Every strong project rests on a strong relationship. At PF&A Design, that relationship begins the moment you reach out and continues through ribbon cutting and beyond. Clients ask us two things early on: how to get in touch when it matters, and what to expect once we get started. This guide answers both, with a clear path to contact us, a transparent overview of our process, and the practical details that help busy owners, facility managers, and community leaders keep projects moving without surprises.
How to reach us when you need us
Some questions can wait for a progress meeting. Others can’t. We keep the front door wide open, and we respond quickly when an owner needs a yes, a no, or a next step.
The fastest way to connect is by phone. Our main line, (757) 471-0537, routes to the appropriate team member based on your need and stage of work. If you have drawings in review or a bid on the street, your project manager is reachable directly, and you’ll have their mobile number during active construction. For general inquiries, scheduling, and marketing, the main line is the right starting point.
Many clients prefer to begin online. Our website, https://www.pfa-architect.com/, includes project profiles, team bios, and a simple form to request a consultation. If you’re early in planning, that form helps us prepare before we call you back, so we can tailor the conversation around your building type, budget range, and schedule goals.
If you are nearby or working in Hampton Roads, you can visit our office by appointment at 101 W Main St #7000, Norfolk, VA 23510, United States. We host work sessions at our studio when a whiteboard and a full wall of trace paper will help the team think together. Street and garage parking are close, and the lobby security desk will direct you up.
For clarity, here is the core contact block as it appears on our site:
Contact Us
PF&A Design
Address: 101 W Main St #7000, Norfolk, VA 23510, United States
Phone: (757) 471-0537
Website: https://www.pfa-architect.com/
If you are a contractor with an active RFI or submittal, the construction administration email provided at precon is your fastest channel. It ties every message to your contract number and logs responses for the record. That speeds processing and protects your schedule.
What happens after you call
Most projects start with a short discovery call. We listen, ask a few pointed questions, and outline next steps. If there is a known site, we look at GIS and zoning while we talk. If there is an existing facility, we ask for any prior drawings, even if they are old. A twenty-minute call often saves a week of back-and-forth later, because we can propose an approach and an initial timeline that reflects your realities.
If the fit looks right, we schedule a working session. For a new clinic or school renovation, that session may include the executive sponsor, facilities lead, IT, and one or two frontline users who live with the space daily. We bring trace paper, recent code updates, and a starting list of constraints. Constraints become design drivers when you surface them early.
A recent example: a behavioral health provider wanted to add eight treatment rooms in a tight urban envelope. Fire separation rules and egress width threatened to swallow half the plan. Because we raised this on day one, the client adjusted their program, increasing the size of fewer rooms and adding telehealth pods. The project kept the same budget and delivered better care flows. That kind of pivot only happens with honest discovery.
The shape of our process
Architectural work looks linear on a Gantt chart, but it feels more like a spiral. Ideas loop tighter as constraints sharpen and decisions stick. For clarity, we group work into phases. The names match industry standards, though the pace and intensity vary by project type and delivery method.
Pre-design and planning
This phase is small on paper and big in impact. We translate goals into requirements you can measure. That includes a program summary, capacity targets, site or building constraints, code flags, and a preliminary schedule. If your funding board wants a two-page briefing, we write it with you.
We walk existing buildings, measure where needed, and test assumptions. Mechanical systems often drive scope. A school that looks simple on the surface might have electrical service maxed out by a chiller added fifteen years ago. Knowing that early helps you choose between replacement and reuse.
Budget ranges emerge from comparable projects and current market data. Our estimating partners call suppliers weekly, and we treat their numbers as living information. In a volatile market, a 5 to 10 percent swing on steel or roofing can change a strategy. If an alternate system saves four weeks on lead time, we flag that in pre-design, not at bid.
Schematic design
Schematic design is where options breathe. We sketch, test, and test again, balancing program, site lines, circulation, daylight, and building systems. We look for the shortest way to route people and services, the cleanest path for emergency egress, and the right structural rhythm that supports future change. If your operations will likely shift in five years, we design demising and utilities with that in mind.
Clients often worry that early sketches lock decisions. They don’t. We use diagrams to start conversations, not end them. The discipline is to decide when the team has learned enough to stop exploring and commit. Our benchmark is function first, then cost and schedule, then character. A good plan carries poetry naturally, but it must carry work first.
At the end of schematic design, PF&A Design we aim to produce a scaled plan, a massing study, a narrative of systems, and a cost check within a defined range. If a board approval is required, we build a concise deck with visuals and two or three key comparisons, not thirty slides. Decision makers remember clarity.
