Unique Designs Build Success

For this interview, Brunton sat down with two of his lead staff members – Colin Jones, director of mechanical engineering, and Jessica Nelson, director of interior design – to discuss the strategies and work culture that are the foundation of their business.

What are your roles at Brunton?

Corey: My role is to make sure that all cylinders are operating. I make sure the business development team is getting the information they need about our opportunities and they’re going after those opportunities. I make sure that the staff is being mentored, learning from lessons of the past and looking for opportunities in design. I don’t dive extremely heavy into all the details of design, but I’m always involved in the upfront work and the conceptualization, making sure the team is heading in the right direction.

So, my job is to basically hover over all the different departments within the company, which include business development, architectural, mechanical, interiors, marketing, business and administration, finance and now construction. There’s an awful lot to it. I have eight people that I directly supervise and then indirectly through them, the entire company. My goal is to empower them to perform to the required level that we expect here at Brunton. I get a real charge out of watching them perform, and, quite frankly, most of the time they perform beyond my expectations. I get out of bed in the morning because I get a chance to go and positively impact our people.

Colin: I primarily coordinate between architecture and interiors and mechanical systems for each individual project. Our mechanical team corresponds with them a lot and my main role is to facilitate that correspondence and to interject as needed in the design of mechanical systems and plumbing systems.

Jessica: I direct the interior design department. On a day-to-day basis I’m involved in and oversee all the different projects, coordinating them with architectural, mechanical, and other consultants. It’s people management, project management, and department organization. I also really enjoy the mentorship part of my role.

How exactly does an architectural engineering firm work?

Corey : The best analogy is that the architect is kind of the conductor in an orchestra. The architect has the vision and the feel for what they want. They bring in the horn section or the mechanical section when they’re needed, but not before they’re needed. Then they bring in the interiors section when they’re needed. They bring in all different aspects of the architectural feel and quality and design and they make sure that it sounds perfect together. They don’t stop until they’ve got everybody in the right place producing the right sound.

That’s a fantastic analogy. Where does the client fit in this architectural orchestra?

Corey: The client is the audience. They need to feel that their project is being well orchestrated. We involve our clients to the level they prefer. In this office, we say the best products we produce are the ones that have multiple fingerprints on them. That requires us, as designers, to check our ego at the door. This isn’t about us. This is about the client. This is about creating a custom design that meets their design vision, their intent, their expectations. It also has to meet the quality standards that we set here at Brunton. Nobody in that room is more important than the person they’re sitting next to. So having multiple fingerprints on a project is easy to sell. It’s easy to get client buy in. They appreciate being listened to. They know they’re being heard, and they can feel a part of the design. That’s important.

What services do you provide?

Corey: Brunton provides architectural, mechanical engineering, plumbing engineering, interior design, and construction administration services. We use consultants for structural and civil engineering services, as well as for the electrical needs of our projects. We’ve worked with trusted partners in those disciplines for many years with some partnerships going all the way back to when we opened 15 years ago. So, we’re very proud of those relationships and the performances that we get out of those team members.

What we’re offering here at Brunton Architects & Engineers is a design-led, design-build (DLDB) process when coupled with Brunton Construction. It’s different than traditional design build, where a