What architects do
On the first meeting with the architect, you (the client) will supply the preliminary information on the project you wish to have carried out.
This informative meeting has a double role: to establish the object of the design/consultancy quote, and to help the architect identify all (or the majority) of future challenges, generated by the specific design brief, by the shape and size of the lot, by land-use regulation, by the neighborhood, etc.
From the first meeting up to the final acceptance of works, the architect (if she/he has signed the contract with you) will deliver a set of services, organized clearly and chronologically that will lead towards the final version of the project, in a continuous flow of information.
These services range from consultancy (helping you take decisions) to design (formalizing ideas and concepts into technical specifications).
The set of services that an architect must (or can) deliver for you is called the architect’s tasks. It is essential when you start working together that you are also aware of them.
Important!
The architect’s tasks can be grouped in two categories:
- core tasks – the services which mustbe comprised in the contract, and which the architect must deliver at an appropriate level of quality;
- additional tasks – services which do not enter in the mandatory core package, but it is advisable to be included in the contract and their delivery is recommended in order to increase the project quality and the control on investment;
Do not work with an architect without knowing what their tasks are (read the brochure made available by OAR), and do not sign the contract unless it includes all the core tasks.
To clarify the correct and entire pathway of the project (from the first contact between the architect and the client up to the project delivery) and to facilitate the client’s assessment of quotes, as well as the monitoring of the activity, and a good control over the project, OAR has developed a document titled The Architect’s Tasks.
The set of tasks was issued in line with several studies carried out by the Architects’ Council of Europe, and in accordance with the Romanian practice, with the legislation and the regulations in place.
Here’s the link to the brochure.
