The Design Process
On a full service project, your architect will lead the design process from initial concepts through completion of the construction. Architects lead the team through design and documentation, then typically take a supporting role as owner’s advocate during construction.
Architectural services are typically broken into five phases of work: predesign, schematic design, permit drawings, construction documents, and construction phase services.
Predesign
In Predesign we clarify the project’s requirements and parameters. We write a program, research code and land use issues, define the allowable building envelope and document your site and the structures on the site. The goal of Predesign is to clearly define the project’s scope, practical realities of time and cost; and any limiting factors such as development constraints or site issues.
Schematic Design
Schematic Design documents
In Schematic Design we define the layout, form and scope of your project. We will discuss materials and details; test plan, section, and elevation options; and consider design concepts and overall experiential ideas with you. This is the time to bring out the images you’ve been collecting, to go out walking and shopping, and to talk about the big ideas. The goal of Schematic Design is to craft a vision that we are all behind developing.
Schematic Design ends with an agreed-upon set of sketched or drafted design drawings. The schematic set is not a finished design, but a clearly documented set of ideas that we all wish to develop. It is very wise to interview contractors at the end of schematic design, both to get on someone’s schedule for construction a few months down the road, and to get feedback from the builders on budget and constructability.
Design Development
Design development is one of those phases when we tend to go quiet. We haven’t stopped working by any means; rather we have our heads down drawing and may not come up to talk much for a few weeks. In Design Development we do detailed design and permit drawings based on the completed Schematic Design. Oftentimes, at the end of Design Development, the drawings will go to the building department for permitting. Since building departments are most interested in structure and life safety, we can prioritize those items early and save finish details to do while the building department is completing its review of the plans. Architects also generally are the ones to submit the plans to the building department having jurisdiction over the project. This can be done by owners or contractors as well - it’s something to clarify early in the process.
Construction Documents
Construction documents
Also known as working drawings, construction documents are the drawings, specifications, and other instruments of service that your architect will produce to see the project through construction. During the construction documents phase, we finalize the details that make the project come to life. Finish detail design and final color and material selections are refined as the documents are developed. If a contractor is not already involved in the project, your architect may assist you in the selection of a contractor during this phase, or if you prefer, the project can be sent out for bids/ tender when the Construction Documents are complete. At PLACE, we highly recommend negotiating with a contractor selected on merit, early in the process.
Construction
During construction, the owner - architect relationship that had sustained design becomes a triangle, including the contractor. Your architect is there to ensure that the project is built according to the plans, to advocate for you, to help with possible changes and unforeseen conditions, and to coordinate the work of consulting engineers who may be involved in the project. Many projects benefit from weekly or semi-weekly standing construction meetings on site. These can be efficient forums for questions and answers, as well as changes arising from discoveries made during construction itself. (A classic example is changing window locations after a wall’s opened up, revealing a view no one ever knew was there.) Also during construction, your architect will check material submittals, provide supplemental information in response to questions or changes, facilitate communication where that’s needed, and help to keep the process moving smoothly.
If all goes well, the final walkthrough should be a bit of a celebration. After all, any project — no matter how small — is a major undertaking involving hours of hard work by many, many people. Completion is an achievement to recognize!
Choosing an Architect
Choosing an architect for any building project is an important step. You want to find someone who can realize your dream for you - but how?
Architects, like all of us, are a diverse bunch. In order to find an architect with whom you’ll be successful, consider the following.
Websites and Portfolios
A good place to start is the web, since many if not most architects have websites where they post their work for all to view. Do some searches, and see who is appealing to you, whose work and presentation style feels most like yours, and who you think you might like working with. Don’t limit your search specifically to architects’ websites. Often news articles and other sources can lead to good people, as well.
Research and References
Ask around about the firms that interest you. Look for published work, ask friends and family if anyone’s used them, get some background and see where that leads you. Ask other building professionals that you trust for referrals: if you have a friend who’s an engineer, or you know a great builder, they may be able to recommend an architect. You can look at awards programs for winners, the papers and magazines, and the professional organizations including the AIBC (Architecture Institute of British Columbia) RAIC (Royal Architecture Institute of Canada) and the GVHBA (Greater Vancouver Homebuilders’ Association.)
Interviews
This, of course, is the critical step. Choose a short list of firms to interview. Generally, three is enough, though that’s entirely up to you. In the interview, you have a chance to test things out.
Communication
How easily are you able to talk with this architect? Is s/he listening and understanding your ideas? Do you feel comfortable sharing the kinds of details with him or her that you’ll need to in order to create a successful project? Your architect often ends up knowing some surprisingly intimate details of your life. Like a good attorney, s/he’ll keep that information strictly confidential. If there is any one key element to choosing an architect, your comfort that the communication with him or her is clear and fluid may be it. Of course, communication in a design process is not strictly verbal. Take a look at the architect’s work. Can you understand - or does s/he clearly explain - what’s shown in drawings, models, and renderings? How well does s/he help you visualize things that aren’t yet on paper?
Expectations
Clear expectations support good communication. Make sure your architect gives you a clear understanding of the design process as s/he sees it for your project. Your architect should let you know what to expect, when, and - with some time allowed for an estimate to be developed - what it will cost and how s/he’ll bill for the work. If the architect has a firm of more than one or two people, be sure to meet the people who will be primarily responsible for your project. Be clear about your timeline and budget, and expect your architect to be frank about his or her perspective on these items.
Services
Architects can provide a wide range of professional services, from providing hourly design consultations and quick advice to developing full working drawings and seeing a project through construction. Talk with your architect about the scope of services s/he can provide, the costs and benefits of these, and specific recommendations for your project. Find out if the architects you’re considering have builders and consultants to recommend, and whether they’re open to working with people new to them.
Collaboration
Architects are trained to see the big picture - to set down touchstone concepts and develop plans that bring together client requirements, aesthetics, efficiency, and sustainability, and the visions of diverse stakeholders. Your architect should be a creative problem solver who can resolve diverse ideas and points of view into solutions that all parties are excited about. S/he will need your participation and trust to succeed, however, so be sure that you’re ready to contribute. Some architects are very interactive as they design, and like to work closely with clients at every step; others may disappear for a little while and return with proposals. At different stages of the process you may experience both of these even with one architect; and we frequently adjust to match the needs and preferences of our clients. Ask questions, be ready to do your part, and choose someone whose work style meshes with your own.
Design
Architects can work with a wide variety of design input from you. Don’t worry if you don’t know what your place will look like in the end when you start the process. Sometimes it’s better if you don’t! Clips of projects you like are great, but some of the most successful projects at PLACE have started with even less. If you can say ”I’d like my place to feel like __,” a good architect can take that and start running with it.
It’s also absolutely crucial that you feel comfortable saying, “You know, I really don’t like that.” Architects are trained to take feedback, both positive and negative, and turn it into new ideas. Please, never be afraid to tell us what you think.
There will be challenging patches - there are in every project. If you find an architect whose past work is appealing to you, who listens and is able to accurately reflect what you’ve said, who is someone you can talk about money and the details of daily life with, and whom you feel is fair and professional; then you’re in for a fantastic adventure. Good luck and welcome.
