Bond Bryan

Architects strive to provide an excellent service and to deliver high quality , well designed buildings that are both sustainable and sensitive to the environment.

Alongside this however, architects now have less direct influence on the overall quality of the end product , particularly where a design and build procurement route is pursued.

Value Engineering (VE ) is almost always a part of any project; however, it is typically the architecture which is impacted the most.

VE can often lead to cheaper and lower quality materials / finishes / detailing being used / built which, ultimately, reflects poorly on the architect’s design when they may have had little or no influence.

As the co ordinators of design, architects are required to have a certain level of knowledge of all other disciplines , as well as the statutory framework.

This requires time and careful consideration to ensure that the design is robust and meets all the client’s requirements , as well as conforming to the relevant legislation.

Architects are often challenged on their time limitations to deliver drawings without an understanding that there is thinking and co ordination time required before pen can be put to paper, or rather, lines on a computer screen.

In order to meet the project’s requirements increasingly architects must, unfortunately, make up for the shortfall within their own time and profits.

Technology has allowed us to streamline our processes so that when we carry out design it can be executed in the most efficient manner possible.

A 3D model is a very effective tool in communicating to our clients at the earliest stages, as well as being able to test our designs.

Modelling the building in detail , with finishes and junctions developed in sufficient detail, can also help during most project stages

Technology can allow ease of communication with the client at the earlier stages and can then be beneficial for buildability discussions with the construction team at the latter stages.

Exchange of models between all disciplines can aid co ordination versus 2D mark ups of drawings, in order to allow a quicker way to resolve clashes and, particularly, before they become an issue on site

During drawing production, setting up templates for key drawings, with filters pre set, can allow teams to produce the information more quickly , thus allowing them to buy more time for the thinking aspect of architecture.