Among the diverse set of services Colliers offers to its clients, two service lines complement each other: the Technical Due Diligence (TDD) and the Design services. In my experience as an architect, the TDD report acts as a fact sheet that provides detailed information about the property, hence acting as the basis of space planning. Fact check right at the beginning helps to evaluate and optimize the space and its usability in totality.
How is Technical Due Diligence helping Occupiers?
For occupiers, TDD is an essential tool to determine and finalize their real estate expansion plans. It is a process of detailed checking of a building to ensure that the building is safe, efficient, and meets client requirements. A comprehensive TDD report would make it much easier for the occupier to decide whether they must choose between A, B, or C for their future needs. Detailed TDD report, which includes a test-fit, would provide a realistic scenario on headcount and efficiency of the floor plates being offered. The current wave of reconfiguring offices into a hybrid workspace is banking heavily on these TDD details to re-evaluate options with Design services quickly. Our Design and TDD services together are at the forefront of helping clients bounce back to offices and restore business to its full potential.
A well-composed and comprehensive TDD report will always provide an edge to the occupier when negotiating with the developers.
How is Technical Due Diligence helping Architects?
As architects, we develop workplace layouts that call for utilizing the maximum capabilities, meet organization requirements, and ensure value for money, and hence we bank upon the Due Diligence information. A pre-requisite of space planning for any project depends on confirmation to adherence of fire norms (fire exit staircases, size, location of FHRs, etc.), ceiling heights, lift lobbies, related HVAC and electrical reports.
The absence of well documented due diligence report may lead to significant layout changes later, leading to project delays and cost escalations in some cases. While conducting due diligence exercise, Colliers TDD and design team ensures headcount by providing a test-fit layout. Determining headcount helps identify data points on washrooms provided vs. required as per National Building Code, verification of fire exits, and other related infrastructure capacity checks like number and capacity of AHUs, power availability, etc.
Internal surveys conducted by available technologies like a 3D scan can help identify service routings, shafts, accurate information on levels, areas, structural information like strengthened areas, etc. Information overlapped at early stages of design help identify anomalies and plan service routings to achieve better ceiling heights while preparing the interior layout.
To sum up, the process of Technical Due Diligence helps reduce risks by identifying and managing them early. It provides critical data points that guide architects to work on Informed Design to meet the best end-user requirements.
At Colliers, we emphasize the adoption of best industry best practices. The combination of Technical Due Diligence and Design Services lays the foundation of a strategy that combines the precision of technical skills, analytical skills, and creative skills to provide the best services to our clients.
