Commercial Client's Guide to Engaging an Architect

Nigel Ostime

• Publisher: RIBA Publishing
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781000703078
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

If you need to understand about engaging the services of an architect, this updated RIBA guide is for you. Straightforward and completely up-to-date regarding legislation, it sets out everything you need to be aware of, for a large or small commercial project. The right architect can bring considerable added value to the success of your project. This guide talks you through all aspects of your project and what you should expect from your architect at each stage - including formal appointment mechanisms, calculating fees and project management responsibilities. This is for commercial clients, both for large or small projects, and especially those who have never carried out this role before, this guide offers a quick and easy overview of the value, mechanisms and context of appointing your architect.

Case Study 1 The Toffee Factory

ARCHITECT: XSITE ARCHITECTURE

CLIENT: 1NG

COMPLETION: DECEMBER 2011

The Toffee Factory rejuvenates a badly dilapidated Victorian industrial building where the river Ouse meets the Tyne, close to Newcastle city centre. Abandoned for at least 20 years prior to this project, the building has been cleverly reused to make extraordinarily successful workspace for the digital and creative industries.

The client, 1NG, was a public sector-owned development vehicle whose objective was urban regeneration and job creation. 1NG identified the Toffee Factory site as strategically important, located as it is between the Newcastle quayside and the up-and-coming Ouseburn creative quarter. Refurbishing it would attract not only jobs, but also further investment to the area and establish a much-needed riverside connection to the city.

The key to success was a commercially viable design concept, duly delivered on budget and on time by Xsite Architecture. Procured through an OJEU process (OJEU is the Official Journal of the European Union), Xsite stood out from the crowd in two ways. Being based in the Ouseburn quarter, they were intimately acquainted with its economic and social dynamics. Just as important, they had an excellent track record for designing precisely this kind of building.

Anthony Crabb was project manager in charge of selecting them. He explains: ‘Actually what really convinced us was their enthusiasm, which turned out to be paramount in selling the project through design reviews and in securing further funding.’

Xsite involved 1NG fully in design decisions, solving problems as soon as the existing building threw them up. They even suggested adding an extra storey on the roof. Not only would this increase the net lettable area, it also gave the project a front door at the level of the bridge. Crabb again: ‘that was a master stroke. It added real value for us and demonstrated a deep understanding of our needs.’

1NG handed the award-winning building over to the council on completion with the workspaces 90 per cent let. Beneficial economic ripples include new high-quality housing opposite, a significant pitstop on the coast-to-coast bicycle route called the Cycle Hub, and a reinvigorated connection along the river to the city. It’s easy to see why Crabb (now with development company Arch) has carried on working with Xsite, with two further projects behind him and a third on its way.

05
Engaging other Consultants

Other than the architect, you may need to appoint other consultants. Your architect can make recommendations or you can consult the relevant professional institutions. The usual consultants are listed below.

Quantity surveyor/cost consultant

The role of the quantity surveyor (QS) or cost consultant is broadly related to the financial management of the project. The QS will be responsible for preparing a cost plan for the design and this should be kept up to date to reflect the current design proposal as the design evolves.

It is critical that the cost of the design is managed proactively so that the design is not subsequently found to be unaffordable and subject to cost-cutting, or ‘value engineering’ as it is sometimes termed.

Early on in the project, the QS can prepare the financial appraisal for the feasibility report. They can also advise on procurement and tendering processes, on contract documentation, on cash-flow forecasting, financial reports and interim payments, and on the final account in the construction stage. The QS can analyse cost information on other similar projects, local levels of building costs and cost trends and so on, and can judge whether your budget is realistic and compatible with other stated requirements.

Titles such as ‘cost consultant’ are now frequently used in preference to quantity surveyor, reflecting the changed nature of the role to include managing the cost of the project rather than purely measuring it.

– www.rics.org

Structural engineer

The structural engineer advises on and prepares the structural design for the project, including the foundation design. They can advise the architect on local conditions relevant to the site, such as soil and geotechnical factors, roads, sewers, water supply and so on. They can identify hazards and hazardous substances, arrange for site, structural and drainage surveys, advise on alternative structural solutions, prepare design criteria and calculations, and advise on structural aspects of party walls, temporary structures and demolition work.

