Property development: It all starts with an architect

Property development is a team sport. And every successful property development team contains a pool of specialist talent, including: a trusted accountant, an experienced property development finance broker, a motivated project manager, a lawyer, and many others.

But perhaps the most crucial team member of all, when it comes to a property development project, is the architect.

About your architect

Architect: “A person who designs buildings and in many cases also supervises their construction.”

That’s the simple dictionary definition, but in reality, the work of your architect is actually quite complex. In fact, it is so complex that architecture is one of the most time-intensive, mentally demanding specialities that you can study – taking the better part of a decade’s worth of study simply to qualify.

Why is your architect important?

As mentioned above, yourarchitect is involved in the planning and drawing of the design for your project, as well as overseeing its construction.

In other words, the architect helps you to get your ideas on paper, and then makes sure they get built in the real world.

This process involves factoring in numerous stages, and the architect also has to be hot on aspects such as the environment, economics of the project, legal requirements governing the construction, practical considerations of materials and safety, natural disaster planning, and well as many other things.

How to find your architect

Every person practising as an architect must be registered with the Architect’s Registration Board (ARB). You can find a list of registered architects over on the Royal Institute of British Architects website.

With that list as a reference point, the next step is word-of-mouth recommendations. These can come from people you know or even from your local planning departments or builders.

Now this is important: Don’t just choose the first architect you find.
Instead, reach out to at least several architect firms who specialise in the type of work you want done. Then meet with them individually to discuss the project, their fee structure and then get some quotes from each of them for comparison.

And above all, be sure to see samples of their work so that you can see if what they’re promising you in the in-person meetings is what they’re actually able to deliver.

With the quotes in hand, you’ll be able to take them to your development finance brokers who will help you finance the project, including the fees of your architect, so you can sign up one of the most important members of your team.

If you’ve found your architect and you need to discuss the finance options for your development project,contact us today so we can help.

 

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