Understanding Process. This is part 2 of clarifying architects and architecture, see part 1: understanding values
This is a clip of the Simpson’s episode featuring “the design process”, where Frank Gehry receives a letter from Marge urging him to design a Cultural Center for Springfield. Gehry crumples the letter, disgusted, and throws it to the ground, then sees the resulting form and has an architectural epiphany. The resultant design is the balled-paper-as-building. Although some architects do use this method, and it is accepted by a few clients, this process is usually not the norm.
On the whole, the design process is much more involved and tedious than the clip, although mockingly, suggests. Maybe the imprint of television lead some people to think that you can get a set of permit drawings for a house in a week’s time at $12 an hour!
Anyway, lets start off. Architects, or at least a competent architect, can not give an answer to the question: Can you give me a quote on a 3000SF restaurant? The question is too vague. There are too many variables to consider. To answer the question, we’ll dive into the six phases of design and construction that drives the design fees and construction schedule:
- Phase 1: Pre-Design
- Phase 2: Schematic Design
- Phase 3: Design Development
- Phase 4: Construction Documents
- Phase 5: Construction Procurement
- Phase 6: Construction Observation