When undertaking a large construction or redevelopment project there has long been a debate as to whether or not an architect is needed or if this is something that you can design and manage yourself. I strongly believe the architects play an extremely valuable part in not only the design but also the management of any construction project, below I have provided a few reasons as to why an architect can be so important.

An architect can quickly and efficiently overcome issues Too many people believe that a builder will be able to spot issues and overcome them whilst in the middle of construction however this is not always the case. Many builders are capable of doing this however if you to ask them they would certainly prefer not to, this is especially true when they have had no input during the initial design phase. Builders would much prefer to follow carefully crafted documentation rather than having to try and manage that documentation as well.

An architect can ensure that drawings are followed exactly If an architect has completed the original drawings for a project then it is very important that they are also allowed to manage the project, there may be many fine details that the architect has included which could be overlooked by someone who is not as familiar with the project as a whole. An on-site architect will be available to answer any questions the construction company might have and to lead them in the right direction.

Construction plans are almost always open to interpretation There are many parts of building plans that could be open to interpretation, having an architect on site will allow construction managers to ask questions rather than rely on their own interpretation which could be incorrect and cause massive setbacks and additional expense.

I have found that quite often architects will not be employed during the building phase due to the fact that some people are influenced by some rather common myths such as the myth that if an architect and builder of both being employed then you are paying for the same job twice, this just simply isn’t the case as an architect is there to design and builder is there to construct, they are a team and if they work as such then the chance for errors is massively reduced.

I’m sure if you were to ask any architect or construction manager then they would be able to come up with an almost endless list of reasons for why an architect is important to the building process however I hope that this article has a least provided you with some basic things that you should take into consideration when making your decision as to whether or not you should employ an architect.