Hello everyone,
I have already read some posts in this forum and would like to hear your opinions on the above question regarding the (co-)determination of the floor plan by architects.
Here is the situation:
I am planning to build a house and have designed it using a publicly available 3D house planning software. So, there are basic plans showing the interior walls, doors, room layout, room sizes, and windows. When I went to the initial meeting with the architect on my laptop (no contract signed yet), he smiled and said we need to be careful not to clash over the plans: as an architect, he also has an artistic claim, and the house being built is a reference/advertisement for him. He also wants to take interior photos and have permission to publish them. I am welcome to express my wishes and ideas, but he would like to decide on certain aspects, such as the alignment of various walls. If we want a floor plan created by us to be built exactly as is, we would be better off with a building contractor.
As the client, I don’t want to overstep, but my thought is that I am the one building the house, paying for it, and living in it. The interior design should concern the architect only insofar as he fulfills my requirements or—if I agree—designs according to my general ideas.
On the other hand, one could also see the architect as an artist who receives a commission from me to create a work of art (the house). It is therefore his product, taking my (rough) ideas into account. Like a commission for a painter: I tell the painter I want a vase with red tulips, but he decides how to execute it—the shape of the vase, the number, and especially the arrangement of the tulips.
Is the artistic claim of the architect described above reasonable and something to expect from other architects, or can one usually give an architect exact plans which they only challenge if there are technical building reasons or practical living concerns?
I am open to both approaches described above but would like to know what is generally the norm.
Thank you very much for your assessments!
Best regards, Jersey
I have already read some posts in this forum and would like to hear your opinions on the above question regarding the (co-)determination of the floor plan by architects.
Here is the situation:
I am planning to build a house and have designed it using a publicly available 3D house planning software. So, there are basic plans showing the interior walls, doors, room layout, room sizes, and windows. When I went to the initial meeting with the architect on my laptop (no contract signed yet), he smiled and said we need to be careful not to clash over the plans: as an architect, he also has an artistic claim, and the house being built is a reference/advertisement for him. He also wants to take interior photos and have permission to publish them. I am welcome to express my wishes and ideas, but he would like to decide on certain aspects, such as the alignment of various walls. If we want a floor plan created by us to be built exactly as is, we would be better off with a building contractor.
As the client, I don’t want to overstep, but my thought is that I am the one building the house, paying for it, and living in it. The interior design should concern the architect only insofar as he fulfills my requirements or—if I agree—designs according to my general ideas.
On the other hand, one could also see the architect as an artist who receives a commission from me to create a work of art (the house). It is therefore his product, taking my (rough) ideas into account. Like a commission for a painter: I tell the painter I want a vase with red tulips, but he decides how to execute it—the shape of the vase, the number, and especially the arrangement of the tulips.
Is the artistic claim of the architect described above reasonable and something to expect from other architects, or can one usually give an architect exact plans which they only challenge if there are technical building reasons or practical living concerns?
I am open to both approaches described above but would like to know what is generally the norm.
Thank you very much for your assessments!
Best regards, Jersey
haydee schrieb:
I believe the floor plan must be developed together. As the client, you live in the house, so it has to suit you. The architect needs to consider feasibility and provide suggestions on how to optimize the design.
I would look for someone else. This doesn’t fit.Yes, but the architect works based on the given requirements, not on a rough sketch from a layperson. A good architect applies design principles and architecture to develop a suitable home for a specific plot of land.
A layperson simply cannot grasp this due to lack of knowledge.
I would be open to being positively surprised.
I can understand the architect. I do believe that as a client, you should express your wishes, and the architect will usually take them into account as far as it makes sense.
From what I have seen among friends regarding self-designed floor plans, I wouldn’t want to put my name on them as an architect either. Often there are hallways larger than living spaces, rooms facing north, water and sewage lines running across the house, stairs that cannot be walked on properly, and so on.
It’s no coincidence that becoming an architect takes about 10 years of education. It’s good when the architect clearly communicates any concerns during the initial discussion. The time required to jointly develop a design with the client (which can mean 10 rounds of planning over several months) cannot be economically justified or charged by an architect.
From what I have seen among friends regarding self-designed floor plans, I wouldn’t want to put my name on them as an architect either. Often there are hallways larger than living spaces, rooms facing north, water and sewage lines running across the house, stairs that cannot be walked on properly, and so on.
It’s no coincidence that becoming an architect takes about 10 years of education. It’s good when the architect clearly communicates any concerns during the initial discussion. The time required to jointly develop a design with the client (which can mean 10 rounds of planning over several months) cannot be economically justified or charged by an architect.
markus270321 Nov 2017 10:44Regardless of the actual issue, it seems that the personal aspect is not a good fit here.
In my opinion, whether working with an architect or a general contractor, this is very important for success in house construction.
Therefore, I would continue searching.
In my opinion, whether working with an architect or a general contractor, this is very important for success in house construction.
Therefore, I would continue searching.
B
baumann4221 Nov 2017 12:48There are hardly any future homeowners who haven’t already searched online for floor plans and designs and thus have a certain idea of their house. The architect then develops a preliminary concept based on these ideas, which is discussed and adjusted to include changes and requests. This is generally how the process should work...
Tentakel schrieb:
From the floor plans I’ve seen designed by acquaintances, I wouldn’t want to put my name on them as an architect either. baumann42 schrieb:
There are probably hardly any prospective home builders who haven’t already looked online for floor plans and design ideas and therefore have some idea of their future home. A single (almost any) forum is already enough, for example, to find real labyrinths stubbornly squeezed into a square frame. You don’t have to look far for unwalkable staircases either. Online, you sometimes find wildly composed mishmashes that dog breeders would call mutts: Tuscan-Bauhaus with floor-to-ceiling corner windows, a brick-clad dining room bay, and a shed-hip roof carport. In such cases, it’s definitely a blessing not to end up with an aesthetically unscrupulous general contractor’s draft. But I don’t think we’re dealing with such an extreme case here 🙂
This to me sounds more like either an architect of the artist-diva type who wants to be recognized by their sculptural style, or one who sees clients as financiers for their portfolio gallery. In my opinion, someone like that should build their own showcase home with their own money.
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