About Us
Since our founding in 1978, we have continued to contribute to the built environment as a design-driven real estate development firm. We celebrate the fundamental connection between design and nature as an approach to serving the communities where we practice and the people who live there, while continuing to evolve and innovate.
Because of the structure of our business, we serve as the owner, the architect, the developer and the general contractor, providing unique degrees of freedom that allow us to work from a shared vision.
The DCHGlobal Building System is a patented architectural system that is flexible in both horizontal and vertical directions, it is sustainable up to the net-zero level, multi-generational, and can be built quickly and efficiently in any location, climate, or terrain.
Optima DCHGlobal Inc. builds buildings using the DCHGlobal Building System. We are the developer, architect, general contractor, and sales broker. Please visit our Properties for Sale page for our current listings.
The DCHGlobal Building System synchronizes standardization with design flexibility through a set of manufactured structural and architectural components. The components are made from the latest in steel technology called Cor-ten and Duracorr steel which are corrosion resistant and are from 99% recycled metals. The patented structural system is based on 7’-0” x 7’-0” horizontal module, a 1’-3” vertical module, and a 21’-0” x 21’-0” structural bay with connectors, beams, and column components that are joined together with tension-controlled bolts to create a 3-dimensional structural grid allowing for design flexibility in both vertical and horizontal directions. The standardized structural, architectural, and building components fit together like an erector set and allow for shop assembly for efficient, precise, and fast construction in any location, climate, or terrain.
Glazing, fascia, vertical screens, case work, wall panels, plumbing, electrical wiring, ductwork, insulation, stairs, and handrail are all designed in accordance to the 3D grid and integrated into the structure, thereby allowing automated fabrication with precise and efficient construction.
The 1’-3” vertical module allows the building to step down in 2’-6” increments utilizing the maximum height allowed by code for adjacent floors to exist without a handrail provides clear definition between functional spaces without walls obstructing views. The 7’ x 7’ horizontal module shapes comfortable hallways, bedrooms, open spaces, and functional spatial transitions. The 2’-6” “step” allows interior spaces to have an open feel while providing spatial variation and enhancing the opportunities for furniture, art, and architecture to provide a rich interior experience.
The structural system allows a 7’-floor cantilever and a 14’-roof cantilever inherently providing functional flexibility and large roof overhangs for solar control. Nature can be integrated through the structure and the building envelope, comprised of high efficiency Low-E UV protected laminated glass with a heat reflective coating. The glass acts as a canvas for nature’s reflections of both color and texture. Adjustable vertical modular sunscreens create privacy and shading for the interior spaces while filtering light through 3/8” perforations on 10-gauge press-formed slats. Cantilevered from the perimeter of the roof structure, the Cor-Ten or Durracorr plate is perforated with 1-1/4” holes creating a moving pattern on the interior and exterior that follows the angle of the sun during the day and the moonlight at night.
The system is pre-engineered for up to two stories and is designed up to the LEED Platinum Level.
