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HOW TO SELECT AN ARCHITECT
This week I have been kind of bummed. I was part of a paid competition for a modern house design. I spent several weeks developing the plans, working through the concept and building and rendering a 3d model. Just to give you a little information on the project. This would have been a rocking house. It is nestled in the woods of a 5 acre property. The site is split by a small watershed and we were utilizing the terrain to our advantage. As you enter the property you meander through a road leading you over a small bridge that crosses a small creek. Rising up the hill to a motor court for guests. after you park you are greeted by a bridge that takes you across the gully to the front entrance which is on the upper level.
The home owner arrives at a lower level on the other end of the property. The site and building were set up perfectly. The building was very modern with large areas of glazing bringing the indoors and outdoors together. Large expansive overhangs to create passive solar gain.
During the meeting the clients were very excited. I could tell that they were wow’d by the design and they started discussing next steps etc… They were ready to get going. We told them we were ready to start. They ended meeting by saying they were going to think about it over the weekend. Since they had already seen the previous design, we should know first of the week.
Sounds promising to me.
Well, we get a call this week and the owner says that they have decided to move forward with the other design. Hmm. That is fine it was a competition and i don’t want to sound like a poor looser but when asked why his response was that the contractor said the other design could be built in 12 months and our design would probably take him 18 months to build.
Really, My first thought is really. The decision was made over a contractor saying it will take 6 months longer. So you are spending a million dollars on a house, on a lot that you paid 1/2 million for a home that you plan to retire in, and you are making the decision based on 6 months. probably.
I have yet to see the other competitors design and I cant wait to see it of course. I am sure it was a great design, they are talented group and i wish them the best with the project, but i am disappointed that we did not get it.
Im telling you this because I don’t want you to fall into the trap of making irrational decisions during the design and selection phase of construction. Actually through all stages of construction.
I am going to give you the top 5 questions you need to ask yourself after the interviews, but before selecting an architect
How responsive have they been?
Typically when someone gives you a list they save the best for last. In this case I feel very strongly that this might be the most important question you should ask yourself. How hard has it been to get their attention? Do they respond reasonably quick? Are they available by multiple streams of contact phone and email?
You want an architect that is interested in your project and accomplishing the goals you have set for your project. The more interested they are in your project the better it will be. That is just how human beings are. We tend to gravitate to what interest us.
How well can they listen to your concerns and provide solutions to ease those concerns?
After the interview did you feel like you were able to express your ideas in a way that they understood. Were they taking notes and gathering the information you were giving them? Were they listening? Did they ask any further questions to pull more information out of you? Did they offer any ideas on ways to solve your concerns.
Like I have said in an earlier show, most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply. Do you feel they understand your concerns and will take them into account. I think we can all tell if someone is listening and understanding us. Communication is key to having a successful project.
How do they approach design and how will that fit with your particular project and personality?
If there approach is to get an initial survey and then return a month later with a finished design, and you would like to have more involvement then you need to find an architect that can involve you in the various stages of design. Bounce ideas back and forth. Sometimes it is difficult for the architect to feel how involve in the design phase the owner would like to be. So be open and honest with them that you would love to see progress along the way even if it is not polished and complete.
When you ask to see unpolished work, just be sure you remember that it is incomplete work you are looking at and design evolves quickly. Don’t get bogged down in the details in the beginning. It will stifle the creativity and slow down the design process.
Take notes of items of concern and write down the detail ideas that come to mind so you don’t forget.
Does the architects design sense and style work well with your project?
Choose according to your style. Good architects can adapt their stylistic approach to your taste, the overall process will be smoother and easier if they are not expected to depart too drastically from their own stylistic tendencies.
When an architect starts to develop a style that is a representation of the work that they enjoy doing. When you start to deviate from that style too much they might start to get out of their area of interest. You would be surprised at how diverse architects can be with their style.
If the style you see in their portfolio looks like it might not be a good fit ask them if they have any example of projects that meet the style that you are interested in. In my opinion, architects are trained to cross styles as well as create using various historical concepts so with research and design they will be able to get to that design you are looking for with your help.
How was there interaction with you, does your personality match with theirs?
It’s important to find somebody you’re comfortable with. You will be spending a lot of time together and if you first walk into a room to meet and you don’t get a good feeling, you’re probably not six months from now. If you love their style but hate their guts, look somewhere else. Finding the right architect that fits with your personality will make the final design better.
So to recap:
- How responsive have they been?
- How well can they listen to your concerns and provide solutions to ease those concerns?
- How do they approach design and how will that fit with your particular project and personality?
- Does the architects design sense and style work well with your project?
- How was there interaction with you, does your personality match with theirs?
So hopefully that gives you some ideas on what to look for in an architect and helps to alleviate some questions you have. If you have more questions please get in touch with me and I will try my best to answer them.
Shout out for this weeks show goes to John Lee Dumas, Thanks for the great tips on podcasting during your live webinar. Nice chatting with you.
So I wanted to end with one final take away for you. Personality is everything. I have talked before about listening and taking the information that clients are giving in. absorbing that information. If you are in the room with an architect and he or she is doing most the talking. Then they are probably not listening to what you have to say. If they are not listening how are they going to make the right decisions that match up with your goals and vision for the project?
If you have a project you want to get started on I would be more than happy to help get you started. Would love to hear from you.
I wanted to end this episode with a quote from Malcolm Gladwell. He is the author of The tipping point: How little things can make a bid difference and currently a writer for the New Yorker. Malcolm said:
“Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.”
