About Us

I&E

Innovation & Efficiency

ICON Architectural Group was formed in 2001 and has established itself as one of the mainstay architectural firms in the upper Midwest. Our vision is to provide clients with innovative design and building solutions. We take our clients’ budget and schedule seriously, and are experienced at tracking and controlling both throughout the project.

HF

Human Factor

To accomplish this, our approach is to Listen, Understand, Communicate and Suggest. Our relationships with clients and our special attention to the human factors in each design process is the key to our success. Our staff strives to learn the client’s exact needs and help the client find the best design solution for those needs. Our design solutions evolve from a complete understanding of our client’s needs and aspirations. ICON will provide the highest level of service from Programming through Owner Occupancy.

PI

Principal Involvement

ICON takes pride in its principal's involvement in our projects. The ICON personnel you meet in an interview will be the people you will be collaborating with for the duration of the project.

S

Sustainability

Sustainable design or “Green” design is here to stay. ICON believes that incorporating green design into a project is not only socially conscious, but will provide the client a building that is will not only improve the overall quality of life, but have lower operating costs and a longer life – cycle.

B/S

Budget / Schedule

ICON is dedicated to the success of their clients. ICON judges a project's success by providing an aesthetically pleasing design solution that is both on time and within budget. We take our clients' budget and schedule seriously, and are experienced at tracking and controlling both throughout the project.

Project Design

Green Design

ICON Architectural Group has developed a reputation for devising creative solutions to complicated design challenges in innovative, efficient and successful ways. We strive to provide building solution that is the best blend of construction costs and operational savings. While not every project seeks certification, ICON incorporates the principles of LEED into our designs. Every project will inherently have its own combination of requirements that may or may not lend itself to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements. Prior to embarking on a project seeking LEED certification, ICON can do a cost to value study showing the likelihood of gaining LEED certification and the potential long term energy savings versus up front costs.

 

Balanced Design

Our firm has a proven history in LEED and Sustainable Design. One of our showcased projects recently completed has won a Green Building of America Award, selected out of 2,500 building applicants. We will design to the highest green standards the county sees fit,while balancing budget, schedule, and operations and maintenance issues.

 

U.S. Green Building Council

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a voluntary certification program that provides accreditation to building projects that meet nationally recognized standards for the design, construction and operation of high performance “green” buildings. The LEED rating system addresses six major areas of building performance: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.

Building Information Modeling

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is an innovative method to seamlessly bridge communication within architecture, engineering and construction industries. In simple terms, BIM is real time 3-D modeling that coordinates information from the architect, engineers and contractors.With BIM, ICON can efficiently generate and exchange information, create digital representations of all stages of the building process, and simulate real-world workflow, increasing productivity and improving quality.

BIM benefits the client by providing expanded visualization to help understand their project. As this model is developed, the client also has the opportunity to visualize the project without having to translate 2-D drawings. We can present “3-D imagery on the fly” of any room or space in the model. Walkthroughs of the project can be easily generated to understand the progression of these spaces. Solar studies can be created to study natural day lighting. All of these tools assist the client to fully visualize the project; benefits the traditional 2-D process failed to provide.

When the BIM process is fully realized, at completion the model will be an “as-built” representation of the project. Facility owners are embracing the benefits of BIM and obtaining the model for their operations. The model can be used as a tool by the client for future space planning, monitor and quantify fixtures, furnishings and equipment. The client can also monitor energy performance, and facilitate remodel and maintenance work.