Although some segments of the economy are starting to show signs of life, many professionals realize the yellow brick road into the future is now a different color. All companies are cutting costs, assessing where money can be saved against what constitutes a necessary expenditure.
I will admit to all readers that I am old enough to remember typewriters, slide rules and telephones with wires connected to walls. Back in the ‘old days’ (which we will place at 30 years ago) the architect was the project leader and the owner’s primary advocate from initial discussion of the objectives, through the concept determination, documentation, construction and occupancy phases of a project.
While the complexity of the building process has increased, the role and value of the architect has been increasingly questioned. A client of over 25 years, in listing the players who were most important to a particular project process, stated that unless and until a legal set of documents carrying an architect’s stamp were required, the architect fell behind a bevy of participants. After the permit set was approved, the construction team, along with the in-house team, was as he put it, “all that matters.”
Has the role of the architect sunk to the level of a legal necessity, a stamp on a set of drawings representing a process controlled by others? Is it really in the owner’s interest to eliminate the architect if at all possible? Yes, I have heard all of the arguments about difficult architects; too much money, (fees) too idealistic, (no business savvy) not team players, (ego-driven) not realistic, (don’t understand costs) or can’t meet schedules (clueless). I would contend that if you have these thoughts about architects, then you need to talk to different architects.
Let us begin with the value of the liability and risk that the architect is required to carry for project work. From there, let’s look at the value added by the appropriate creative team’s involvement in the entire building process. The appropriate architect has insight for the overall process, seeing solutions to problems before they occur. The strategic, three dimensional mind and visual acuity of the architect should provide the link between the ‘seen and the unseen’ objectives of an owner.
The architect is trained to understand the totality of the building process, including code compliance, sustainability, accessibility, aesthetics, flexibility, planning concepts, mood, business objectives manifesting themselves in the physical environment, management of a bevy of consultants, and understanding of people, process and place.
Value added comes from integrating the architect early in the process, not after the land is already chosen, or the building is already selected for a move, or after the office manager determines who is going to move, or after all the people are consolidated in smaller space. As specialists in the building environment, architects see the end before the beginning is established. The business impact of an owner’s building planning decisions will mean much more that than to someone who is a specialist in putting together the bricks and sticks on the construction site.
Don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for all professionals in the process, in particular the construction specialists. As a professional service provider working in the owner’s best interest, we do not take a cut on sales of construction materials, furniture products or real estate commissions? This architect is a strong proponent of an integrated process, one that engages many professionals into the process of making buildings happen. If you open your mind to what an architect can bring to your process management, you might be surprised. My bet is that money will be saved on the overall project.
Mary G. Severino, AIA, LEEDAP
Mary G. Z. Severino is the founder and owner of MGZA. A graduate of University of Michigan and University of California, Berkeley, with over 30 years as a practicing professional, Ms. Severino is an accomplished architect and is a specialist in organizational strategies, strategic building assessment and project progress management. Ms. Severino was a past recipient of the Philadelphia National Association of Women Business Owners “Woman Business Owner of the Year” award and was the first Delaware architect to achieve LEED-accredited status in 2003. She is a founding partner of Workplace Redefined. She is a regular contributor to Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Review and is an accomplished speaker.