You’ve Selected Your Architect or Architecture Firm, Now What?
How To Prepare for Your Project Design Meetings with Your Architect or Architecture Firm.
After selecting your architect of architecture firm for your project, you may be left with a feeling of, Now What? What’s Next?, How can I actually help during this process? and that’s understandable, the design process can oftentimes be intimidating at first to those who are not familiar with it. However if you’re selected the right architect or architectural firm based on your needs, they should be able to help lessen that feeling by address your concerns, guide and assist you throughout the design process and thereafter the construction of your structure or building. Nevertheless having an idea of what to expect and how to be prepared for your meetings with your architect or architecture firm will make the things progress with better results.
Be Clear About Your Project’s Scope, Budget and Timeline from The Outset.
Developing a project is a significant investment and if it’s your home, its likely the biggest investment you'll ever make. So, when it comes to renovating or building a new home or any type of considerable size structure be it residential or commercial. It is important to be clear about your project's scope, budget and timeline from the outset. This will help to ensure that the design process of your building or structure goes smoothly, your project stays on track and that you end up with a final product that meets your needs and fits within your budget. Here are a few a few steps you can take to help guarantee that your project scope, budget and timeline are clear from the start to both yourself and architect or architecture firm:
First, make a list of all the requirements for your project. If it is house or residential project this should include everything from the size and number of rooms to the type of finishes, fixtures your are looking at, and other considerations for your project.
After you have your list of requirements for your project, start putting together a budget and timeline for it, you can use online tools or software to help make this process easier.
Once you have your project’s scope and budget, share it with your architect or architecture firm for review & discussion, revisit and make any changes if necessary to better match your project’s requirements with the budget and timeline established.
If you're not sure where to start, your architect or architectural firm can help, they'll work with you to put together your goals & objectives to develop and establish a clear scope of work, based on your requirements, the budget and timeline for your project.
Don’t Be Afraid of Asking Questions!
Asking questions is a valuable part of the architectural design process, whether you’re working with an architect, architecture firm, or anyone else involved in the project such as a landscape, architectural or interior designer. Asking questions allows you to determine and understand what you need to know in order to safeguard that the project meets your expectations and is completed in a timely manner. If you’re not sure about something, don’t be afraid to ask, it’s important to have a good understanding of the stages involved in the design & construction process, also often times the architect or firm will have additional information that compliments the questions you’ve asked which could be helpful. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that communication is key when working with an architect or architecture firm. Again, don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have, asking questions and having productive discussions can help you get the most out of your relationship with the architect or architectural firm and make sure your project is within budget, on track & meets your expectations.
Discuss The Architectural Design Process and What You Can Expect at Each Stage.
Understanding the architectural design process and what you can expect is an important part of getting the most from your relationship with your architect or architecture firm. Depending on the size and complexity of your structure or building design journey will involve several phases, each of which will help the architect or firm to incrementally develop a design and construction plan based on your projects requirements, budget and timeline that were previously established . The six main phases of the structure or building design process typically involve the following:
Pre-Design
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documents
Bidding | Negotiation
Construction Administration
Understanding That the First Design Concepts May Not Be the Final Ones.
It’s easy to be fixated on having the final design for your home of building right away, however, it is important to understand that the first design concepts an architect or architecture firm gives you may not be the final ones. Throughout the project, you should be open to feedback and collaboration which can lead to further tweaks and improvements. As mentioned, being clear from the beginning with the architect or architectural firm on how you envision the results of your project to be is important, this safeguards that the thoughts about the final building or structure is established and well communicated the design process. In addition, you may also want to discuss options such as sustainability or materials that you would prefer for your project. The more input you provide, the better the team can create a design that meets your expectations and project’s requirements. Working with an architect or architecture firm can be a great experience , positive results come with open communication, collaboration and understanding that the final design may not be the exact one you had in mind initially.
Keep An Open Mind During the Architectural Design Process.
Building Design and similar design projects is a highly creative and technical process, therefore it’s important to keep an open mind when working with an architect or architecture firm. It’s key to remember that architects and architectural firms often have their own style, methods and processes which may be different from yours, so having a broad understanding of this and building design can expand your views and help you gain more insight and perspective into the design process, it also allows you and the team find creative solutions to problems that you may not have foreseen. Likewise, it keeps the design process flowing in a positive direction, allowing ideas to build upon one another, progressively enhancing the structure or building’s design with each change. Working with an open mind also helps to build an ongoing relationship with the architect or firm, everyone will be on the same page and be able to work together more productively. This is especially important when it comes to the big picture and the ultimate goals of the project, it helps to ensure that everyone is focused on the same outcome.
