ᐅ Young architectural team or established firm? – A tough choice
Created on: 28 Oct 2016 19:17
K
Karlstraße
Hello everyone,
We have now met with 5 architects and one developer in initial meetings. In the end, there are really only two architects in consideration, but they are quite different. The choice is difficult.
1) Young architect team
A team of 2 architects and 4 master’s graduates. The office has existed for three years and works in both residential and commercial construction. However, they have not yet completed many projects of this kind (the two architects previously worked as employees in different regions, verifiable). They currently have about 5 projects in progress. Modern, great houses planned, under construction, and already completed, architecturally rather "visionary," and they made a good impression during the conversation. We really like their style and would move directly into some of their houses. They have built about 5-6 residential houses in the past 3 years. They also have a current, beautiful, and very up-to-date 3D design, including performance phases 1-2, both interior and exterior.
What we see as a downside:
They don’t have numerous contacts with all the trades and are not as tightly networked, but rather truly “very independent.” We’re not sure if that’s good or bad during the current boom phase—or maybe it’s actually an advantage, as nothing might be overlooked? Possibly a price disadvantage as well? Certainly less extensive experience compared to some others, but they gave the impression of being enthusiastic about the project.
2) Established office
A team of engineers, technicians, and draftsmen led by a principal who manages over 100 projects/cases simultaneously (from dormer windows to residential construction, including planning, everything). They build attractive houses in a variety of styles and price ranges (from small single-family homes to multi-million projects), are very well-known and popular in the region (“you often see him”), and have very close relationships with the construction companies due to their background and extensive experience, so they “know everyone and everything.” However, in the conversation, it seemed as if everything would move very quickly—with planning over 2 months—and that subcontractor coordination “you could simply handle yourself, that would not be an issue, you can operate a copier, after all.” We found that rather strange. With them, I would be confident that construction would run smoothly.
What we see as a downside:
We would be just another number, and perhaps not much heart and passion involved, even though the houses are good, as mentioned. The principal didn’t seem very interested in construction supervision, “but would of course do it if we want.”
Which would you tend to choose? We are both around 30 years old and want someone who, like in “Bavarian Dream Homes” (not sure if you know the show), engages more closely with the owners and also thinks “out of the box.” Because of the sloped site and the unique view, there are simply great opportunities to bring the landscape into the house. This definitely needs to be taken into account.
Counterexample of an architect who was eliminated: “Yes, the lot isn’t bad, you just put a few windows on the front and you have a nice view.” --> Exactly, and maybe also a front door? But maybe not…
Looking forward to your feedback and experiences!
We have now met with 5 architects and one developer in initial meetings. In the end, there are really only two architects in consideration, but they are quite different. The choice is difficult.
1) Young architect team
A team of 2 architects and 4 master’s graduates. The office has existed for three years and works in both residential and commercial construction. However, they have not yet completed many projects of this kind (the two architects previously worked as employees in different regions, verifiable). They currently have about 5 projects in progress. Modern, great houses planned, under construction, and already completed, architecturally rather "visionary," and they made a good impression during the conversation. We really like their style and would move directly into some of their houses. They have built about 5-6 residential houses in the past 3 years. They also have a current, beautiful, and very up-to-date 3D design, including performance phases 1-2, both interior and exterior.
What we see as a downside:
They don’t have numerous contacts with all the trades and are not as tightly networked, but rather truly “very independent.” We’re not sure if that’s good or bad during the current boom phase—or maybe it’s actually an advantage, as nothing might be overlooked? Possibly a price disadvantage as well? Certainly less extensive experience compared to some others, but they gave the impression of being enthusiastic about the project.
2) Established office
A team of engineers, technicians, and draftsmen led by a principal who manages over 100 projects/cases simultaneously (from dormer windows to residential construction, including planning, everything). They build attractive houses in a variety of styles and price ranges (from small single-family homes to multi-million projects), are very well-known and popular in the region (“you often see him”), and have very close relationships with the construction companies due to their background and extensive experience, so they “know everyone and everything.” However, in the conversation, it seemed as if everything would move very quickly—with planning over 2 months—and that subcontractor coordination “you could simply handle yourself, that would not be an issue, you can operate a copier, after all.” We found that rather strange. With them, I would be confident that construction would run smoothly.
What we see as a downside:
We would be just another number, and perhaps not much heart and passion involved, even though the houses are good, as mentioned. The principal didn’t seem very interested in construction supervision, “but would of course do it if we want.”
Which would you tend to choose? We are both around 30 years old and want someone who, like in “Bavarian Dream Homes” (not sure if you know the show), engages more closely with the owners and also thinks “out of the box.” Because of the sloped site and the unique view, there are simply great opportunities to bring the landscape into the house. This definitely needs to be taken into account.
Counterexample of an architect who was eliminated: “Yes, the lot isn’t bad, you just put a few windows on the front and you have a nice view.” --> Exactly, and maybe also a front door? But maybe not…
Looking forward to your feedback and experiences!
K
Karlstraße5 Nov 2016 06:43Haha, no no. We selected six, of which two were immediately eliminated after the initial interviews. The last one was already scheduled anyway. I can only recommend having a handful of meetings, as the impressions and opinions of architects can vary so much.
@ Bauexperte: I agree with you, but it doesn’t help if you only look at 1-2 architects and then feel like you have to choose from those.
@ Bauexperte: I agree with you, but it doesn’t help if you only look at 1-2 architects and then feel like you have to choose from those.
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