Top 3 qualities to demand when choosing a new Architect.
Choosing the right architect for your project is one of the most important things you can do to ensure it's success. While they may seem similar on the outside, each architect has their own unique style, set of strengths/weaknesses, approach to construction, and work methodology. While everyone, from home owners to residential construction firms, need to ensure they have the right Architect, for Industrial & Commercial project owners the need is ever more dire. Mistakes and miscalculations in Industrial Architecture can cause a trickledown effect that, if left unchecked can cause incredibly costly problems down the line, and even render the facility unusable. It is imperative that you seek out an experienced architect whose style and methodology fit neatly with the scale and type of project the client needs. There are many things to consider, however these are the three most vital qualities to demand when choosing the right Architect for your project.
Experience – This one seems obvious right? You don’t want to entrust your project to a young, freshly graduated, architect with little or no experience. However, the huge firm, with the big office and decades of experience, may not be the best choice for you either. What’s important here is relevance. It’s not enough for them to have a ton of past performance if they haven't realized a project that mirrors your needs. They need to show past performance in projects relevant to what your requirements are. 20 years building houses and condos isn’t going to prepare them to design the factory or warehouse you need. Look for firms that can show you past performance with projects that look like yours. Never accept general over all experience or team size, over relevant past performance. Far better to go with the little guy that’s already done what you need, than the big guy that’s been around forever and says they can do everything.
Industry Knowledge – You’re across the table from a new architect team, that you’re interviewing for your project, and they’re giving you that glazed over, “thousand yard stare” accompanied by the occasional nod. Just run. If your prospective team isn’t fully switched on and engaged, asking you the right questions and plenty of them, then chances are, you’re not going to be satisfied with the results. An Architect who knows your industry will know thousands of different variables that can have a significant impact on the over all success and quality of your project. With Industrial design for example, questions like, how heavy is your line equipment? What are your water requirements? How tall is your line? How many staff? What are your temperature requirements? And so many more will be asked by a team with Industry knowledge in a attempt to custom tailor a solution bespoke to your exact needs. But with out the knowledge, they won’t know the questions. Look for those questions when you meet with a prospective Architectural Team, the right questions in the beginning will save time and money in the end
Management Ability - A good Architectural firm will do more than just put together the design and blueprints. They can also manage and provide oversight for your project. They will help you find the right contractors, either through personal references or via proper tendering. They’ll stay on board through out the construction, and make design adjustments when needed as the work progresses. They will assist in obtaining the necessary permits and other legal paperwork, required by local governance to build, and save you the headaches of fines and issues later on. A good firm may also offer to review invoices to make sure that your payments aren’t getting ahead of the work done on the ground. Be sure to inquire about which of these services your Architect provides, and what they charge for them. Certain services, such as revisions and site inspections, should be included as part of any standard contract. Others may well be available at an additional fee. Make sure you address these questions up front so you can go into your project with a clear vision of exactly what you’ll need to see it through.
Now of course there are many other things to consider when choosing the right Architectual Partners, but these 3 are a great place to start, so you don't end up like these guys.............
