Specialty Assessments & Design Peer Review
Our seasoned engineers and architects excel at addressing specialized systems and unique challenges.
Specialty Assessments & Design Peer Review
Our seasoned engineers and architects excel at addressing specialized systems and unique challenges.
Our Experience
The value we bring to our clients lies in our ability to navigate the most complex issues and provide actionable recommendations. This expertise is derived from years of experience across all asset types.
Building System Assessments
Our experienced professionals offer thorough assessments and design reviews, leveraging broad knowledge across all building systems or the focused expertise of specialists in specific areas. These assessments and design consulting services can be conducted alongside our core transaction services, or stand alone as issues or concerns arise. Our typical services include the review of the following building and facility systems:
Site Utilities and Amenities
Coordination and delivery of utility services present an extraordinary risk to property Owners and developments. Our experience across the nation with various service providers and municipalities helps us understand and present these risks to our clients. With each assessment or review of existing or planned site utility improvements, we provide a narrative commenting on their general condition and configuration as well as detailed descriptions and review of site utilities, storm drainage systems, landscaping, irrigation systems, retaining walls, and hardscapes.
Pavement Systems
Drive lanes and parking areas are the life stream of most a property; and understanding the design and condition of these systems is important to ensure efficient navigation for its users. We are able to identify the type of pavements, note their overall condition and design, highlight specific problem areas observed, and provide a parking count. Pavement coring and scans can be conducted to more accurately determine thickness, strength, and reinforcing for heavy-use applications and in the review and diagnosis of pavement failures.
Structures and Foundations
Structural and foundation issues can occur in new and older buildings and across all asset types. We can often observe reported problem areas and representative sections of structures and foundations that are visible without removing architectural finishes. Additionally, we compare our observations with available design drawings, specifications, and geotechnical reports, noting any discrepancies in our report.
Exterior of Buildings
The building envelope is a high-risk system with most asset types and systematic issues can result in poor user experience and expensive and invasive remediation efforts. Poor workmanship, varying material quality, and regional design variations result in conditions that can result in deficiencies throughout the façade. We prioritize the inspection of building exteriors for signs of distress, deterioration, moisture infiltration, and other common issues.
Roofing
Roofing deficiencies and improper design details result in roof leaks. Our typical assessment includes thorough observations of roof systems, copings, flashings, drains, and penetrations to evaluate overall condition and identify signs of distress or deterioration. We are experienced in estimations for remaining economic service life of the roofs, which is based on our observations and interview information.
Interior Finishes
For residential and hospitality properties, we review the condition of interior finishes in a sample of units or rooms. For commercial properties, we assess representative office, retail, and/or industrial/warehouse spaces, as well as common areas and amenities.
Vertical Transportation
While not specialty consultants in vertical transportation, we provide general observations of existing systems to determine manufacturer, age, capacity, and review existing service contracts where available. For detailed analysis, we can engage specialty consultants as needed.
Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP)
PR&A has in-house mechanical engineers that have years of experience across all system types. It is important to thoroughly identify MEP systems in use at the facility, understand system types, materials, and general condition based on our observations and interviews with maintenance personnel. This allows us to effectively make recommendations for repairs, replacement, upgrades, and other projects.
Fire Protection and Fire Alarm Systems
We can provide general observations of fire protection and fire alarm systems to determine system types, materials, and general condition based on our inspections and interviews with maintenance personnel. Specialty consultants can be engaged for detailed analysis upon request.
Code and Zoning Compliance Inquiry
We submit Freedom of Information Act requests to local building code, zoning, and fire departments to identify any outstanding issues or retroactive code changes affecting the property. We also note observed code compliance or zoning discrepancies during our site observations.
Accessibility Screening
PR&A is experienced in the evaluation of facilities for general compliance with Title III of the ADA and/or the Federal Fair Housing Amendment Act, depending on the property type. Our assessment includes parking areas, accessible entrances, and common areas. For detailed accessibility analysis, specialty consultants can be engaged as required.