Design development
This phase tunes the building. Room sizes settle, adjacencies refine, and systems integrate. We coordinate structural grid, MEP distribution, IT backbones, and accessibility details. We invite your operations team to react to door swings, storage, and workflow quirks. We also start product research for finishes and fixtures, always tracking durability, maintenance, and procurement risk.
One lesson from healthcare and education applies broadly: pick finishes that you can buy again in year eight. That means confirming manufacturer stability and distribution in our region, not just a color you like today. A slightly more common floor tile can save weeks of downtime during partial replacement.
We update the estimate with quantity takeoffs and current subcontractor input. If a gap emerges, we propose targeted adjustments instead of across-the-board cuts. Lighting counts and hardware sets offer real dollars without hurting mission. We’d rather switch to a stock door frame than shrink the staff lounge that anchors morale.
Construction documents
This is the heavy lift. We translate decisions into precise drawings and specifications that define quality, coordination, and performance. Our documents are written for the people who build. That means clear dimensions, consistent details, and coordination notes that reduce trade conflicts. The goal is fewer field questions and faster installations.
We keep code officials in the loop. Many jurisdictions welcome a progress check ahead of formal permit submission. A ten-minute conversation with a plans examiner can prevent a three-week correction cycle. When a jurisdiction does not offer that service, we self-audit against the latest adopted codes and local amendments.
On public projects, we include bid forms and alternates that protect your budget. Alternates should be meaningful and buildable, not a grab bag. We prefer one or two additive alternates with clear thresholds. If bids come in high, you have a ready plan that preserves core performance.
Bidding and procurement
If you are pursuing competitive bidding, we help structure and run it. We answer bidder questions, issue addenda, and host pre-bid meetings that respect everyone’s time. A well-run pre-bid covers site access, working hours, special inspections, and critical lead times. We insist on walking prospective bidders through the tricky parts. Veterans appreciate that candor, and newer firms learn what to price.
For negotiated work or construction manager at risk, we collaborate on target value design. That model works when the owner, CM, and architect trust each other and commit to transparency. We bring options with real numbers, not guesswork, and the CM brings market intelligence from subs. When that triangle holds, you avoid late-stage redesign.
Construction administration
This is where drawings meet weather, delivery trucks, and human judgment. We attend regular site meetings, review submittals and shop drawings, respond to RFIs, and observe progress. The pace depends on project size. On smaller interiors projects, weekly check-ins often suffice. On larger or complex builds, we meet more often and keep a running action list tied to the schedule.
We answer RFIs quickly. Our benchmark is within two business days for most questions, faster if the item is on the critical path. If an answer affects cost or time, we label the response clearly and help the team evaluate options. We keep change orders lean and justified. Not every field tweak needs to become a cost event.
Punch lists are a team sport. We perform our own, then walk with the owner and contractor. Clarity on acceptance criteria avoids churn. Our philosophy is practical: the building should be safe, functional, and consistent with the contract documents, and small finish inconsistencies should not hold an opening if they can be corrected without disrupting operations.
Closeout and post-occupancy
Turnover is not the finish line. We help assemble O&M manuals, warranties, and as-built documentation. We train staff on building systems, and when it helps, we produce one-page quick guides for equipment that confuses users. Six to twelve months after occupancy, we like to come back for a post-occupancy review. We listen to what works and what doesn’t, and we measure if possible. Those lessons flow into the next project.
Communication that respects your time
Architects can drown clients in detail. We take the opposite approach: the right information at the right time. Early on, you need ranges, risks, and key decisions. In documents, you need alignment on scope and performance. During construction, you need crisp answers and practical problem solving.
We set a communication cadence to match your working style. Some owners want a brief weekly dashboard with three statuses: schedule, budget, risks. Others prefer a 30-minute stand-up call with action items. We are comfortable with both. The important thing is that decisions land quickly and are recorded transparently. That record protects the project months later when memories fade.
When a decision can wait without harm, we say so. When it can’t, we explain why. Procurement lead times have become a major driver. A door hardware package that once arrived in four weeks may now take 12 to 16. We front-load those selections and lock them early so the trades can install in sequence.
Digital tools we use and why they matter
Software should support clarity, not complicate it. We model in BIM for coordination, but we do not worship photorealism for its own sake. A clear plan, section, and diagram beat a glossy rendering when you are trying to understand a corridor pinch point. That said, when a board or donor needs to see the space, we produce visuals that tell a true story and avoid tempting promises that the budget cannot keep.
For collaboration, we use shared platforms for document transmittals, submittal logs, and RFIs, aligned with your procurement rules. If your organization mandates a specific portal, we use it. Consistency reduces errors. We also maintain a simple issue log that anyone can read in five minutes. If a topic appears twice in that log, it gets attention at the next meeting.
