QD Design provides four core services, alone or combined: architectural design, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) engineering, commercial permit drawings, and tenant improvement design. Every deliverable is produced in-house in Cypress, Texas, and sealed by licensed professionals. Most clients combine architecture and MEP into a single permit-ready package — one fee, one schedule, one accountable firm.
Architectural Design
Space planning, code and occupancy analysis, life-safety and egress plans, finish and accessibility (TDLR/TAS) documentation, and full architectural construction documents for new buildings, expansions, and tenant improvements. Recent work includes a 17,000 SF medical clinic campus in Houston and a 4,000-to-10,000 SF commercial expansion in Webster designed across all six disciplines.
MEP Engineering
Sealed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing construction documents: HVAC load calculations and equipment selection, kitchen exhaust and Type I hood systems, electrical one-line diagrams and distribution, lighting and IECC/COMcheck energy compliance, gas piping, grease waste, and riser diagrams. Our AutoZone store in Austin beat the 2021 IECC lighting baseline by 31%, documented in COMcheck.
Commercial Permit Drawings
The complete drawing set your city requires to issue a building permit — architecture plus sealed MEP — with every plan-review comment answered by us until the permit is issued. We work City of Houston DSD, Austin, Sugar Land, Pearland, Tomball, League City, Harris and Fort Bend Counties, and TDLR weekly, and we’ve resolved review cycles as demanding as 25 comments in a first-time jurisdiction and 38 cycles across three parallel agencies.
Tenant Improvement (TI) Design
Fast-track design for leased commercial spaces: restaurants, retail, medical suites, offices, fitness, salons. TI work is where one-firm A/E pays off most — the architect and the MEP engineer are the same team, so hood shafts, panel locations, and plumbing routes are resolved before the landlord or the city ever sees the set.
Project Types We Know Cold
- Restaurants & food service — full-service, QSR franchise, food halls, bakeries, commercial kitchens (NFPA 96, grease interceptors, health-department review)
- Medical & wellness — clinics, med-spas, veterinary, imaging suites
- Retail & franchise — national retail prototypes, c-stores, travel centers
- Industrial & warehouse — shell buildings, office/warehouse TIs, food production, pharmaceutical cleanrooms
- Education & childcare — daycares, Montessori schools, academy expansions (licensing-aware design)
- Religious & community — sanctuaries, gymnasiums, additions
- Spas, salons & fitness — massage franchises, beauty studios, boutique fitness
- Senior & assisted living — licensed residential care communities
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire QD Design for MEP only, or architecture only?
Yes. We regularly serve as MEP engineer of record for outside architects, and as architect working with an owner’s preferred engineers. Most clients choose the combined package because one firm producing the whole set permits faster.
Do you handle the permit submittal itself?
Yes — we can submit directly to the jurisdiction, respond to all plan-review comments, and coordinate TDLR/TAS accessibility registration, health-department review, and fire-marshal submittals where the project requires them.
Are your drawings sealed?
All engineering documents are sealed by a Texas-licensed Professional Engineer. Architectural documents are prepared and sealed as the project’s jurisdiction requires.
Send us your floor plan — fee proposal within one business day.