HBG is Setting a New Design Documentation Standard
Our teams are enhancing design documentation accuracy through streamlined BIM workflows.
At HBG Design, we understand that exceptional architecture depends not only on great ideas. It also depends on how well those ideas are communicated through our documents. Design documentation is the critical bridge between concept and construction—and we’ve made that bridge stronger, smarter, and more reliable.
BIM Leadership Team
That’s why we’ve invested heavily in streamlining our BIM workflows, optimizing our Revit standards, and developing a more collaborative, integrated approach to design documentation. Processes are strategically led by a specialized BIM team - Documentation & Specification Leader/Senior Associate, Chris Devine, AIA; BIM Manager/Associate Chase Percer; and Practice Leader/Senior Associate, Leslie Thompson. These enhancements are helping us produce more accurate, coordinated, and efficient design documents—while reducing risk, change orders, and schedule impacts during construction.
Organized BIM Workflow Strategies
Our team uses a cloud-based approach built on Revit and Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) to enhance collaboration, secure data access, and bring consistency to every project.
- Real-time Synchronization: Design and consultant teams work in a synchronized Revit environment, where program data and model information align throughout the entire process.
- Custom Revit Templates: We’ve embedded our QA standards and enhanced workflows directly into our Revit templates, giving every project a consistent starting point and a framework for success.
- Smart Content Management: Our library of parametric Revit 2D and 3D families and standard detail views helps eliminate redundant modeling.
- Automation & Model Health: Add-ons and internal tools help us automate repetitive tasks, maintain model integrity, and support staff training—all inside the project environment.
By standardizing and simplifying BIM processes, we’re helping project teams focus more energy on design thinking, problem-solving, and coordination—where their time is most valuable.
Consultant Integration from the Start
HBG Design's documentation process includes full coordination with our consultant teams from the outset. Standardized workflows and technology platforms support real-time collaboration and allow all partners to stay in sync as the project progresses.
A Culture of Quality, Not Just a Checkpoint
Our quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) systems are integral to our workflow. These aren't just isolated review phases—they’re embedded into how our teams think and work across every project phase.
- QA starts early: With clear expectations for design documentation completeness, constructability, and coordination. Everyone on the team takes ownership of quality.
- QC adds a second perspective: Senior architects, interior designers, and reviewers outside the core team review drawings at key milestones for accuracy and alignment with HBG standards.
- Collaborative review in Bluebeam Studio: Allows teams to markup and resolve document comments in real time from anywhere.
For our clients, this means more accurate bids and schedules and a final product that faithfully reflects the design vision.
We’re constantly evolving our documentation systems to better support our clients, the contractor, our consultants. This contributes to the success of every project we touch.
At HBG Design, we believe that great documentation is great design. It's the difference between an idea that looks good on paper and a space that works beautifully in the real world.
Work, Play, and Panoramic Views: HBG Design's New Downtown San Diego Office
With great anticipation and enthusiasm, HBG Design announces that our San Diego team has officially relocated to new office space within the vibrant downtown cityscape, effective March 1, 2024.
“Downtown San Diego has proven to be the perfect location for our team’s growth,” says Joe Baruffaldi, HBG’s San Diego Office Leader. “This new larger downtown office space will allow us to creatively thrive as we continue to innovate the design of unique hospitality, entertainment, and mixed-use experiences, in San Diego, along the West Coast, and nationally.”
HBG Design San Diego’s new office address is:
1 Columbia Place
401 West A Street
Suite 700
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-858-7888
That View Though!
Perched on the 7th floor, our new downtown office offers panoramic vistas of the stunning San Diego Bay, the bustling San Diego International Airport, and the lush expanse of Balboa Park. Designed with collaboration in mind, our open office environment fosters seamless idea-sharing and teamwork among coworkers. Featuring expansive workspaces, high ceilings, and an open floor plan, HBG Design's San Diego office is a testament to our commitment to connectivity and creativity. Embracing our brand aesthetic, the office design seamlessly integrates features and zones that visually and physically unite employees, embodying our design-driven culture and fostering a vibrant atmosphere of innovation.
Inspired in Little Italy
1 Columbia Place is nestled in the heart of San Diego’s Little Italy, a vibrant and bustling community brimming with charm, culture, and delectable culinary delights. For a midday escape or a post-work retreat, Little Italy offers the perfect respite for HBG staff. Whether it's a leisurely lunch break at a charming sidewalk café, unwinding after a long day at the office with a stroll along the picturesque waterfront, or a visit to one of the neighborhood's many wine bars or craft breweries – Little Italy has it all!
Elevating the Workplace Experience
1 Columbia Place also boasts a host of amenities designed to enhance the professional and personal lives of our team members. From a bustling café to a serene rooftop terrace, these communal public spaces offer the perfect blend of productivity and relaxation. Our San Diego team will be able to stay active in the state-of-the-art fitness center and find moments of respite in the private outdoor spaces.
We’ve Come a Long Way in San Diego!
HBG’s San Diego office opened in 2016 on the heels of winning the commission for a multi-million-dollar resort expansion at Sycuan Casino Resort in East San Diego County. That win launched the firm’s ability to make the California dream a reality. Our core San Diego architecture and interior design leadership (the OG’s as we call them) have built HBG’s formidable presence on the West Coast. The San Diego office tripled in size during its first year of operation and has been growing ever since. This move to One Columbia Place allows us to keep up with that pace of growth.
We’re a recognized San Diego Business Journal ‘Best Place to Work’ and three of our ‘OGs’ were recently touted as San Diego ‘Leaders of Influence in Architecture and Design’. Technology allows HBG’s San Diego, Memphis, and Dallas offices to work interconnectedly to deliver project designs over the miles, and regular gatherings, community volunteering, and professional education events bring us together through camaraderie and continuous learning!
