Building long-term relationships of trust and providing responsive service to our clients are core values at Withee Malcolm Architects. That means client service doesn’t begin at project initiation or end at move-in. We are always looking for ways to keep our clients informed, whether regarding new opportunities, materials or building codes.

When the 2019 update to California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards was announced, we recognized that the increased emphasis on sustainability would likely increase the cost of construction for our clients. In response we not only studied the proposed changes to better understand their impact but wrote to clients personally to alert them of key changes with significant construction cost implications.

When long-time client, Related California, wanted to learn more, Senior Project Manager Mauricio Munoz tailored a presentation on the new code to the developer’s perspective. Using case studies of Related’s previous projects, and an architectural rather than a technical focus, Mauricio demonstrated how the coming changes would increase construction cost on future projects.