You have a landed property to rebuild or redevelop and you need an architect. You have done your homework and you have shortlisted 2 architect firms, firm A and firm B.
Based on your preliminary research, both architect firm A and architect firm B seem capable of delivering your landed property project so how do you decide who to hire?
As the property owner, you will place different emphasis and value on different questions.
For example, some property owners will place high emphasis on the question “Who from the architect firm will I be dealing with on a regular basis? Is this the same person who will design my project?”
They may place this question as #1 on their list because they want to deal directly with the principal architect of the Singapore architect firm and they don’t want their project to be handed off to someone else.
These property owners see value of having the principal’s direct involvement because he/she is the most invested in your project’s success.
After receiving answers to your questions, you will immediately have a decision-making tool at your disposal to decide which Singapore architect firm to go with.
Below are some questions for you to consider.
What is your design philosophy?
What sets your firm apart from other architects with similar experience?
Do you have experience with the building type and size of my project?
Could you share with me a portfolio of similar projects and provide a list of client references?
What are the steps in your design process, and how are they organized?
What criteria will you use to create priorities and make design decisions?
As a landed property owner, what do you expect me to provide?
Who from the architecture firm will I be dealing with on a regular basis? Is this the person who will design my project?
How do you manage the project in terms of progress, updates and change management?
What is your recommended process to appoint a builder?
What steps will be taken to ensure that qualified builders have a fair and equal opportunity to submit their applications?
How disruptive will construction be?
What role do you play during pre-construction, actual construction and post-construction?
Am I expected to work with the builder directly?
Do you have experience with “green” or sustainable design?
Do you regularly integrate low or no cost sustainable design strategies into projects?
Considering the many areas that may be affected by sustainable design, how will you determine which options to pursue?
If sustainable design technologies are implemented, do upfront costs exist that may affect the construction budget? Are there potential return on investments or government rebates?
How are your architect professional fees calculated?
In anticipation of a formal quotation from the builder with costs, what would you expect your fee to be for my landed property project?
What is included in your basic services and what services would incur additional fees?
If the scope of the project changes later in the project, will there be additional fees?
How will these fees be justified? How will this be communicated to me?
What is your track record with completing a project within the original budget? What are the possible variations in costs and will it affect your professional fees?
Are you interested in taking on this job?
How busy are you? Are you able to fit this into your schedule?
We hope you will find the above questions helpful during your Singapore architect selection process.
As professional architects ourselves, it is our hope that the above list of questions we have prepared will:
i. lead you to a clearer decision on selecting a suitable Singapore architect.
ii. also prepare you mentally that your choice of architect will directly impact the process, implementation, overall experience and outcome of your landed property project.
For additional questions about developing your Singapore landed property, feel free to talk to us about your project. ADX Architects will be happy to answer any questions you may have.