How to Find the Right Architecture Firm
GOAT is a New Orleans-based architectural design office that offers creative solutions in architecture, interiors, and branding for a diverse range of client and project types.
This blog is the second in a series where the GOAT team will demystify the process of hiring and working with an architect by going into detail about the process from start to finish. You can find anywhere from solo practitioner architects to large, international firms, but how do you find the right fit for your project goals? Let’s start by diving into why you need an architect in the first place.
When do you need an architect?
With a few exceptions, if you need to get a construction permit, you will need a licensed architect to prepare and stamp construction drawings. While you may be tempted to consider this requirement an expense that you would rather avoid or minimize, there are a host of tangible and consequential benefits to your project that a good architect will provide:
Expertise: Architects are trained to design safe, functional, beautiful spaces and consider a host of critical factors that may not occur to you but are vital to a project’s success. Architects are well-versed in the opaque language of building codes, zoning regulations, and permitting requirements and are invaluable navigating the bureaucratic aspects of construction. Architects are knowledgeable about the latest building materials, technologies, and construction methods.
Vision: Architects have the creative and technological tools to develop and represent the vision for your project before you undergo the much more significant investment of construction. Architects take a holistic approach to design, considering the long-term impact of your project on the environment, the community, the end users, and on your business. Their approach should be forward-thinking and able to adapt to changing needs over time. Architects incorporate sustainable and environmentally friendly features into your project, reducing its ecological footprint and long-term operational costs.
Value Addition: A well-designed and well-executed project can increase the overall value of your property, the functionality of your project, and the happiness of those using it. An architect can help you make strategic decisions that enhance the marketability and long-term value of your investment. Architects are well suited for creative problem-solving and finding practical and cost-effective solutions to issues that may otherwise stall your project or break your budget.
Management: Architects act as your spokesperson in the coordination of a project’s various stakeholders, ensuring everyone stays on the same page and that the project progresses smoothly. Architects monitor the construction process to ensure that the project adheres to your quality standards and are critical as a communication conduit between you and those reviewing, executing, and evaluating your project.
We recommend that you think of your search for an architect not as a necessary expense, but as an opportunity to set your project up for success, before, during, and long after construction.
Where should you look?
Local Connections: An established architecture firm will have likely amassed a network of local clients from either residential and/or commercial projects. These clients could be friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, customers, or even local leaders. If you know someone who previously or is currently working with an architect or designer, consider reaching out for a recommendation to explore whether the firm might be a good fit for your project.
Professional Organizations: These types of organizations can span beyond local groups, such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the largest design network in the world. In some cases professional organizations with a global reach also have satellite chapters, such as AIA New Orleans or the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s websites highlight businesses across all industries, including architecture and design, involved in their local communities. There is also usually a business directory where you can search for businesses by specialty, location, or industry.
Online: Some architects will have online reviews and testimonials available; these can be useful but should be taken with the same grain of salt as all online reviews. Online reviews are associated with websites like Yelp, while testimonials can also be found on individual firm websites.
How should you choose?
Choosing the right architect is akin to building a good foundation: if a mistake is made at this stage, it will ripple throughout the entire lifespan of a project and have negative impacts for years to come. Transversely, the right choice will set your project on the path to success. Here are some factors that a you should consider during your search:
Experience: The most direct way to superficially judge whether an architect is a good fit for your project is to review work they have already done. Most architects and designers curate their portfolios to showcase the work they are most proud of and the type of work they are most interested in doing more of. This will give you a window into a firm’s priorities, experience, and stylistic preferences. Pay close attention to: where an architect’s work is located, as pre-existing familiarity with your area’s zoning and code regulations are often a plus; what type and size of projects they share and how it relates to your project; and the variety of project types and scales, which may be a good indicator of versatility, creativity, and adaptability.
Pro Tip: flip through an architect’s work on their website to gain an overall impression of how their portfolio aligns with your project’s needs and your aesthetic tastes. If you like what you see, reach out and request a selection of project examples based on your project’s specifics. There is frequently a very long lag between starting a project and the images of it being published on a firm’s website. Asking for a curated work sample allows the architect to share their more recent work, which may fit your project’s needs and be a better indicator of their current capabilities than what they completed years ago.
