Small Project Design

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  • 1.  Architects doing housing

    Posted 01-25-2011 06:16 PM

    With respect to architects designing housing, most housing in the U.S., certainly most single-family detached "product" (get used to the term "product" as it relates to merchant-built housing), is built by real estate developers cum builders in tracts of homes, and has been for years.  In the large, formerly "hot" markets in sprawl areas outside major growth cities -especially in California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida - most over the last 40 years of so have actually been designed by architects; architects attuned to designing to a market as defined by sundry analysts who constitute the priesthood of the industry.  In the main, these industry ordained clergy help developers sleep at night by reassuring them that if they identify the latest niche markets, trends, features, price-points, buyer demographic, discretionary income level, best locations, and direction of infrastructure planning they will succeed.  The builder then goes about figuring out how to most economically deliver the product without compromising the marketing criteria for design.
     

     

    Developers have a lot at stake, and need to believe the designers they hire are on the same page with them, able to understand their concerns and both the limitations and opportunities for success.  They must also be able to keep up in meetings including market analysts, interior designers, colorists, construction coordinators, project managers, and sales staff.  This means understanding the industry jargon, including much of that of financing, which is a challenge in itself given the complex borrowing builders often have to do to properly leverage their projects.

     

    If your primary impulse is self-expression, you will not be working for a residential developer any time soon.  The economics of residential development in particular typically call for what the industry refers to as a "box on box" solution; i.e., the most mundane structural solution possible with stick framing for the site constraints that will still accept a decent plan and façade with the minimum romantic references, lately a front porch, acceptable to the particular market.  The cheaper the housing, the closer to a cube.  This leaves very little latitude for creativity except for squeezing the most out of a fairly restrictive design environment.
     

     

    Some well known residential architects of national renown within the real estate industry have done very well, and have even on occasion, when the market and developer's design savvy allow it, produced some good work; good boxes.  However, if you cannot fit into this environment, you will not be designing much housing outside the occasional custom home.  Even then, public taste can be very restrictive, informed as it is primarily by merchant housing and the small amount of design rescued from the jaws of mediocrity.  Live with it, and join the game, work to change the game, or quit complaining about a marketplace you likely do not understand.



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    Gary Collins AIA
    Principal
    Gary R. Collins, AIA
    Jacksonville OR
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  • 2.  RE:Architects doing housing

    Posted 01-26-2011 02:56 PM
    Most of what Mr. Collins describes is due to Value as I've been saying all along. If everything is valued as a Honda then why build a BMW? If everyone is paid the same, then why work harder?

    During the height of the building boom, The Bureau of Economic Analysis says 82% of single family dwellings were built to sell, spec houses. Some large developers may use Architects licensed in every state they build, some of the plan book authors they buy from may be licensed in some state as well, yet all of those who design houses call themselves Architects and few actually hold a current license. From my inner-city experience, most builders find a plan they like and redraw it to suit their needs. Those who actually purchase them aren't necessarily buying from authors that are licensed professionals. There is a difference between an individual, a local, licensed professional who designs in the area where they hold a license and a plan book author selling designs across the country. The plan book author in NC won't be doing a site visit in CA. What about liability insurance? How does an author in Maine understand the climate in Miami or the Dade County Code? Yet the service this guy provides (emailing copies of cryptic design info) is considered equal in value to my services and the liability I accept. Mass producing the same design is considered equal in value in the bank's eyes to my custom designs that have a consistent history of out selling the cookie cutters by as much as $150K for the same sized house. In every other industry, custom designed products are valued higher than mass produced crap. If the banks gave custom designs by local, licensed Architects more value than a mass produced cookie cutter, then people could choose whether or not to do a better job. Right now, they have little choice but to compete for the lowest common denominator. 

    During the height of the building boom, 7% of single family dwellings were built by the Owner. Many of these houses were either designed by the Owner or purchased plan book designs. This is not a likely category for custom Architectural designs. The remaining 11% were private owners who hired a contractor. This is the category where we are most likely to get a fraction of the business designing custom houses. Most of these people use the plan the builder offers or purchase plan book designs. This is also the category where we compete with the unlicensed designers who get the majority of custom business.

    Realistically, we are barely designing single family homes. I don't consider selling mass produced plans as the same thing as designing homes. A house shouldn't be dropped indiscriminately on a site with no regard to the surrounding area, climate, style, etc. A builder shouldn't be the ultimate decision maker as to what our built environment looks like. Our current system is broken and needs to be fixed. If the system only allows for one type of volume based competition, it is doing a disfavor to the economy in general. More competition in more areas is healthy for the economy. Let's start competing for QUALITY!

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    Eric Rawlings AIA
    Owner
    Rawlings Design, Inc.
    Decatur GA
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