The construction site is the phase in which design choices become physical reality – and in which the distance between design and delivery is decided. Knowing the sequence of phases helps to understand when to step in, when to decide and what to pay attention to.
From demolition to testing: the sequence
A delivery follows a precise order. It begins with site set-up and demolition: removal of partition walls, floors, suspended ceilings, existing services. Next comes the building services phase – electrical, plumbing, air handling, data and telephony – which must be completed before the surfaces are closed. Then come the building works: new partitions, thresholds, any structures. After that the finishes – floors, wall coverings, suspended ceilings, painting – and finally the furniture and fit-out. Testing closes the process, verifying services, functionality and compliance.
Every phase has points of no return: the service chases are closed with the finishes; floors are laid after the underfloor services; suspended ceilings cover the technical soffits. Changing one's mind after these thresholds means reopening works already completed, with additional costs and time. Knowing the sequence makes it possible to take the right decisions at the moment when changing them still costs little.
Art direction: consistency between design and construction site
The construction site continuously produces operational decisions: a material that is unavailable, a measurement that does not add up, a construction detail to adapt. Without oversight, these variations accumulate following the logic of ease of execution – and the final result drifts away from the approved design. ARCHIlabs art direction accompanies every phase to verify that the choices made on site are consistent with the design: materials, finishes, tolerances, details. Works supervision, on the other hand, coordinates the technical and economic aspects – schedule, progress, contractual compliance – keeping the client aligned.
One team, all the phases
At ARCHIlabs these phases are not delegated to disconnected parties. The multidisciplinary team – architects, mechanical and electrical engineers, urban planners – handles works supervision, art direction, testing and specialist activities. The same studio that signed the design guarantees its execution, maintaining consistency between drawing and construction site.
And on an industrial construction site?
The phases of an industrial construction site follow the same logic, with their own constraints: large dimensions, major structures, production that often continues alongside. See Industrial architecture: the shed as a design project.