Budget control without losing intent
Every project has a line it cannot cross. Our job is to protect that line while delivering the core mission. We apply three practices that help:
- Define must-haves and nice-to-haves at the start, and revisit them at each phase. When tough choices come, decisions move faster. Price alternates that preserve the design’s backbone. A simplified canopy might free funds for better acoustics where people spend their day. Keep scope creep visible. Small adds feel harmless in isolation. A running tally shows when they add up.
An anecdote illustrates the point. A community center wanted a dramatic lobby ceiling. The price landed higher than expected, and the contractor suggested deleting acoustic treatment in the gym to compensate. We pushed back, recommending a modest lobby revision and restoring the gym acoustics. Months later, the director told us the gym hosts daily programs without echo headaches. The lobby still welcomes people warmly. Priorities, held early, pay off.
Permit strategy and code realities
Permitting is local. Codes vary by adoption year and amendment. We stay current with city and county requirements and keep relationships with plan reviewers respectful and professional. When a design hinges on an interpretation, we request a meeting rather than arguing by letter. A collaborative tone solves more than it concedes.
Phasing can be as important as the permit itself. Occupied renovations require careful sequencing to maintain egress and life safety at every stage. We work with contractors to produce interim life safety plans, temporary partitions, and clear signage. The inspector’s job is to protect the public. When they see a careful plan, they meet you there.
Sustainability with a maintenance lens
Sustainable choices work best when maintenance teams embrace them. We recommend systems and materials that your staff can service with available skills and suppliers. A high-efficiency piece of equipment that requires a distant specialist can turn a good idea into a headache. When owners seek certification, we align documentation early and manage the submittal cadence so it does not drag the schedule.
Passive strategies often deliver the best returns: orientation, shading, insulation, and daylight. They require design discipline, not expensive gadgets. On several projects, careful glazing choices reduced mechanical loads enough to downsize equipment. The savings covered better finishes that occupants touch every day. That is sustainability people feel and see.
What owners can prepare before we meet
Preparation helps us hit the ground running. If you have the following, bring them to the first session. If not, do not worry, we can help assemble them.
- Any existing drawings, even if marked “not to scale,” plus photos of areas that raise concern. A short list of non-negotiables, safety requirements, and operational quirks that the design must honor.
With those in hand, we can sketch a path with fewer unknowns. If you are still gathering funding or aligning stakeholders, we can tailor a feasibility package that answers the right questions without spending on full design.
A few project delivery realities worth stating
No two projects unfold exactly alike, but some patterns hold.
Schedules stretch when decisions lag. The best buffer against this is clear governance. Identify who decides, who advises, and who must be informed. When a choice crosses departments, put both leads in the room. We can facilitate, but authority should be obvious.
Contingency is not a luxury. Scope contingency in design covers what you have not yet detailed. Construction contingency covers field conditions and procurement surprises. Owners who reserve 5 to 10 percent overall handle surprises with calm and keep momentum.
Drawings do not build themselves. Good contractors solve problems daily, and good drawings make their work efficient. We respect the craft and answer with that in mind. When a superintendent calls about a conflict between a duct and a beam, we propose a specific reroute or provide a dimensioned option set, not a vague note.
Our commitment during construction
Phones do not go quiet after permit. You will have direct lines to your project manager and construction administrator. We set response standards and meet them. If a decision requires your input, we include context and a recommendation, so you are reacting to a plan, not starting from scratch.
Site visits are purposeful. We do not walk with a clipboard for show. We verify work in place against documents, check areas about modern PF&A design concepts to be covered, and identify conflicts early. If weather or supply delays hit, we work with the team to resequence intelligently, avoiding ripple effects where possible.
When change is unavoidable, we keep paperwork simple, scope tight, and pricing transparent. If a cost feels off, we ask why, not to squeeze but to understand. Most pricing gaps close with better scope definition. Mutual respect does not mean blind acceptance.
After the ribbon
Buildings settle in like new shoes. Doors need adjusting, controls need tuning, and users find small improvements that matter. We stay reachable. If something puzzles your staff, call us. If your maintenance team wants a quick walkthrough months later, we will meet them on site. Post-occupancy feedback shapes our details and specifications. The best compliment we get is a client who calls years later and says, bring the same team, they listened.
Getting started
If you are ready to talk about your project, call (757) 471-0537. If you prefer to start online, visit https://www.pfa-architect.com/ and send a note with a brief description of your goals, budget range, and timing. To meet in person, schedule a visit to our studio at 101 W Main St #7000, Norfolk, VA 23510. We will put coffee on, roll out trace, and begin shaping a path that fits your constraints and ambitions.
Good architecture is not mysterious. It is the patient work of aligning people, budgets, rules, and craft into a place that does its job well and ages with grace. Our phone is on. Our website is open. The process is clear. Let’s get to work.