“Process” is key to the outcome of every Dominick Tringali Architects project. Each step along the way has significance and its own place in the order of things. In our uncompromising quest for excellence and enduring design, we follow the process unfailingly.

The process begins when clients visit our Bloomfield Hills headquarters. When you tour the offices, you feel the hum of activity. Beyond the conference room doors, architects and designers cross from office to office, brainstorming, thinking, and creating. Our offices reflect the philosophy and process that the firm employs on every project. In his headquarters, Dominick Tringali has designed a residential ambience in a corporate setting. “When people ask,’ What are you all about?’, I take them for a tour around our building,” Dominick says. The symmetry and geometry seen in his office – tall windows without clutter, natural light cascading onto muted fixtures – will be reflected in the client’s own unique design.

We approach a prospective client as someone to get to know on a personal basis, someone with whom to relate. This is another vital way to learn about the client’s lifestyle, desires and needs so they can be translated into a unique dream home. The client sees a portfolio of the company’s projects, receives a process overview, and is given an assignment: to consider and visit as many as a dozen current projects that exhibit specific styles and characteristics that will lend themselves to the perfect design.

The first step of the journey has been taken, but now the real adventure is about to begin.

In the next step, a site plan is created. The land and the house come together, a cohesive, flowing package. Dominick literally walks the entire site, looking for major views and setback issues like wetlands or city restrictions. He considers adjacent homes, topography and grade, and determines where on the property the sun rises and sets. All these factors will tell him where the house will be placed for optimal exposure, aesthetics and to answer all natural and man-made restrictions.

Throughout this phase the client is provided with several small-scale drawings, revealing options for the site. The exchange of feedback continues until room size, square footage and layout of the overall spaces are agreed upon by client and staff.

In the schematic design phase, the designers formulate a building program and an overall concept, including spatial relationships. They construct quarter-inch preliminary drawings, at this point seeking the involvement of other team members, including builders and interior designers. With an emphasis on teamwork, each party adds detail and intricacies to the plan, and considers elevations and “block cuts” to insure that the results meet everyone’s needs – and the needs of the home itself.

Although budget is an all-important issue from the very onset of the process, at this point, it is refined: it is imperative that the design be worked within cost parameters. Because budget is so carefully considered in the overall process, we can say with pride that more than 98% of our designs are actually built. This is an extraordinarily high percentage at a time when most architects see only half their projects reach fruition.

As the coordinator of the project and design concept, the head architect is challenged to insure that all parties involved work in congress to meet the client’s goals. Every detail, from furniture placement to venting, is reviewed and incorporated into the final construction document.

In the final design development phase, elevations and final floor plans are combined, making adjustments for proportion and scale. The plans provide clients with a four-sided design, which includes the back of the home and side views, ensuring that the structure looks equally impressive from every angle.

The interior designer involved with this process must provide adequate input about what will work on the inside, while the builder can look at structural aspects and add an appropriate assessment, too. In the end, the firm provides its clients with a complete, unique and workable package. Final revisions are based on budget, size and décor.

The construction documents (the drawings from which a house is built) must be flawless so that necessary approvals and proper permits can be secured. Each set of drawings at this phase gives detailed information for key craftsmen who will work together to construct the home. Exterior elevations, window openings, porches, column and chimney details must be meticulously outlined for each trade.

Three other areas comprise the final package:

• The mechanical / HVAC plan integrates the heating and cooling systems with the architectural design. We coordinate the ductwork and furnaces and oversee the insulation, uncommon responsibilities for architects!
• The electrical plan incorporates all the lighting and switching, which creates the ambience of the home. We feel this work should never be left to outside sources who don’t understand the project the way we do.
• Working with the project’s interior designer, we consider architectural interior details and trim, specifying openings and archways, doors, built-in bookshelves, stairs and fireplaces.

Once a set of drawings is completed, permits are obtained. Then the construction begins. Dominick and his team supervise and follow through on each phase to completion.

Near the end of the construction period, final materials for interiors are selected, and the team offers suggestions to the interior decorator. They also liaison with the landscape architect to put the finishing touches on the surrounding grounds of the new home. This painstaking attention to detail assures the clients that the same care that went into the planning is being carried through to the final details.