What do Architects do?
And how can they help you?
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Whether you're about to expand your current facility, adapt an existing structure to a new use, or construct an entirely new building, your building project represents a major investment that will affect the productivity and efficiency for years. Smart decision-makers know that the way to maximize such an investment begins with consulting an architect.
Architects are the only professionals who have the education, training, experience and vision to maximize your construction dollar and ease the entire design and construction process.
Early involvement is key. By helping you define the building project, architects can provide meaningful guidance for design. They can conduct site studies, help secure planning and zoning approvals, and perform a variety of other pre-design tasks. Plus, when architects are involved at the earliest planning stage, they gain more opportunities to understand your business, develop creative solutions, and propose ways to reduce costs. The long-term result is a facility that adds to the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of your operation.
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Compensating Your Architect
Appropriate professional compensation is important to meeting your goals; cost and value go hand in hand. Experienced clients recognize that adequate compensation for the architect is in their best interest as it assures the type and level of services needed to fulfill their expectations. You may have questions about how to arrive at the appropriate compensation for your project. Some of the more frequent questions are answered here.
How much should I expect to pay an architect?
That will depend on the types and levels of professional services provided. More extensive services or a more complex or experimental project will require more effort by the architect and add more value to the project. You should budget accordingly for architectural services. And what methods of compensation are available?
These are the most common:
· A stipulated sum based on the architect's proposal
· A stipulated sum per unit, based on what is to be built (for example, the number of square feet, apartments, or rooms)
· A percentage of the construction cost
· Hourly rates
· A combination of the above
Your architect will explain how a fee is to be established. Then, the basis for the fee, the amount and the payment schedule are issues for you and your architect to work out together.
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Questions to Ask Your Architect
At the heart of every successful project is a strong relationship between client and architect. Architects know that the more knowledgeable their clients are, the more likely they are to fully participate in the process and enjoy the benefits of a collaborative effort.
Here are a few important things to learn about and questions to ask your architect:
1. Whom will you be dealing with directly? Is that the same person who will be designing the project? Who will be designing your project?
2. What does the architect see as important issues or considerations for the project? What are the challenges of the project?
3. What is the architect's design philosophy?
4. How interested is the architect in this project?
5. What sets this architect/architecture firm apart from the rest?
6. How does the architect/architecture firm establish fees? What would the architect expect the fee to be for your project?
7. What does the architect expect you to provide?
8. What will the architect show you along the way to explain the project? Will you see models, drawings, or computer images?
9. If the scope of the project changes later in the project, will there be additional fees? How will these fees be justified?
10. What services does the architect provide during construction?
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