– www.istructe.org

– www.ice.org.uk

Mechanical and electrical building services engineer

The mechanical and electrical (M…E) engineers will advise on and prepare designs for the various service systems in the building. They will advise on climatic conditions, energy use and conservation, emission problems and so on, and will consult relevant authorities as necessary. Increasingly, they play a role in delivering environmentally sustainable solutions and undertaking sustainable design audits. From this point of view it is important that they are involved early in the design process, when key decisions on sustainability have to be made.

– www.imeche.org

– www.cibse.org

Principal designer

Refer to Chapter 7 for information on this important role.

Planning consultant

On projects in sensitive locations, in conservation areas and with work to listed buildings, it may be appropriate to appoint a specialist planning consultant. Your architect will be able to advise on this.

Interior designer

Many architects provide interior design services and see this as part of the offer, but you may wish to consider appointing a specialist interior designer for more unusual or bespoke interior design proposals.

Acoustician

Where sound attenuation or specialist acoustic design is required, you may need to appoint an acoustic consultant. Your architect will be able to advise you on this.

Fire engineer

Where a non-regulatory fire-engineered design solution is required, you may need to appoint a fire engineer. Your architect will be able to advise you on this.

Project manager

Some clients appoint project managers to represent them in the project team, but generally this is a role the architect can perform.

Party wall surveyor

Refer to Chapter 8.

Landscape architect

Where the project has an extensive landscaped element it may be appropriate to appoint a landscape architect either directly or through the architect as a subconsultant. Your architect will be able to advise you on this.

Surveyor

If a measured survey of an existing property is required, you will either need to appoint a surveyor or the architect may be able to undertake the work. For larger projects this is likely to be a specialist service. Your architect will be able to advise on this. It is likely that the survey will be required before design activities can commence.

Construction manager

A construction manager (CM) will manage the subcontractors in a construction management contract, including organising the tenders and administering their contracts. Critically, the CM is responsible for coordinating the interfaces between the subcontractors. This role can be undertaken by the client, or the architect may be able to perform the role.

Information manager

An information manager is a separate role within the design team on projects that use BIM, and this role is responsible for managing the common data environment (CDE) used for exchanging and coordinating digital project information. The information manager has no design responsibility, but the role can be undertaken by the architect or the contractor if they have the capability.

Access consultant

This is a specialist role with regard to disability access.

06
Project Process – Key Stages in Developing the Building

Residential sector developer

“Using an architect increased the regard for our business’s approach to design quality.”

All projects go through more or less the same process: from the initial briefing; through development of the design; applying for planning permission where this is required; producing the technical drawings for Building Regulations and for construction purposes; tendering; and finally construction plus, where required, post-construction activities. In some circumstances tendering is carried out at an earlier stage and this is explained below.

The RIBA has developed a ‘Plan of Work’ which sets out these stages to a standard that is used by the whole UK construction industry. It was initially developed in 1963, but the latest version was published in 2013 with some fundamental changes.

The Plan of Work 2013 is set out on pages 32–33. Further information on the Plan of Work can be found at www.ribaplanofwork.com.

It has eight stages, numbered 0–7. The Plan notes activities that need to take place at each stage and these are set out below the stage headings. It is important to note that planning permission is not a stage, but rather an activity that usually takes place during Stage 3.

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013

Stage 0 – Strategic Definition

Stage 0 is the period of consideration of the requirements or needs that may (but may not) lead to a construction project. This is usually prior to engagement of any professional advice, although it may be appropriate to recruit the services of a RIBA Client Adviser. See Chapter 13: Client Advisers.

Stage 0 is where you, as the client, decide there may be a need for const...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• About the author
• 01 Do I need an architect?
• 02 Selecting an architect
• 03 How do architects charge their fees and how much are they?
• 04 Appointing an architect – agreeing the terms and the scope of work
• Case Study 1: The Toffee Factory
• Case Study 2: The Avenue
• Further reading
• Glossary
• Image Credits