What Architects Do

I get asked this question all the time, “What do you do as an architect?,” and honestly I’ve never had a great answer for it. To be totally real with you, I’m still not sure my mom understands what it is that I do. So if you’re not exactly sure why you might work with an architect, you’ve come to the right place! There’s a pretty wide range of things that architects do and I’m hoping to help shed some light on the things that may actually add value to your project. 

Site Work

This is one element of building that I think many people don’t realize the value an architect can add. Whether you have purchased a piece of property or you are still shopping around, an architect can help you understand what is possible for certain properties as far as local ordinances and zoning as well as help you visualize the possibility of what might work well on your site. I always make sure to spend time on every site before I design as I think it hugely informs where there may be opportunities or things that should be planned into the design. No two properties are the same, so spending the time to plan your new building into the site and understanding things like sun orientation and micro-climate will help the design of it really feel effortless.

Planning

There are many different aspects to planning for a new building or home. First and foremost, architects must work under certain building codes and regulations depending on the building type and use. These are legal parameters that architects must make sure are designed into the building. Once they’ve established these, architects usually can start to help you layout and understand what different rooms or uses you want or need in your building and how you want them to relate to each other.  

Design

After you’ve worked through the amount of space you think you need, is when the building can start to come together. This is where the rough ideas of where the home should capture certain views or which spaces should be next to each other become actual rooms designed with walls and a roof. This process tends to be more of a repetitive one than a linear process, but the work that happens here is what makes your new building truly customized to you and your needs. 

Interior Design/Product Selection

Not all architects offer interior design services, but at Commonality Architecture we believe that the outside and the inside of the building should feel cohesive and be considered together. This tends to be the “fun part” of designing a building but it can easily feel incredibly overwhelming. The amount of products offered today and trying to coordinate the relationship between elements like the cabinets, floors, tile, and ceilings can be too much pressure for a lot of people and that’s where an experienced professional can help ease the pain. We have the experience, knowledge, and visualization tools to help you make your dream project come alive without making it an overwhelming task. 

Construction Documentation

When it comes to drawing a building for construction, the architect has to be the “jack of all trades.” They are coordinating not only the design that they have created, but they have to know how to plan for all of the different elements of a building that make it come together and function properly. This most often includes structural design (making sure the building can withstand the elements), mechanical (planning for how the building will be heated and cooled), electrical (planning for not only light fixtures but anything that is going to require electricity), and site (understanding where the building sits in relation to the land and how it interacts with it). 

Working with Builders

Architects work with builders in many different capacities, but generally all architects have a good idea of some local builders that they can recommend working with. When an architecture firm works in more of an integrative design process, like Commonality Architecture, they work more closely with builders while the building is still being designed and through construction in order to help make sure that aspects like the project budget, timeline and method are well aligned with the goals. 

Construction Observation

This is another under-valued service that I find is very important to plan for in my work. Once an architect issues a set of construction drawings to the selected builder, the process with the architect may feel like it has come to an end but remember that your architect is your advocate to making sure that this building comes together exactly as you had envisioned it. There just isn’t any way for an architect to draw out every single little detail for a contractor to understand the intent for constructing it, and honestly it wouldn’t be cost effective to do that. Throughout construction, the architect performs site visits to make sure things are meeting the design intent and the builder can ask the architect any questions that may have come up. I find this process to be much more productive than a typical setup.

I hope you found this a useful guide to how working with an architect might look and what kind of services they offer that might be helpful and valuable to you. Like always, whether you are just looking for more information about how architects work or you are considering building something; I want to help. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.