A strong team leader is key to a successful development project. Among his or her many functions is to educate clients and the design team as to the proper expectations for the project: processes related to the design, communication, management, invoicing schedules, deliverables, and the final result. If a leader says a project will be done in 4 months, what will actually be done needs to be defined. If, for instance only two-thirds of a large building’s construction can be built in a particular time frame, our client needs to know that. Effective team leaders do not try to sell clients on non-accomplishable goals. We can tell you what we want to do but there will never be a perfect project. Getting as close to perfect as we can is our goal.
Green Design Jim
In discussing historic preservation with a friend recently, I was reminded of my trip to New Orleans’ French Quarter last year. As the oldest still-intact neighborhood in the U.S., its character and city planning is largely identical to what it was 300 years ago. Sure, buildings have been upgraded and advanced construction standards and materials have been applied, but the area’s scale and courtyard theme is the same, and determined consideration for historic preservation has been incorporated into each design issue.
In this new world of fast paced multi modes of communication all parties involved in the design process need to define their primary means of communication. The phone, fax, and mail used to be the standard go to that was understood by all. Now with cell phones, messaging, the internet, social media, many differing hard and software modes of communication each team involved in a development project needs to know what the rules of engagement are. To keep efficiency standards high, everyone needs to be on the same page. Does all the hardware and software communicate together without much heartache? Text vs email vs phone calls need to be defined from the start. Know the capacity of file sharing. Filing systems for easy access and redundancy are always an asset to a project. Security and back up protocol need to be defined. Language and its varying interpretations need to be understood. Within our society people come from everywhere and the diverseness enriches us but also can affect communications. Ask if you are not sure. Be active in making sure all parties are on the same point of reference. Follow up to see that the email was received. Verify each question asked is answered. We notice only the first question gets answered 50% of the time. Each person is responsible to make sure their thoughts are understood by the parties they work with.
I was reading the Los Angeles Times a few months back and there was an article “L.A. takes a step toward tighter rules to curb Mansionization.” and it brought back so many memories for me. Each of the 2,500 projects I have been the architect on needed an area calculation. How big can we build? How can I take advantage of the spatial configuration and still meet all the programming issues? Which codes will govern? How will the plan checker respond to the design?
The answers to these questions are getting tougher especially when the building codes are always in flux. Now it seems the building codes change at each plan check appointment, even on the same type of projects. Each plan checker is using different parts of the code, or not, and that is what sets your parameters on design. If you take the most restrictive interpretations of the governing restrictions your client probably will not be very happy. The reason is they see other architects getting to do what you or your plan checker say the code says you can’t.
Architects’ Design Team Compensation
The design team is not just the Architect. It can include many different designers and specialists. They all get compensated similar to the Architect with similar fee structure considerations. From civil, structural, heating/ air conditioning/ plumbing/ electrical engineers; landscape architects, acoustical, low voltage, design specialist consultants, all need to have an agreement defining their roles in relation to the greater project. Each consultant needs to be given all information as it is being designed. Each consultant needs their efforts managed, checked, and distributed. This is a very involved process with a tremendous amount of effort required to coordinate the entire project. Who is doing this? It is usually the architect. All the requirements for professionalism also apply to each consultant. Do you want someone who plans out the project or just slams it out? Each project requires different consultants. The level of care needed helps determine who is on the team. The architect can assist with that effort. Again, the experience, staffing, IT support, filing systems, insurance, location, hours worked, all affect the team and the results the client can expect.
