Architectural Services Flashcards
1
Q
What to do at First Meeting with Client?
A
- Interview and Educate the client on your services.
- Meeting at site if appropriate
- Understand the client’s vision for the project
- Is there a detailed written brief?
- Try and pin down time, cost & quality and outline this within the brief and the agreement
- Talk about what an architect does and what your firm can offer.
- Discuss expectations of the project, aesthetics, basic functions, target market etc
- Consultants - are any onboard yet what others might be required - engaged as sub or secondary consultant
- Fee structure discussion (percentage lump-sum)
- Budget
- If inexperienced client take them through CAA
2
Q
What to do after First Meeting with Client to secure the project?
A
- Find out whatever you can about the client.
- Do you feel comfortable that the client can pay? Is the client offering fair terms?
- Do you have the experience to complete the job as a reasonably competent architect?
- Do you have the resources?
- Work out appropriate Fee
- Write a back-brief summarizing the conversation
- Scope of project
- Budget
- Program
- Scope of architectural services
- Fees
- Other consultants required
- Send CAA for client to sign with all relevant details filled in as discussed in first meeting
3
Q
How do you put together your fee proposal?
A
- Percentage historical based histroical for project type,scale and complexity.
- 6% house
Alternative Method
- Scope out all the architctural work that is required drawings, design, meetings, coordination, engaging consultants etc
- Assign time and staff to the work
- Use hourly rates for staff (that have overheads and profit built in) to calculate total fee
Alternative Method
- Take percentage total and split between stages to and use this to calculate how much time for each staff member is available and assess if this is resonable for this project
- SD 15% DD 15% CD 40% TN 2.5% CA 25% PC 2.5%
Use all methods to cross check each other.
4
Q
What is Concept design / schematic design?
A
Includes a pre-design phase – obtain the client’s brief, recommend specialist consultants, make initial inquiries about the site conditions and constraints, make initial inquiries about regulatory requirements and review the project budget.
- Then preparation of a preliminary schematic design for the clients consideration
- Could include design options, site analysis diagrams, view corridor studies, sketches and diagrams to adequately illustrate a design concept to the client.
- Once the client has approved this design, the architect can proceed to design development
- coodinate cost consultants forecast of the Cost of Works.
- Usually completion of this stage includes submission of drawings for Development approval (with the local planning authority)
5
Q
What is Construction Documentation Stage?
A
- Involves further resolution of design, systems, materials
- coordinate and integrate work of specialist consultants
- prepare drawings,schedules and specification
- submit required documents for statutory approval
- advise client on preferred method of building contractor selection
- coordinate pre-tender forecast of cost of works
6
Q
What determines a project cost?
A
Cost depends on many factors:
- Size of the development
- Site Conditions
- Quality
- Time (start to finish)
- Market conditions
- Advise the client that once the above becomes clearer, a quantity surveyor could provide a more accurate cost estimate than an architect.
7
Q
Accepted fee proposal. New Site/ New Job. What do you do?
A
- File it
- site visit if not done already
- Receive site information form client survey existing drawings, certificate of title (caveats & easements) dial before you dig
- Project plan - program, resources, project team, fee planning
- Liase with town planner and get planning contraints
- organise for client to engage other consultants required
8
Q
Should you ever advise client on the purchase of land?
A
- No, as it is not in your field of work or expertise to be valuing or pricing land
- Do not advice clients on the purchase of land
- You can advise the client to seek professional advice i.e. real-estate agent, property investor
- Advise the client that they could do a search on the land for easements, covenants, caveats, special zoning, heritage etc
9
Q
Do you have to comply with the requirements of Australian Standards when documenting a building?
A
Yes, the Building Act legislates QDC & NCC which in term legislates some Australian Standards
10
Q
How do you Control Costs on your job?
A
- Signed fee agreement CA Agreement
- Client to agree initial project budget at briefing stage
- Project cost vs building cost needs to be continually assessed
- QS estimate at end of each stage (SD, DD & Pre tender)
- Add a design contingency of 2-10% during design stages
- Add a construction contingency of 2.5-5% for latent conditions (within the contract)
- Keep the client informed always
11
Q
What is Tender / contractor selection stage?
A
- Assist client in determining the preferred tender process
- prepare and issue tender documents to tenders
- respond to enquiries from tenders
- receive tenders
- assess tenders
- prepare reports on tender and recommendation for client
- negotiate with preferred tenderer to obtain acceptable offer to the client
12
Q
What is Contract Administration stage ?
A
- Preparation and execution the contract
- administer the contract
- update client regularly regarding time,cost and progress of the project
- visit site periodically to to observe general accordance with the contract documents (not supervising, this is the builders job)
- organise, attend and record site meetings
- review shop drawings
- provide instruction and clarification to the builder
- coordinate consultant CA services
- assess builders progress claims and issue progress certificates
- assess builders claims for adjustment of time and time with costs
- instruct builder to complete incomplete work and rectify defects
- assess and determine practical completion and final completion
13
Q
What is Quality management?
A
- Quality control is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system and its performance.
- Quality management can be considered to have three main components: quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement.
- Quality management is focused not only on product quality, but also the means to achieve it. Quality management therefore uses quality assurance (prevention) and control of processes (detection) as well as products to achieve more consistent quality.
14
Q
What is a Specification?
A
- Specifications are written descriptions of a technical nature for materials, equipment, standards and quality, and are used by architects to communicate the project requirements to the contractor
- Use a standard specification form such as NATSPEC
15
Q
What are partial services ? what do you need to consider when providing partial services ?
A
The architect provides reduced services such as design only, design and document, partial contract administration or when the architect is engaged as a secondary/sub-consultant.
Oftern encountered when:
- a project manager assumes part of the role nomrally understaken by the architect
- architect engaged for design and documentation and provide advice during construction as required
- non-traditional procurement methods such as design and construct
- project is located in an area geographically remote from architects work place.
Consider:
- scope of services and consequent liabilities that are excluded
- establishing a framework for variation to the scope of the services (likely)
- agreed cash flow based on the services provided
- minimise exposure to third parties who can cause delay and extended programs which are outside of the architects control
- advice to be sought from PI insurer
