bed/4 bath, 3,000 SF housing w/ a 2 car garage in a favorable neighborhood will never be "attainable" so I believe we need to focus on programming as part of an effort to lower housing costs. I don’t believe programming is as exciting or compelling as design and not a focus of current efforts, so am compelled to address this issue.

Costs overrun when current housing is not thoughtfully programmed in the first place – is overprogrammed - ?and must be revisited resulting in a waste of time, energy, and money; the more time and focus spent on the initial stages of project (pre-design) can greatly improve project delivery and keep costs in check.?? GET THE PROGRAM CORRECT FROM THE START.

Project development is an additive process:

·?????? start the program with the essentials (the "have to haves")

·?????? Expand th program only iff both necessary and accretive;? scope changws at rthe vert lest ?should carry their own weight and add value to the project, lower overall project cost. or be rejected?

·?????? Additional ideas will be generated throughout the process, but DO NOT ADD THEM unless they are truly important and needed, or lower cost w/o an apprrcisbnly ?reduction in what us being provided.

·?????? It is a hurdle if we truly wish to achieve “attainable costs”, and housing as we know it may need to change.

The difficult part of the process is to get the essentials (the “have to haves”) right to start with.? The issue in many cases is that everyone wants to start drawing and designing prematurely, and everyone wants their ”cool” ideas included. ??The initial step is to create a Program that spells out what is essential and right sized.? You don’t start to build w/o a good set of construction documents, so why start designing w/o a good program.? The essential pieces of a program include:·??????

Vision:? At a high level, what is it that the team wants accomplished; Is there a specific market, specific site attributes or other criteria that are special to the project site and a driving reason to develop? What if the vision is solely “attainable cost” what could we achieve?

·?????? A detailed study of the market you are building for is necessary.? Understanding the needs of the end user is necessary to arrive at a sound program. If you want to build “attainable housing” what does a low to mid-income working family need?

·?????? A detailed site analysis is important.? What does the project need to respond to environmentally (views of and from the site, noise, access, transportation, arrival, topography, neighbors others?? Is there anything special about the site that the vision needs to emphasize?? Attainable doesn’t mean you ignore critical issues

·?????? Spatial Program:? What are all the required spaces/functions and what mimimal size do they need to be.? How should they fit together (adjacencies)??

·?????? What technology systems are required.? Are there specific head end requirements (spatial and MEP?)?

·?????? What equipment is needed for the space to function – what options lead to affordability

·?????? Amenities, FFE and landscaping: Be judicious if the goal is to program for attainable cost

·?????? Define the level of finish that aligns with an Attainable vision.? Be careful to gauge the overall quality to quantity relationship of finishes; if you want a higher level at certain locations, say so, but if you repeat a quality finish 475 times (in each apartment), be careful not to over specify and drive costs beyond what is required.

·?????? Describe how you want the building itself to relate to the site and neighborhood.? Is there a specific feature the vision suggests; should the building(s) be taller in some places?? ??Identify where you don’t want to spend any money (abutting an alley)????

Engineering Considerations:? Are there certain systems necessary to meet the vision.·?????? If the goal is “attainable” avoid structural gymnastics, Limit volume in “attainable” housing.? Don’t let unneeded volume creep in.

·?????? Tye goal is to identify and list possibilities. Then ?judiciously remove anything not necessary.

·?????? A competent estimating pre-construction group that can create an accurate conceptual budget from detail in the Program is a critical team member providing budget guidance at points along the way.?? The better job the team does at defining and budgeting the Program, early on and along the way the less chance there is of significant budget misses that trigger VE and redesign later in the process

The goal is to spend the necessary time early in the process to define a well thought through Program before anyone becomes enamored with a design that doesn’t fit the NEED, does not meet financial thresholds, and needs to be stripped to meet the budget.

Once the Program is complete, the hard cost budget prepared and everything included in a proforma, the team can determine if the project is feasible and make necessary adjustments to the Program before significant design funds are spent.? ?When the Program and the proforma are aligned and meet necessary financial thresholds, the design team can start to spend resources and design the project.?? If the Program was inclusive, accurate and right sized to the vision and the design team responds appropriately, subsequent estimates should align with the budget and any minor adjustments can be made.

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