Qualifications: First and foremost, ensure the firms you are considering are licensed and registered in your area, as this is a legal requirement in most places. Many states, like Louisiana, have licensing boards with directories that you can search and verify a firm or individual is in good standing. Once you have narrowed down your options, ensure that the architect you would like to hire carries a level of professional liability insurance that matches your project’s budget by requesting a Certificate of Insurance (COI) before signing a contract.
Pro Tip: Many project types benefit from architects with additional certifications and qualifications specific to your project type or goals (ex. An architect with LEED accreditation is a good idea for a client that intends to certify that their project meets LEED sustainability standards). The organizations that manage these certifications frequently have directories that can also be excellent resources in your search for an architect.
Personal Compatibility: Once you have narrowed the pool of firms you are considering to a manageable few, request an in-person meeting or video chat to discuss the project. Projects can often take years from start to finish and your relationship with the architect will, ideally, carry through the entirety of this process and beyond. Conflicts caused by incompatibilities in personality, ideology, and demeanor happen in all long-term relationships; you should be sure that the one with your architects gets started on solid footing. Ask for their unique perspective on your project and gauge their responses to, and respect for, your ideas; discuss their design process and philosophy; ask about their approach to avoiding and dealing with common project challenges like budget overruns, permitting delays, and contractor disputes; and gauge the conversation throughout with a realistic understanding of what will be most important to you when the project becomes stressful (because they all do).
Pro Tip: Ask who will be your project’s primary contact(s) and request that the firm include those team members in the introductory meeting. Often, especially with larger firms, principals will act as the face of the practice prior to procurement of a project and then hand things off to a separate design team once the work starts. Compatibility with these individuals is every bit as important as with the firm’s leadership.
References: Ask for contact information for previous clients and follow up with them to learn about their experience working with the architect. A candid conversation with a previous client, contractor, or consultant (preferably one that has some understanding of your project type) is usually the best resource for real insight into working with a specific architect.
Project Team: The architect is usually the project leader and your primary point of contact, but most projects of any size and complexity will require an entire team of professionals to complete. Structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services are most common, and the team can grow substantially from there as a project grows in scale, complexity, or specialization. Additional designers may also be needed for a wide variety of specialties like interiors, landscape, commercial kitchens, etc. These professionals are every bit as critical to your project’s success as your architect and you should have a level of comfort with the team they assemble. At a minimum, ask for a list of proposed consultants so you can verify that they are all also in good standing and align with your project goals. If you have any concerns or have an alternative consultant in mind, most architects will be willing to consider their inclusion in the project if you ask.
Pro Tip: While it may seem far off, it is also a good idea to ask for general contractor preferences and preferred project delivery method at this point. There are benefits to having a contractor on board early for pre-construction services and cost estimating; there may also be benefits to waiting and bidding the project out to multiple contractors via a more traditional process. If you are not experienced managing projects or do not have a preferred method of project delivery, ask for your architect’s preference and recommendations.
Fees: Every architect’s fee structure and methodology of determining their fee is different; ask for a detailed breakdown of the fee and an explanation for how it was calculated. Fees frequently have a lot of moving parts and will range widely based on experience, qualifications, specialization, risk, current workload, reputation, firm size, etc. To make a fair determination, it is critical that your project’s requirements (program, scale, budget, and schedule) are clear and that you compare fees for a similar set of deliverables. If there is a significant discrepancy that you feel may be due to a mistake or misunderstanding, most firms will be more than willing to review and revise or provide an explanation for the discrepancy.
Pro Tip: Prior to requesting a fee proposal, be sure to research the cost of typical architectural services for your area and project budget. A good rule of thumb to avoid sticker shock: plan for fees equal to 10% of your project’s construction budget for architectural and engineering services. This percentage can move significantly project-to-project (ex. Smaller projects such as tiny houses can range closer to 15-20% if the budget does not reflect the complexity of design work; transversely, larger projects like a warehouse may be as low as 5% if a substantial portion of the budget does not translate to more design work) but if you have budgeted for 10%, you are much less likely to be flabbergasted by the proposals you receive.
For more on what to expect when hiring an architecture and design firm, read the kickoff post to this blog series: nolagoat.com/blog/what-to-expect-when-hiring-an-architecture-and-design-firm.