Technical services

00 — Introduction

From the first site visit to handover

Beyond structural design, the practice follows the whole technical and financial cycle of a project, for private clients, condominium buildings, companies and public authorities, in the province of Imperia and across Liguria.

01 — Architectural design

Designing space

Design of new buildings, extensions and the transformation of existing ones, from the measured survey to construction drawings. Study of internal spaces and layout, choice of materials and finishes, interior design.

Work in historic centres and protected settings, including the landscape consent (autorizzazione paesaggistica) this requires. Architectural and structural design take shape together, in the same office.

02 — Condominiums and managing agents

Façades, roofs, water ingress

Site inspections and reports on the condition of façades, roofs, balcony edge beams and cornices. Tracing water ingress and damp, including by video inspection.

Design of major maintenance works, bill of quantities (computo metrico), specification and building contract. Comparison of contractors’ tenders.

Site supervision (Direzione Lavori), cost accounting, interim valuations (SAL) and payment certificates, support to the managing agent for owners’ meetings, apportionment of costs and tax incentives.

03 — Bills of quantities and tender documents

What it costs, item by item

• Priced bills of quantities based on the Liguria Region schedule of rates, with analysis of new rates
• Review or partial extraction of existing bills of quantities
• Order-of-magnitude cost estimates
• Schedule of rates, particular specification and programme of works
• Cost accounting during construction

A bill of quantities can be commissioned on its own, with no other appointment attached.

04 — Site supervision and safety

The site under control

Site supervision (Direzione Lavori) and safety coordination at both design and construction stage (CSP/CSE, Legislative Decree 81/2008). This covers the site safety plan, the preliminary notification, checking of contractors’ safety plans and scaffolding, site instructions and records.

Safety coordination can also be appointed on its own.

05 — Building consents and authorisations

Consents and regularisation

• CILA and SCIA notifications, building permit (permesso di costruire)
• Retrospective authorisation (sanatoria) and compliance assessments
• Structural filings and notifications, including late ones
• Landscape consent, standard and simplified procedure
• Dealings with the heritage authority (Soprintendenza)

06 — Public works

Commissions for municipalities and public bodies

Commissions for municipalities and public bodies of every size, from major schemes to small maintenance works. They cover design, site supervision and safety coordination under Legislative Decree 36/2023. Projects have included:

• seismic retrofitting of school buildings;
• public lifts and urban routes;
• regeneration of hill villages, with pedestrian routes and stone stairways;
• removal of architectural barriers and accessible sea access (PEBA accessibility plans);
• load testing and assessment of existing municipal structures;
• stormwater drainage networks, walls and walkways.

07 — Structural diagnostics

Know it before touching it

Structural diagnostics is about finding out how an existing building is actually built, before designing anything that touches it. On buildings put up decades ago the drawings often do not exist, or do not match what was built: investigation replaces assumption with measurement, and cuts the surprises on site.

The practice owns its own instruments for non-destructive investigation:

• Rebar locator (pacometro) — position, spacing and cover of reinforcement in concrete, without breaking out
• Rebound hammer (sclerometro) — estimate of the surface strength of concrete
• Thermal imaging camera — paths of damp and water ingress, heat loss, detachment and inconsistencies invisible to the naked eye

Where firmer data is needed, the investigation is supplemented by laboratory tests and openings carried out by accredited bodies. The results feed into the report and, where the commission requires it, into the structural model.

08 — Land surveying

Measuring the ground

Survey of land, buildings and works with a total station: spot-level plans, profiles and sections, calculation of areas and volumes, setting out on site and level checks as work proceeds.

A land survey is the starting point for projects on sloping ground, for retaining structures, for paths and stairways, and for checking what the contractor builds against what was designed.

09 — Technical advice and expert reports

Understand before deciding

Expert reports on damage and water ingress, pre-purchase assessments — including properties sold at judicial auction — and estimates of the cost of putting things right.

10 — Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most

Will you prepare just the bill of quantities?
Yes, it can be commissioned on its own.

Do you carry out the works?
No. The practice designs, supervises and checks; the works are carried out by contractors.

Do you work with municipalities on small schemes too?
Yes, including maintenance works and commissions of modest value.

Do you also handle building services, geological reports or land registry filings?
Not directly. The practice works with trusted outside professionals and, where the commission requires it, coordinates these services too. The detail is set out in the fee proposal.

How are fees calculated?
By a written fee proposal issued before the appointment, based on the parameters of Ministerial Decree 17/06/2016, which also states what is excluded.

Is the first meeting chargeable?
No. The first conversation — at the office, by telephone or by video call — is free and without obligation. Site visits, technical checks and written opinions are professional services and are quoted in advance.