When it comes to a large, complex job like architectural design, it’s important to make sure that the person or practice that you’re hiring is experienced and reliable.
Some people believe that the larger a company is, the more trustworthy it is. While it’s easy to understand the reasoning behind this assumption, you shouldn’t discount sole practitioners simply because they are a single person and not a large organisation.
In fact, there are many benefits to appointing a sole practitioner such as Design Haus over a large architectural agency.
Build a strong working relationship
Large projects may be ongoing for a year or more, so it’s essential that you are able to build a strong working relationship with your architect. Appointing a sole practitioner makes it much easier to get an idea of how well suited an architect is to working with you.
In a large agency, you might meet with a charismatic designer who wows you with their passion and expertise, only to have the project passed on to a more junior person within the company. At Design Haus, you work directly with the senior designer throughout the entire process, from initial concepts through to the finishing touches on a completed build.
Like who you work with
An important consideration that often gets overlooked is ensuring that you are working with someone that you like who is passionate about your project.
Architectural projects can be stressful at the best of times, and when your architect is overseeing all aspects of the design and build process, it really helps if you actually like them as a person. Otherwise, six months into a year-long build, you might find yourself dreading every interaction with them.
Bespoke team for your project
One of the greatest benefits of hiring a sole practitioner is their ability to create a bespoke team based on your project’s requirements.
As there are no in-house structural engineers, technologists, surveyors or builders to fall back on, this means that each one is sourced specifically for the design at hand. This flexible approach gives you access to experts in their respective industries that may not have been accessible through a large organisation.
Single point of contact
Even the simplest of architectural projects requires the insights and skills of a range of different experts. Appointing a sole practitioner gives you a single point of contact throughout the entire project, so you never have to worry about figuring out who to call for a status update or to specify a design alteration.
By choosing an architect that you trust and who truly cares about your project, you can be sure that everything is well managed from start to finish without you having to lift a finger.
Design Haus Architecture
If you’re interested in the benefits of working with a sole practitioner rather than a large architectural agency, get in touch with me and I’ll be happy to discuss your project.
