Does this replace the architect?

No. The platform produces concept-stage plans and renders; the architect produces stamped construction documents.

Can I model multiple scope options in the planning phase?

Yes. Scenarios let you compare building types, unit counts, and quality tiers on the same parcel.

Are permit timelines accurate for my city?

City-specific baselines where the city publishes review data; regional fallbacks otherwise, with a confidence flag.

How does the planning record stay in sync as decisions change?

It's a live record — change the scope, the cost band, schedule, and concept update accordingly. Versions are retained.

Can the GC see the planning record?

Yes, via a read-only share. The GC's hard bid starts from the same scope and assumptions.

Is there a per-project cost?

Plan-based — no per-project surcharge.

Construction Planning Software — Plan The Project Before Drawing It

Construction planning happens in the window between 'we own the parcel' and 'we have construction documents'. The decisions made in this window — scope, budget tier, schedule assumptions, permit strategy — shape every dollar that follows. Most teams plan this phase in spreadsheets and meetings; the cost of doing so is opacity, revision churn, and decisions that don't survive contact with the architect.

Buildora IQ replaces the spreadsheet with a structured planning record: scope locked to zoning, cost band locked to local market, schedule locked to permit-timing baselines, and concept locked to the parcel's geometry. Everything traces back to a single source of truth.

What 'planning' has to lock down before drawings

Four decisions belong to planning: building type and quality tier (the cost driver), unit count and program (the yield driver), permit strategy and timeline assumption (the schedule driver), and design intent for owner alignment (the change-order preventer). Each of these will be touched again by the architect, the GC, and the city — but the planning phase is where they get a defensible starting point. Vague planning means expensive revision cycles downstream.

How the platform structures the planning record

Every project starts from a parcel — so scope is bounded by zoning from the beginning. Building type, unit count, and quality tier are inputs that drive cost, yield, and concept generation. The platform's Construction Cost Estimation produces a band; Permit Intelligence produces a timeline range; AI Floor Plans and Conceptual Renders produce a concept that respects the parcel. The planning record is shareable — partners, owners, and capital providers see the same scope, cost, schedule, and concept the team is working from.

Permit strategy as a planning input

Permit strategy isn't just timeline — it's choice of permit path. Some scopes can be handled with a simpler permit type (ministerial, over-the-counter); others require a full discretionary review with hearings and conditions. The platform surfaces the typical paths for the build type and jurisdiction and notes the timing and risk implications of each.

Owner alignment as a deliverable

A planning phase that doesn't produce owner alignment is incomplete. Concept renders and floor plans, while marked as design intent, give the owner something concrete to react to — and the reactions inform the architect's scope before the architect's clock starts.

Where construction planning hands off

Planning hands off to architecture (for stamped drawings), to the GC (for the hard bid), and to the field-ops stack (Procore, Buildertrend, etc.) for execution. The platform's exports — cost band, scope, schedule, concept, assumption log — are the inputs to all three handoffs.

Use Cases

Parcel-Bounded Scope: Scope is anchored to the parcel's zoning and geometry from the first input.
Permit Strategy Surfacing: Likely permit paths for the build type and jurisdiction, with timing and risk implications.
Concept Design: AI Floor Plans and Conceptual Renders for owner alignment before the architect's clock starts.
Shareable Planning Record: Owners, partners, and capital providers work from the same source of truth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this replace the architect?: No. The platform produces concept-stage plans and renders; the architect produces stamped construction documents.
Can I model multiple scope options in the planning phase?: Yes. Scenarios let you compare building types, unit counts, and quality tiers on the same parcel.
Are permit timelines accurate for my city?: City-specific baselines where the city publishes review data; regional fallbacks otherwise, with a confidence flag.
How does the planning record stay in sync as decisions change?: It's a live record — change the scope, the cost band, schedule, and concept update accordingly. Versions are retained.
Can the GC see the planning record?: Yes, via a read-only share. The GC's hard bid starts from the same scope and assumptions.
Is there a per-project cost?: Plan-based — no per-project surcharge.

Related Resources

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