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CIVIL ENGINEERING

Mendota Plaza, Mendota Heights, MN

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SITE ANALYSIS, PLANNING AND DESIGN

MNANG Division Headquarters Complex, Arden Hills, MN

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ENTITLEMENTS

Chrysler/Jeep/Ram/Dodge Dealership Expansion, Coon Rapids, MN

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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

MPS Bancroft Elementary School Addition, Minneapolis, MN

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Élan Design Lab

About Us

Élan Design Lab, Inc. was founded in 2014 by Marcie Weslock, PE and Steve Johnston, PE. Steve and Marcie began working together in late nineties while at a local civil engineering and landscape architecture firm. Their career paths diverged, but ultimately brought them back together to build a stronger design firm that focuses on creating smart sites through sound engineering.

Élan Design Lab, Inc. is a civil engineering and landscape architecture service provider to the construction/development marketplace, including regional, state and federal agencies, counties and municipalities, state and local school systems, national corporations, commercial and residential contractors, developers, property owners and other architectural and engineering firms.

Élan Design Lab, Inc. draws its name from two segments of the company’s core businesses Engineering and Landscape architecture.  The definition Élan [ey-lahn] – “vigorous spirit, energy or enthusiasm” aptly describes the way the owners and the business approach new challenges.  “Lab” also denotes a place that is a testing ground for fresh, creative ideas and solutions. Élan’s staff is a collection of hardworking, creative people focused on discovering inspired ideas and solutions with vigorous spirit, energy and enthusiasm.

Our Work
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Meet Us

We are a small team of talented professionals with a wide range of skills and experience. We love what we do, and we do it with passion. We look forward to working with you.

MARCIE WESLOCK, PE, LEED AP

President/Principal Engineer

PILAR SARAITHONG, PLA

Senior Landscape Architect

STEVE JOHNSTON, PE

Vice President / Principal Engineer

Project Types

Commercial

Education

Public

Residential

Testimonials

250

+

projects

100

confidence

20

+

Repeat Clients

8

years-in-business

Latest News

Top Projects of 2021: The Family Partnership

The Family Partnership was selected as a Top Project of 2021 by Finance and Commerce. Élan provided civil engineering and landscape architecture services for The Family Partnership (TFP), a…

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Our Lady of Peace Hospice Expansion, Saint Paul, MN

Élan was excited to kick off Our Lady of Peace (OLP) Hospice Expansion project with design for the parking lot improvements and wishes the rest of our colleagues and…

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Father Hennepin Bluffs Park Improvements Project

Élan enjoyed working with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board on the Father Hennepin Bluffs Park Improvements project and is excited to see this project come to fruition for…

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2021 MNCREW Celebration Awards – The Family Partnership

Élan won two MNCREW Celebration Awards in both the Excellence in Design and Economic & Community Improvement categories for The Family Partnership with BWBR. The MNCREW Celebration Awards honor…

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Our Services

  • SITE ANALYSIS, PLANNING AND DESIGN

    Élan’s first step for every project is listening, understanding and clarifying our client’s ideas and priorities for their project. When practical we walk the site with the client to fully appreciate their vision. To fully explore the site’s opportunities and constraints we gather data from public resources, review previously prepared reports, surveys and investigations, and coordinate additional survey, environmental and geotechnical investigations where warranted. Our talented site planners then, using this data, explore multiple design options for the site considering various factors including traffic circulation, grading and drainage, optimizing yield, utility access and visibility.

    • Document review
    • Zoning and Land Use Plan interpretation
    • Site Investigations
    • Soil and geotechnical assessments
    • Site constraint / opportunity analysis
    • Site visualization
    • Entitlement process documentation
    • Feasibility studies
    • LID programing and LEED Scoping
    • Master Planning
    • Development cost pro forma preparation
    • Project team coordination
    • ADA-compliant accessibility

  • CIVIL ENGINEERING

    Our team of engineers is ready to move your project from concept planning into final design. We work from a holistic approach maintaining personnel throughout the life of the project. Decisions made early in the development of a site will be carried through by our engineers. Our team understands the complexities of a project and the need to collaborate with all design partners from the architectural team and building system engineering to the routing of the small utilities. Élan offers a full range of site and infrastructure civil engineering services including:

    • Site design
    • Street and parking lot design
    • Trip generation and site circulation analysis
    • Pavement design
    • Erosion control design and SWPPP plan preparation
    • Site grading
    • Earthwork balance analysis
    • Drainage analysis and stormwater management
    • Building utility system design
    • Infrastructure sanitary sewer and water systems
    • Spill prevention plans
    • Control and countermeasure (SPCC) plans
    • Sustainable design
    • LEED documentation and calculations

  • LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

    Our landscape architect is integral to the success of a project by marrying the artistic vision with the functionality of the site. Our engineers and landscape architect work together from the beginning of a project to ensure the end result is efficient, functional, and in harmony with the environment. Our professionals bring extensive knowledge of local plant material, site design, site amenities and environmental considerations to create projects that tie the human experience with the environment.

    • Urban design
    • Park and trail planning and design
    • Tree inventory, preservation and replacement
    • Planting plans
    • Irrigation design
    • Site visualization and presentation graphics
    • Streetscape design
    • Site amenity design

  • ENTITLEMENTS

    Let our team of project managers help you navigate the permitting process on the local, state, and federal level. Our project managers have worked with numerous municipalities, watershed districts, state agencies, among other permitting entities in and around the Twin Cities. The team at Élan Design Lab offers the following services:

    • Public presentations
    • Presentation graphics
    • Advocacy
    • Permit facilitation
    • Wetland permitting
    • Stormwater management
    • Grant applications
    • LEED documentation

All rights reserved © Copyright 2014 Élan Design Lab, Inc. d/b/a Élan Design Lab & Élan