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

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

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

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