why do I need an architect?

We often receive calls from folks who have been told "you need an architect." This directive may come from a building contractor, a friend, or a city official but the question "why" may simply go unanswered.  The least interesting answer is that its usually required by a governing authority. But this is not a very compelling reason.  OK,  as architects we probably are biased but I honestly believe architects can help with just about any endeavor to make something.  Here are a few reasons why:

Architects are time-travelers. It is our job to go into the future, before a shovel has been lifted and often before land has even been purchased, to imagine a building and plan for its eventual creation in the real world.  That building may only be the vague inkling of a CEO who knows his company is growing. Or it may be very thoroughly visualized home for a retiring couple who knows what they want, just not how to make it happen.  In any case, the virtual creation of a building on paper is a full dress rehearsal.  To the extent that we can explore what fits, research the challenges of the site or property,  and visualize the impact and impression the design will create BEFORE construction starts; we can make the actual execution of the structure go more smoothly.

The nice thing about drawings is that it's easy (and often free!) to make changes.  Moving a wall on paper can be done in minutes.  Doing so on site, could cost thousands and involve weeks of delays. This is why we ask our clients to really develop a relationship with the drawings and put themselves in the spaces we have worked with them to design.  Some people can do this naturally, with only a floor plan to look at, but others are just not visual people. We try to provide more descriptive drawings, even movies, for clients who need help wrapping their head around the design. It is very important that the Client understands what is proposed in the drawings, when things are still flexible, so the team can proceed with confidence. No one wants to discover that they don't like the placement of a wall once it has already been built.

So the drawings help the team to plan and the Client to visualize.  But another value in having drawings lies in maintaining a good and financially predictable relationship with your contractor.  We often say that drawings are like a visual legal document.  Your contractor agrees to build and furnish what is shown on the drawings for a contracted price.  Similarly, the client agrees not to ask the contractor to build something that is NOT on the drawings.  You can both point to a drawing sheet with your finger and say "this is what we are doing... this is what we agreed to."  This means that, barring unforeseen site conditions or changes to the design directed by the client, you should reach the end of a project in receipt of a project that matches the drawings for the price you knew was coming.  Without drawings, this whole relationship is up in the air.  Unclear agreements and expectations lead to sour relationships.  The whole process goes better with drawing to work with. You may even come away from a project considering your contractor a new and valued friend.

Finally, and most importantly, architects are not just concerned with getting a job done, they are concerned with getting a job done well.  If all we did was put up roofs to keep people's things out of the rain, we really would be setting a low bar for the profession.  Frankly, we'd be doing our clients a disservice.  Architects should be able to do everything I've already talked about AND improve the quality of the lives and interactions of the people using our buildings. There is so much more to a building than the functional requirements that make it stand up and make the lights work when you flip a switch.  Buildings frame the activities and experiences of our lives.  They should celebrate and augment the things we do, making them more enjoyable, meaningful, even efficient.  It is an architect's job to spend the time considering those activities and how the building will support and enrich them.