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Communication Leads to Effective Collaboration
Successful architecture design projects are built on it
In Frank Lloyd Wright’s day, the genius architect was the great wizard who delegated a design to his clients.
Those days are long gone. Architecture is not created in a vacuum.
Why does communication lead to effective collaboration for a successful project?
Many individuals, especially those who have never engaged an architect to design a building for them, have no idea what we do as a profession. Most think we just “draw a plan.”
Truth is, Architecture and just plain building, requires much more than that.
1. COMMUNICATE RIGHT FROM THE START
Whether you have worked with an architect or not, the starting point is QUESTIONS.
Ask a lot of them.
It’s just not “...what do you charge?” Many good architects won’t answer that question until they have an understanding of what you want.
By asking questions you can easily determine if the architect is the right person for your project. The architect should also be asking you a lot of questions. You might even feel the architect is getting too personal (especially if you are wanting a home designed), but it is important for the architect to understand how you live work and play. Remember, this is just the beginning of a long working relationship.
Asking – and answering – questions is the first step in establishing effective communication.
2. COMMUNICATE HONESTLY
As is the case in any personal interaction, communication, honest expression of wants and desires, can lead to results where everyone walks away happy.
Once you have hired your architect, a dialogue should be initiated by the architect. That dialogue can be a questionnaire for a residential project or host of meetings where the architect becomes a detective, asking many questions that form what architects call a “program.”
This initial dialogue is where wants and desires, goals and objectives are established that will form the basis for the design. You must be forthright with the architect in regards to the size of the project, its budget, the quality of the construction, the time you have to see the project completed and other issues that lead to getting what you want.
The architect has to be able to honestly discuss with you whether your desires will all work together to get what you want.
Often a client will come to us with “champagne tastes and beer budgets.” And, oh of course, you want it tomorrow.
Your architect has to be able to tell you what can be done within your constraints. If you want a high quality building and you have a lot of money and all the time in the world – no problem. If you don’t – pick two and the architect will be responsible for helping you to manage the other element.
3. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY & CONSISTENTLY
Building projects can go “sideways” very quickly when there are misunderstandings between all of the parties involved.
During the design stage, you and your architect will have a lot of interaction making decisions that effect time, budget and quality. Having clear expectations for the communications process throughout the project will be a great help avoiding confusion over approvals, sign-offs, changes, delays, and so on.
For example, there should be a written summary of every meeting and phone call, and emails should be kept. If you are communicating through email and one party requests a “Read Receipt” of the email, that request should be honored. Having a written record and the results of the design process will ensure that what was said is accurately heard by the other party. And, importantly, that written record gives all parties on the team the opportunity to correct any misunderstandings.
It’s also very important that a consistent line of communication and reporting be established with the team. There will be many players in any design project. It must be determined – and communicated to all – who are the decision makers and who has the authority to communicate important decisions throughout the project.
4. COMMUNICATE OPENLY & ACCURATELY
The architect will have to communicate with his engineering consultants, building departments, and contractors during the project’s life. Open communication between all of these parties is essential
to completing a successful project.
A good architect will ensure that you, as the client, stay informed and are copied on EVERY piece of information that comes through on a project. The amount of paperwork can be daunting to those who have not built anything previously. The importance of reading, reviewing, and commenting on any correspondence is crucial to keeping things moving in the right direction.
When you and your architect establish an effective means and routine for communication, your chances of success go up exponentially. Even so, there will be times when an architect brings news to you that you might not want to hear. If you have established the trust and communication with your architect, that not so good news may be a lot easier to resolve.
In the end, when everything is resolved, there is a successful project.
Call us
for a free consultation to begin an effective communication process – and your next project.
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As I have discussed in previous blogs on Missing Middle housing, the term refers to diverse and attainable housing options that fit between single-family homes and large scale, high-density apartment buildings. Missing Middle has been with us for more than 100 years, but zoning beginning in the late 1920's restricted the ability to develop this type of project in most U.S. cities. Along with restrictive zoning, a general misunderstanding of Missing Middle housing has caused local communities to question its impact on property values to surrounding single-family homes. Such confusion has stalled or even halted developments from moving forward, even in communities that are in desperate need of attainable housing for rent or for sale.
