WENNER — DESIGN PACKAGES
Contents
— The brief
A design-team introduction, in five short pieces.
This document is for the principal of an architecture or interior design practice considering whether to bring Wenner onto a current or future commission. Three engagement tiers, calibrated to project size and ambition.
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i.
Why designed inThe cost of retrofitting technology around finished walls.
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ii.
The three tiersFoundation, Premier, and Estate at a glance.
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iii.
What's deliveredThe drawing set the trades on site will build from.
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iv.
How we collaborateThreaded into your process — schematic through commissioning.
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v.
An introductionHow to commission a Design Package.
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Wenner Group — Since 1945
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i. WHY DESIGNED IN
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— The argument
Designed in at schematic. Never retrofitted.
Technology integrated at the design stage performs better and disappears into the architecture. When we’re in the room at schematic, every option is still on the table — and the technology can help shape the architecture rather than be shaped by it.
At schematic
No walls have been built. No conduit has been run. The technology scope can be drawn alongside the architectural set, on the same scale and convention, before any decisions have been foreclosed. The earlier the drawing happens, the more of the original design intent stays intact through to handover.
Architectural shading, ordered with the windows
Specified alongside the window order: motors hide in the header, fabric drapery rides motorised tracks, drapery tracks recess into the ceiling, side channels disappear into the architecture. The room reads as a room — not as a system.
Network infrastructure, drawn to the floorplan
A house’s network gets quieter the earlier it’s drawn. Rack rooms placed where the architecture wants them, wireless access points coordinated with the finished ceilings, cable runs that follow the structure rather than retrofit through it. The result is a network that lives in the house without announcing itself.
"They drew the technology of the house into our drawings, not over the top of them."
Architect of record · 6,000 sq ft Vancouver Island residence
Wenner Group — Since 1945
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ii. THE THREE TIERS
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— The three tiers
Foundation. Premier. Estate.
Calibrated to project size and ambition, not project budget. Designed in at the architectural stage — not retrofitted around finished walls. Specified by leading Vancouver Island architects, designers, and custom builders.
Foundation
From $5,000
Entry-level design — typical fit for homes valued $1M – $2M.
- Reflected ceiling plan
- Electrical infrastructure layout
- Lighting layout documentation
- Audio/video pre-wire specifications
- Shade and drapery power plan
- Security system layout
Premier
From $15,000
Typical fit for homes valued $2M – $5M.
- Everything in Foundation
- Comprehensive electrical system design
- Lighting design and fixture specification
- Audio/video infrastructure design
- Automated shading specifications
- Detailed RCP with technology overlay
- Trade documentation packages
- Two critical site visits
Estate
From $25,000
Typical fit for estates valued $5M+.
- Everything in Premier
- Advanced electrical distribution design
- Museum-quality lighting design
- Reference-grade audio/video design
- Advanced climate control integration
- Complete construction drawing set
- Privacy and wellness specifications
- Dedicated project manager
Selecting a tier
A few notes on fit.
- The numbers are starting points; final scope sets the fee.
- Premier is typically 1–1.5% of project cost.
- Estate often pays for itself in change-order avoidance alone.
- We confirm the right tier on a Discovery Call — never as a surprise.
Wenner Group — Since 1945
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iii. WHAT'S DELIVERED
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— What's delivered
A drawing set the trades will build from.
Every Design Package produces a coordinated technology drawing set, on the same scale and convention as the architect's set, ready for the trades on site to build from without reconciliation.
i. Reflected ceiling plan
Lighting layout that overlays the architect's RCP, on the same scale and convention. No reconciliation between sub-trades.
ii. Permit-grade electrical drawings
Single-line diagrams, panel schedules, load calculations, code review. Issued under BC contractor licence LEL0003189.
iii. Low-voltage layouts
Cable runs, terminations, conduit. Drawn on the architectural set so framing knows where everything wants to go.
iv. Equipment closet sizing
Heat dissipation, power, fibre handoff, UPS. Drawn at framing, not added as an afterthought.
v. Shade & drapery specifications
Header detail, side channels, fabric selection coordinated with the interior designer's hardware schedule.
vi. Scene narrative & programming brief
Morning, day, evening, away, vacation. The narrative the homeowner will actually use.
vii. Trade documentation packages
Submittals, RFIs, change orders all run through one drawing package. No four-way reconciliation.
viii. Coordinated revision schedule
Issued on your set's revision rhythm — so the GC and the inspector see one technology narrative.
Wenner Group — Since 1945
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iv. HOW WE COLLABORATE
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— How we collaborate
Threaded into your process, at the right moments.
We are most effective when engaged at schematic — early enough to draw the technical scope on the same scale and convention as the architectural set, and lightly, before the project is too crowded for changes to be cheap.
Schematic Design
We attend the SD review, bring an early lighting RCP, and shape the equipment-closet sizing before the architectural set is locked. The principal sees what's possible, not what's missing.
Design Development
A coordinated drawing package issued on your revision schedule. Lighting RCP overlays your set; panel schedules and equipment specs sit on the same convention; the integrator's drawings don't fight the architect's.
Permit & IFC
Permittable electrical drawings issued under our BC contractor licence. The GC and inspector see one electrical narrative — no fragmented sub-trade pile.
Construction
Framing walks, mechanical coordination, finish carpentry coordination. RFIs answered same day. Change orders documented before the work starts.
Commissioning
Live in the home. Every scene tested. Every surface walked through. WennerCare aftercare offered with the handover so the design intent is preserved through the years that follow.
Wenner Group — Since 1945
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