A December 18, 2018, article in the the New York Times asked a question that I've been asking for three decades: “Where Are All the Female Architects?” A few important points from the article: Until 1972 (and Title IX), most U.S. architecture schools didn’t admit women. Currently, half of all American architecture school graduates are
Finishing your building project is definitely time for celebration. You’ve been through all the work, expense and emotion that any major project entails, so when the final nail has been hammered in and the last of the paint has dried, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. But before you pop the champagne and
The design development is complete, the construction documents are done, and you’ve selected a contractor. Congratulations! You’re moving into one of the most exciting phases of your architectural design project: construction. During this phase, contractors will begin the task of building your dream, and with it comes the essential task of construction administration. Construction Administration Purpose A building or remodeling
During the bidding phase of your architectural design project, your architect can help you select the contractors who will build your dream. Once your design has been finalized, you’ll need to send design documents to qualified contractors, who will use them to provide estimates of the costs of labor and materials for your project. Bidding
Once the design development phase is complete, it’s time to move on to step three in the architectural design process: creating the construction documents. Construction Documents Purpose The construction documents represent the completed design for the project. They are submitted to the city for any required permitting, and the final versions of these documents will
After the schematic design is completed, the next step in the architectural design process is the design development. Design Development Purpose While the schematic design’s purpose is to provide an overview of the building or remodeling project, the design development phase is intended to fill in the details. During this phase, the architect works with
So you’ve decided on a project and checked out the websites of a few local architects, and now it’s time for your initial architect consultation. Whether you’re taking advantage of a free consultation or paying an architect for her time, how well prepared you are for that first meeting can make the difference between a
The first step in the architectural design process is the schematic design. After the initial consultation with the client, the architect should come away with an idea of the overall concept and scope of the project. Further meetings or phone calls with the client, or visits to the proposed building site, may be necessary to
The architectural design process can seem bewildering to clients – there are so many decisions to be made, so many tasks to complete, so many people involved. Part of my aim with this blog is to demystify the design and construction process for people considering a building or remodeling project. Last week, I wrote about
Any building or remodeling project involves a team of professionals. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, the team can range from a single architect and contractor to a host of architects, engineers and construction project managers, but the basic requirements are the same: properly trained and experienced professionals working in concert via
