10 Must-Ask Questions To Ask An Architect In An Interview
Building a new building, library, church or school can be daunting but having the right team of architects on your side can make the whole process easier. There are many steps in the process; many legal, societal, and civil aspects that cannot be overlooked once you’ve decided that you need an architect. Don’t be caught off-guard; read our 10 must-ask questions to ask a architect in an interview before choosing your architecture firm.
Table of Contents
- 10 Questions to Ask an Architect Before Hiring
- Don’t Be Shy In Asking These 10 Questions to Ask an Architect in An Interview
10 Questions to Ask an Architect Before Hiring
How Does Your Design Process Work?
Have You Completed Projects In My City or State Before?
What Are Red Flags or Challenges You See With The Current Project?
What is Your Involvement Past the Planning Phase?
What Services Do You Offer?
Who is My Direct Point of Contact & Will They Be My Point of Contact Throughout the Project?
What is Your Architectural Philosophy
Are There Any Builders, Contractors, or Resources You’d Recommend for My Project?
What are Your Architectural Fees?
Are There Any Aspects of the Project or Materials I Can Use to Optimize Savings & Decrease Environmental Footprint
1) How Does Your Design Process Work?
This is one of the most important questions to ask an architect. If you are an administrator, president, or hired contractor, you want to make sure the needs of your shareholders, community, and hire-ups are met. Likewise, you want to ensure that you and your architecture firm are on the exact same page before starting. Understanding a firm’s architecture and design process can help you understand what to expect for the upcoming months or years that the project will take place. It’ll help you understand how involved you will be, their project management style, and what steps they will take to truly understand your needs.
Here are Some Tips:
Before setting your first meeting, decide internally what the scope of your project is. This will help guide you ask you think about these architect interview questions.
Do you need an interior renovation or are there structural issues you’d like to address? What are the needs of those you are serving?
Client-focused architecture firms want to know how their designs and ideas will help the overall goals of your organization, clients, employees, or congregation.
Items to Prepare/Consider Before Interviewing An Architect
Timeline
Budget
Shareholder/Stakeholder needs
Project Management Plan
Communication Plan/Schedule
Emergency Plan
2) Have You Completed Projects In My City/State Before?
This is one of the second most important questions to ask an architect in an interview. It’s recommended that before you reach the interview stage, that you have already done your research, viewed their websites, researched their past achievements and architectural awards, and found samples of previous projects you want to emulate. This way, you’ll have an idea for projects they’ve completed, details, and if they’ve completed a project in your city before.
Having an architect who has already completed civil and corporate projects in your city of choice is a huge plus!
Benefits Include:
Already having a relationship with local authorities, contractors, and businessmen
Having the experience and the foresight in case of unexpected legal or civil concerns
Knowledge/Experience with zoning laws and requirements to create informed site plans
Local contract negotiation and bidding experience
Potentially lowered operating costs and pre-established financially advantageous agreements and
3) What Are Red Flags/Challenges You See With The Current Project?
While you and your team might not see any disadvantages to your project or your plan, an architect might.
Making this one of your top 10 architect interview questions will help you in the long run and could save you from wasting time and money.
Architects are similar to doctors. In terms of the building or interior plan and your vision, you shouldn’t hold anything back. If you have a small leak in one area of the building, or you have a particular roof and flooring in mind, it’s important to tell your architecture firm so that they can inspect the feasibility and anticipate potential roadblocks.
4) What is Your Involvement Past the Planning Phase?
This is one of the important questions to ask an architect in an interview and before hiring an architect because you want to manage expectations early on. Some firms might have a more hands-off approach or feel as though they don’t need to be involved past the planning stage. Some might be located outside of your area and not have the ability to visit the site. Others might specialize in renderings and design. This brings us to our fifth question…
5) What Services Do You Offer?
With all the various questions to ask an architect before hiring, this is probably the first or second question most ask. Before even starting, you’ll need to know what services they offer to see if it is a good fit. If they specialize in residential or primarily work with interior design, you might want to look for a commercial architect instead. This can also be communicated early through prior website research.
6) Who is My Direct Point of Contact & Will They Be My Point of Contact Throughout the Project?
Having a contact person is important. It’s frustrating to constantly have to speak to a new person and explain your situation over and over. Like many businesses and organizations, it’s best to work with one individual who understands you and your shareholders’ needs intimately and someone who can act as a liaison between your team and theirs.
7) What is Your Architectural Philosophy
Most architecture firms have a philosophy or a “true north” that guides their actions. Some have a design principle that they follow. It’s important to understand your architects and their methods.
For example, at studioTECHNE, our firm was founded upon the idea that people and places matter. We design for people and the ethos of shared values and positive communication. Our name, studioTECHNE comes from the term ‘tékʰnɛ’ (techne): the rational method that is followed in the artistic making.
8) Are There Any Builders, Contractors, or Resources You’d Recommend for My Project?
Many architects, especially if they are local, have sturdy partnerships with local builders and contracting companies. We won’t recommend a builder or contractor we don’t trust. Additionally, many like to utilize builders or resources within their network and utilize them as referrals.
They can also give advice on their strengths and weaknesses. Some builders might specialize in a particular area while others might shine in another.
9) What are Your Architectural Fees?
One of the major questions to ask an architect in an interview is “what are your architectural fees?” or “What is your rate?”. This can be a deal-breaker for many projects. Make sure you work with a firm that is transparent with fees to avoid any surprises later in the project.
10) Are There Any Aspects of the Project or Materials I Can Use to Optimize Savings & Decrease Environmental Footprint
Every business wants to save money. Our research can only take us so far. Sometimes, we need an expert’s first-hand knowledge and expertise to understand if we are making the right decisions or not. If you are looking to save money and decrease your environmental impact, investing in solar panels, choosing a particular material, installing a commercial green roof, or utilizing skylights can be a great solution. There are many different ways you can promote green-living with environmentally conscious architecture & sustainable building design.
Don’t Be Shy In Asking These 10 Questions to Ask an Architect in An Interview
Don’t be hesitant or scared to ask out of the box questions when creating your list of questions to ask when hiring an architect. This interview process is your opportunity to make sure this project is a good fit for both sides. Do your research up-front but also include more project and situation-specific questions.