We offer integrated services tailored to the needs of each client, with deep expertise in the areas of architecture, MEP engineering, interiors, planning, and sustainable design.

To attain the highest level of project success we focus on image, value, functionality, code, budget, and schedule. Our multidiscipline studio has considerable experience executing a wide range of project scopes in our targeted regional market—billing approximately 250 clients per year, with no single client making up more than 12% of overall volume.

The best way to determine if Arium is the right fit for your project is to let us put together a customized portfolio of Arium projects and qualifications that directly relate to your project. Contact us for more information on how we can meet your unique needs.

Architecture

We are a client-driven design firm. We begin with an evaluation of client needs, and throughout the design and construction process, we find creative and elegant ways to meet those needs. We are committed to:

  • Design that functions well today and anticipates tomorrow.
  • Processes that keep projects on time and on budget.
  • Seamless delivery and responsive service.

We seek to meet our clients’ goals for exciting aesthetics while providing reliable design solutions.

Architectural services in which Arium has unique depth and expertise include:

  • 3D visualizations
  • Long-term and phase planning
  • Programming and analysis of client needs and options
  • Cost benefit option analysis
  • Code reviews and exceptions
  • Energy studies
  • ADA studies
  • Specialty designs, such as SCIF, tempest, food service and processing, clean rooms, laboratories, process areas, industrial, racking, and refrigerated environments
  • Block planning and area option studies
  • Peer reviews
  • Third-party reviews
  • Design and construction documents

MEP Engineering

Engineering at Arium is about collaboration and attention to detail. We tap a wealth of knowledge and experience to deliver the best combination of value and performance.

  • A systematic approach ensures a higher level of quality design while guaranteeing fewer setbacks.
  • A shared studio approach facilitates collaboration with architects early in the design process, resulting in a better integrated and efficient design.
  • Strong relationships with vendors help our clients stay within budget while receiving a state-of-the-art design that meets their project’s needs.
  • Strong relationships with sub-contractors help avert coordination problems before they occur.
  • The high volume of permits we handle in most jurisdictions helps prevent costly delays.

Engineering services in which Arium has unique depth and expertise include:

  • Design of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
  • Power distribution design
  • Lighting and lighting control system design
  • Plumbing design
  • Indoor air quality (IAQ) reviews
  • Troubleshooting
  • Existing conditions assessments
  • Energy models
  • Hydronics system design
  • Energy recovery systems
  • Energy management and control systems
  • Emergency generators/UPS systems
  • Facility evaluations and planning
  • Fire alarm systems
  • Data center design
  • Engineering studies
  • Site lighting
  • Sanitary/storm drainage
  • LEED services
  • EnergyStar benchmarking
  • Fuel gas designs
  • Photometric calculations
  • Peer reviews
  • Construction administration

Interior Design

Arium’s approach to interior design emphasizes sophistication and value. We seek a built expression that promotes the client’s identity and culture. We believe that the client should decide whether the design expression is going to be high-tech, traditional, or transitional. Our interior design philosophy emphasizes timeless themes that age gracefully. We offer a full range of interior services for commercial facilities including:

  • Programming and client needs analysis
  • Space planning
  • Block studies of options and alternatives
  • Layout and effectiveness analysis when considering a range of potential options
  • Field measuring and creating CAD base documentation in AutoCAD or REVIT
  • Finish selections and boards
  • BOMA and other area studies
  • Furniture and casework inventories
  • Built-in design and detailing
  • Code reviews
  • Signage and graphics

Planning

Planning is a strong part of our comprehensive design effort. Early involvement of our planners at the site planning stage can make a tremendous difference in the financial and aesthetics success of a project. The range of staff expertise includes efforts such as:

  • City planning on such projects as Baltimore's Inner Harbor and West Side-Market Center Development and Pennsylvania Avenue Development
  • Area planning for multi-block PUDs
  • Block planning in large-scale developments
  • Site plans of mixed-use projects
  • Retail layouts for shopping centers
  • And many site plans for individual building projects

In all of these efforts, our knowledge of the rules that make an individual building succeed gives us a strong edge over planners who only understand the macro level of a design. Ultimately, we try to design everything from the inside out to better meet practical budgets and functional arrangements. We are happy to illustrate how our “inside-out” thinking is a pragmatic approach when implemented on large scale planning.

Green Design

The Arium approach to green design is pragmatic and supports our clients’ objectives. We emphasize the client’s long-term bottom line through the use of proven sustainable solutions. We can go well beyond simple potential energy savings and look at the total energy impact of:

  • Manufacturing
  • Delivery
  • Installation
  • Maintenance
  • Reuse costs

Our business background leads us to review the time cost of money in the energy investment analysis.