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Continuing on the topic of Missing Middle housing, I look at the challenges in the way of bringing this affordable housing solution to neighborhoods and communities here in Florida and across the country.
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In this article, I go into what Missing Middle Housing is, its history, and why it's the ideal solution to solving America's affordable housing crisis.
When my friend Andrew Favata of BACI Advisors posted on LinkedIn the "Top 5 Mistakes Owners Make" in developing their projects, it prompted me to share my recommendations based on my own 40+ years of experience working on a range of projects from extremely small and straightforward to large complex corporate projects. Whether you are contemplating a porch addition or you are a corporate officer or facilities manager, the missteps and their solutions are equal. It’s just a matter of magnitude in time and dollars. In this article, I will mostly address the smaller projects. More about those really big projects in another post. Misstep No. 1: "Assembling the Wrong Project Team and People." You would think that this is a no-brainer. For small projects this may actually be a bigger issue than for larger projects. Corporations have facilities managers who perform this task and are charged with keeping the corporations from making this and the other four mistakes. But small project owners have to do everything themselves - right? What should the small project owner do? Enlist someone they trust in helping put a team together Interview several firms needed to design and construct the building Review the resumes of the individuals who will design and build the project Ensure continuity of the team Misstep No. 2: "Insufficient Planning Without the End Goal in Mind." When you consider building something there is usually some semblance of a goal in mind. Again, the larger projects have the advantage in that there is a team of people who have done a lot of homework (architects call it Programming), identifying goals and objectives of meeting the resultant building’s image, function, and life-cycle operation. What should the small project owner do? Put together the right team who can provide the best direction for your project Work closely with architect or construction manager to develop a proper Program Don’t think this omission will save time and money - it won’t A recent prospective church client came to me with two pre-engineered heavy-timber structural system buildings designed by the heavy-timber fabricator. The fabricator was also asked to basically design the building, EVEN though they informed the client that they were not architects. Both buildings were to be two stories in height with people occupied second floors. There was no elevator, toilet rooms did not meet the building code and in general, the building was not well designed. The church representative already had hired a civil engineer to design the site and locate the buildings without the aid of an architect. One of the two buildings did not orient itself to the site in the best method for energy efficiency. Putting the WHOLE team together before starting one aspect of a design will save time, money and headaches. Misstep No. 3: "Creating Inaccurate Budgets." This mistake takes on exponential impacts, especially if you have made Missteps 1 and 2. What should the small project owner do? • Employ the professionals in developing your budget • If budget exceeds funds, adjust the scope of the project • Allow for a contingency fund, especially for early budgeting (usually 20% above budget) Misstep No. 4: "Underestimating the Time Involved and Missing Deadlines." This mistake can have dire consequences. Every project needs a realistic schedule as well as a budget. Architects and construction managers develop schedules with milestone dates for the completion of the design and construction. The ancient Chinese proverb that a man will never arrive at his destination if he doesn’t know where he is going applies here. The schedule IS the road map. What should the small project owner do? With the professionals, develop a realistic schedule Understand that the schedule impacts the quality of construction Understand - accelerated schedules have cost impacts Take into account climatic conditions that can affect the schedule Misstep No. 5: "Managing a New Project While Running Their Main Business." Because the large projects have staffs that are tasked with performing the management on the owner’s behalf, this misstep more likely happens on smaller projects than large. What should the small project owner do? If the budget can accommodate - hire a professional to represent your interests Meet regularly with your representative - have an update schedule Insist that written progress reports be submitted to you for approval By assembling the right team and right people to execute your vision, will allow you to continue to do what you are good at doing. Rely on the team you have assembled. They will likely ensure your success and if they do their job properly, make you look like the "smartest person on the block." Avoiding the "5 Missteps" will not totally guarantee that your project will move smoothly along without bumps in the road. But avoiding these slip-ups will ensure that you will spend less time, money, and sanity on getting the building constructed. No one can predict when a natural disaster will impact your project. Or, will the market tumble, affecting your bottom line? However I can be one-hundred percent accurate that if you make any of the errors outlined above, you will adversely impact your schedule, money, or sanity. Or all three. Greg Burke, FAIA
