Many are faced with the following dilemma: Will I hire an individual (architect) or hire a top notch design firm to do my project? The answer to that depends on the scale of the project and the skill of the architect.

Usually, an individual practicing architect can do what a 10-man design firm can - from a house to a medium sized commercial building - all on his own. However, for large scale or high-rise projects such as a 30 storey office tower where huge amounts of design development is required, a design firm is needed for better productivity. There are exceptions to this argument though, since an individual architect (if project concentration permits) can also do bigger projects by assembling a team of his most trusted professionals in an instant. Although working with an individual architect or a design firm each has its unique differences, you should never forget their most important qualifications: license and experience, as explained below.

The architect is the professional who guides you through the design and construction process. Licensed to practice architecture, the architect is the only professional specially trained to design the places in which people live and work and to manage all aspects of potentially complex projects from design through construction.

Licensure as an architect is the result of a special educational process, rigorous training, and completion of a complex series of exams. An architect usually has five years of professional schooling and two years’ experience in the workplace before becoming eligible to take the licensing examination. Only licensed architects may use the title “ARCHITECT” and their project drawings should bear the architect’s seal before construction may begin.

A wide range of projects can benefit from the involvement of an architect. Most architects are both general practitioners and specialists — that is, while many have special expertise or preference for one or more types of projects, most can work on many types of buildings.

Employing a professional for your residential or commercial project is the best way to go. Not only do they represent you during the duration of the project, they also translate your vision into reality - the built form. I have prepared a series of checklist that will assist you in your first-time meeting with your architect.

- Who will be present at the meeting? Is it your husband? Your wife? Your boss? In other words, will the decision maker be present at the meeting? If not, write down the decision maker’s list of requirements to show to your architect.

- Have you talked with your family members or business partners the project you have in mind? Before meeting with your architect, have you discussed opinions between yourselves? Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and your architect will help you resolve those issues as early as possible.

- Do you have sample pictures of what you want? These pictures may be cutouts from magazines, books, or a rough sketch you have prepared. Point out elements to your architect that you like most, because this will help your architect understand what you want.

- How much creative input do you need? Are you open to ideas from your architect? Or do you know what you want that you just need an architect to get it done?

- Are you on a tight budget? Are you willing to extend that budget a little more? Your architect can assist you by preparing design proposals or programme, so you may have an idea which of your requirements needs readjustment based on your budget.

- Did you miss on some questions when you interviewed your architect? Now is the time to discuss with him things such as experience, past projects, educational background and their preferred design style.

Equally important with that first meeting is good rapport. You will need to feel comfortable with each other and will get to know each other well. Your architect should be a good listener, responsive to your phone calls, clearly interested in your needs, and able to communicate with you in clear, every-day language. This process will take some time and it is one of the most important decisions you will make.

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[1] - The Internal Links page such as Home, Login, and About pages. More pages will be added as the site grows.
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