Specialty Subconsultants
PR&A has developed national network of high quality specialist consultants. The value we bring to our clients lies in the ability to identify the need for these services and manage these technical scopes of work. This provides a technical and administrative advantage for our clients because we have the framework and experience to manage scope development, contracting, field work, and reporting by these specialist to ensure that our clients are getting the highest quality work product. PR&A will help interpret the specialty consultant report so that the recommendations and findings can be integrated into the overall assessment of the property or project. These specialty consultant reviews are often provided alongside our other services and are prescribed based on the property type or initial findings.
Typical Subconsultant Scopes
- Property Risk Assessment
- Fire Life and Safety
- Vertical Transportation
- Pavement (Coring and Scans)
- ADA / FHAA / ANSI
- Building Envelope, Curtain Wall & Roofing
- Exterior Wall and Roof Infrared and Vector Mapping
- Environmental Site Assessment
- Geotechnical Assessments
- Waterfront & Bulkhead Assessments
- Sound Transmission & Acoustical Review
- Specialty and Life Science MEPF Systems
- Parking Garage Structural Review
- Seismic & Building Earthquake Loss Evaluation (for facilities in high seismic zones)
- Technology & Telecommunications assessment
- Acoustical & Sound Transmission Consulting
- Termite & Pest Inspection
- Infrared scans (electrical equipment)
- Building area calculations
- CAD drawings of site or building floor plans
- Energy analysis
- MEP systems capacity calculation
- Survey of interior finishes or appliances
- Indoor air quality survey
- Mold/fungi survey or investigation
Our extended network specialist allows us to scale for large portfolio transactions while maintaining a high level of service.
By the Numbers
10000 +
Assessments
(Nationwide)
25 +
Years of Service
1500 +
Development Projects
50
States
Experience Across all Asset Types
Our experience extends across all asset types and we have worked alongside many of the major operators, managers, and developers for each asset class across the nation.
Multifamily
PR&A has assessed thousands of multifamily properties including single family rental, student housing, senior living assets in garden style, mixed use, and mid- and high-rise multifamily properties.
Office & Health Care
PR&A has assessed and provided construction oversight for many of the office buildings that shape our nation’s skylines including high-rise towers, corporate campuses, life science and biomanufacturing facilities, medical office buildings, and hospitals.
Retail & Mixed Use
Our team has experience with mixed use and retail properties across the country including regional mall portfolios, anchored retail centers, mixed-use developments, and adaptive reuse projects.
Hotel
PR&A has assessed over 10,000 rooms across our hospitality portfolio. This includes coastal resorts, golf courses, business lodging, luxury towers, adaptive reuse projects, and historic buildings.
Historical Properties & Adaptive Reuse
We apply the appropriate disciplines necessary to bring buildings and systems back to optimum conditions. This applies to industrial facilities, office buildings, hospitals, college and university buildings, parking facilities, and a broad range of other facilities.
Explore ProjectsExperience Across all Asset Types
Our experience extends across all asset types and we have worked alongside many of the major operators, managers, and developers for each asset class across the nation.
Multifamily
PR&A has assessed thousands of multifamily properties including single family rental, student housing, senior living assets in garden style, mixed use, and mid- and high-rise multifamily properties.
Office & Health Care
PR&A has assessed and provided construction oversight for many of the office buildings that shape our nation’s skylines including high-rise towers, corporate campuses, life science and biomanufacturing facilities, medical office buildings, and hospitals.
Retail & Mixed Use
Our team has experience with mixed use and retail properties across the country including regional mall portfolios, anchored retail centers, mixed-use developments, and adaptive reuse projects.
Hotel
PR&A has assessed over 10,000 rooms across our hospitality portfolio. This includes coastal resorts, golf courses, business lodging, luxury towers, adaptive reuse projects, and historic buildings.
Historical Properties & Adaptive Reuse
We apply the appropriate disciplines necessary to bring buildings and systems back to optimum conditions. This applies to industrial facilities, office buildings, hospitals, college and university buildings, parking facilities, and a broad range of other facilities.
Commitment to Client
We are proud to be a preferred consultant for many of the nation’s largest and most diligent investors.