Four words have summed up our work since 1993: listen, plan, draw, supervise.
The permit is not a stop at the end of design. The line drops to the authorities and returns, and rises to the owner at every decision that is theirs.
to the land
to the owner
Example: a villa brief
to the authorities
Government authorities
We understand the need and the land.
01We listen
What your land allows, and what you really need.
A project starts with a meeting with the consulting engineer, alongside a reconnaissance visit to the site. We ask how the building will be used before talking about its shape, and settle with you what you really need.
02We listen
The project takes a number under a numbering rule the office has used since 2003, the land documents are gathered, and the design and supervision contracts are filed with the Engineers Association.
03We listen
Levels, setbacks, height and permitted floors.
Coordinates, levels, street level and setbacks are studied before design, using a topographic plan from a licensed surveyor and the soil report. On existing buildings, tests decide how the structure is treated before any addition.
Clear volumes, presented and reviewed.
04We plan
Clear volumes, each one there for a functional reason.
Volumes take shape from function, orientation, north and wind. You study the proposal at home, your comments return in rounds, and each round is kept with its date until the sketch is approved.
05We plan
We check your design with the authorities early, before the detailed drawings.
On unusual sites and cases we seek preliminary approval before committing to detail, because the application of the regulations varies from case to case. It is a short step that protects the owner from a costly redesign.
06We plan
You see the building at its real dimensions.
We start with a material board so you can choose what is closest to you, and the 3D model then needs small edits rather than a redesign. The model is built to true dimensions, so the technical drawings later come out of it.
From idea to a drawing that is audited, permitted and built.
07We draw
Every detail is asked one question: how will this actually be built?
The responsible architect coordinates structure, electrical and mechanical, and discusses what each request does to the plan. Electrical and mechanical work is prepared with registered supporting offices, and a senior engineer reviews the drawings before they leave the office.
08We draw
One auditor per discipline, and a recorded reply to every comment.
Drawings are submitted electronically to the Jordan Engineers Association and audited by a specialist in each of architecture, structure, electrical and mechanical. Comments return to the office, which amends and replies until the drawings are certified, along with Civil Defence and Public Security requirements where they apply.
09We draw
The building contract is part of the permit file, so it comes first.
Structural quantities are calculated, and we share what we know about contractors and construction before you choose. A detailed bill of quantities and specifications is a service agreed with the owner.
10We draw
A complete file, submitted as soon as the Association has finished.
The file holds the building and supervision contracts, the land, antiquities and safety undertakings and the required statements, and may pass through a local or regional committee. The construction permit is issued for one year, followed by the excavation permit.
On site, where everything we drew is tested.
11We supervise
What happens on site is written, dated and photographed.
A resident engineer works under a formal appointment letter and reads the drawings ahead of each stage to catch what is missing early. Weather, crew, work, materials and photos are recorded daily, and a monthly report goes to the Association. The founder visits the site regularly.
12We supervise
A project ends when its file closes.
The Association issues the structural conformity certificate, its register is lodged with the licensing authority, and the occupancy permit follows with drawings of what was actually built. Post-completion transactions have their own stage in the project file, so it does not close before they do.
Every building in Jordan passes through several of these doors. Knowing what each one asks for, and when, is half an architect's work.
Title deed and land plan: the starting point of any project.
Contract filing, audit of drawings in four disciplines, supervision follow-up and the conformity certificate.
Fire-prevention study within the drawing file.
An approval within the drawing file, on a form the owner signs.
Preliminary approval, construction permit, conformity register and occupancy permit.
The decision on cases beyond ordinary authority, such as setbacks and heights.
The permit route outside Greater Amman.
An undertaking or approval where the land calls for it.
Quality in an engineering office is a record that can be checked.
Real papers from live projects. We hid the names of owners and engineers and the plot numbers, and kept the work itself.
Site receiving reportGround floor slab: receiving notes
When the office manages a project, every party works through one coordination point and one work schedule.
Every party keeps its own schedule, and the owner follows them all alone.
Illustrative diagram. The scope of management services is set in each project's agreement.
The receiving report is signed by the resident and supervising engineers.
General notes
Every drawing has a discipline, version, status and purpose of issue, on principles drawn from ISO 19650 for information management.
What is uploaded reaches the resident engineer only after review, and a rejection comes with its reason.
Under a formal appointment letter, seeing only the files of their own project.
An archive of work since 1993 that the team returns to for every solution.
The responsible architect is the coordination point between disciplines and registered offices.
A consultancy office registered with the Jordan Engineers Association, with a professional licence from Greater Amman Municipality.
Listen maps to RIBA 0 and 1 and AIA Pre-Design. Plan maps to RIBA 2 and 3 and AIA Schematic Design and Design Development. Draw maps to RIBA 4 and AIA Construction Documents and Procurement. Supervise maps to RIBA 5 and 6 and the AIA Construction phase.
| Smeirat | RIBA | AIA |
|---|---|---|
| We listen | 0 Strategic Definition, 1 Preparation and Briefing | Pre-Design |
| We plan | 2 Concept Design, 3 Spatial Coordination | SD Schematic Design, DD Design Development |
| We draw | 4 Technical Design | CD Construction Documents, Procurement |
| We supervise | 5 Manufacturing and Construction, 6 Handover | Construction |
A comparison prepared by the office for clarity; it does not imply endorsement by RIBA or AIA. In Jordan the building permit follows the Association’s audit of detailed drawings, so it falls within RIBA 4 here. RIBA Stage 7 (Use) has no matching step in our current work.
The title deed, land plan, zoning plan, land statement, topographic plan, surveyor's report, soil report and a materials testing contract.
It varies with the type and location of the project. In our files the Engineers Association completed its audit in a median of 18 days, and what follows depends mostly on complete documents, so we prepare them with the owner before filing.
In our files, about three quarters of municipality requests were for documents rather than design changes. Papers and signatures should be ready before filing.
Any design change after approval needs a letter from the office listing the changes, and the Association issues a new contract and drawing set. Certified drawings are valid for five years.
The conformity certificate is issued by the Engineers Association and covers the structure. The occupancy permit is issued by the municipality and allows the building to be used.
One year. A permit expiring before its procedures finish does happen, so its validity is tracked from the day of issue.
Reads the drawings ahead of each stage, writes a daily report, takes part in receiving foundations, columns and slabs, follows material tests and feeds the monthly report to the Association. Excavation may not proceed without engineering supervision.
Permitted setbacks, height and floors, land and street levels, the need for retaining walls, and access to sewerage. These decide what can be built and at what cost before any design.
A short call to hear your idea and learn what your land allows, then we tell you the next step.
