Make the most of your construction or renovation project: Part 1-Choosing your architect/designer

The Wilshire Landmark building in Los Angeles, on which I directed the construction , made an architectural statement at a reasonable cost. Generally speaking, an architect is chosen for his creative design ability and the way that he can bring forth an environment through his design that matches the desires of the owner. You choose him because he can make your vision come true on his drawings and specifications. He also provides realistic renderings of what the final product will look like for the end user. These things allow you to convey your vision to the multitude of people you interface with for the development process of your project.

Your architect/designer is a crucial part of your renovation or construction team.  Often, he/she sets the tone of the process on your behalf.  In addition to the creative criteria I spoke about above, choose one who understands not only the design process for the look and feel of the final product, but one who also is thoroughly familiar with the whole process of construction and/or renovation.  Look for a design professional who understands how to design the best value for the dollars spent.  If you do just this, your life during the construction or renovation work will be much easier than if you don't.  

Your designer must also be more interested in your construction or renovation as a whole, rather than only making an architectural statement at your cost.  Of course, if your goal is to make an architectural statement, then the design team should accomplish that goal in the most cost effective manner for your construction or renovations.

Your design team must also understand initial cost versus operation & maintenance cost, energy saving methods, and other green construction concepts. These concepts can add up to a significant factor in the future operating profits of the project—therefore directly affecting your bottom line.

The above advice comes from real world experiences of many projects.  construction  and renovation projects that I am referring to are anywhere from small and medium size to mega-projects.  In fact, the bigger the construction or renovation project, the bigger the need for cost effective design and cost control, and the bigger the magnitude of the challenges if this advice is not heeded.