Thursday, 28 Mar 2024

Considerations When Hiring an Architect

Hiring an architect can seem overwhelming, but whether you are purchasing architectural design services for college campus, a home or commercial building, you can find a great architect using a few key steps.

Style

During your architect research phase, you should look over your architects’ portfolios. You want to get an idea of their design philosophy and style. For example, if a firm builds mostly modern architecture and you want a craftsman-style home, you may be looking at the wrong architecture firm. However, you don’t necessarily want a firm that only builds one type of building either, especially if you hope to draw from different styles. You architect should be able to adapt to your needs and desires.

Communication

Search for a firm that has open communication from the very first phone call. You need to know their processes and key benchmarks in the design and building process. Make sure they contact you regularly and ask for your opinions and approval. The goal is for you to share your design ideas and needs and for the company to take those descriptions and turn them into architectural designs.

You also want a firm that listens to you. They should help you find ways to get what you want within your budget and give you detailed explanations of how each part of the process affects your budget.

Team

Building projects require teams of people, including architects, designers and construction workers from different industries. Find out about your prospective architects’ teams inside the company and their network outside the company. You want to be sure that your architect can work with people in a number of industries.

The size of the architects’ teams will also determine how much time they can devote to your project and the resources available for your build. Building homes and commercial buildings takes much time, so you want a firm that has the time available.

If you have a custom build in mind, consider consulting an architect. A great one will get you everything you need under budget.