Warren Hagues – Chartered Practice Architects
‘Architects are trained to consider a project holistically’
Q. I see a lot of building work to people’s homes at the moment. What value does an architect bring to this type of project?
Some people think that an architect’s job is either in the capacity of a designer or someone who produces drawings. The reality is that an architect does much more than just draw buildings, why else would the training take seven years? Whilst there are other professions who can undertake partial services of what an architect can provide, architects are the only profession who are trained and qualified to consider a project holistically in terms of aesthetics, psychology, practicality, buildability, technical and legislative requirements, context, cost, legal matters and contract administration (to name just a few). Architects are also required to carry professional indemnity insurance and are held to very high standards by our Registration body (A.R.B.), which is not always the case with non-architects.
We believe that any project, large or small, will benefit from this holistic approach, whether in determining what the brief is initially, right through to furniture placement and finishes towards the end of a project. The skills of an architect are best employed when a client presents a series of problems or required outcomes, rather than providing the architect with a design to draw up on the client’s behalf. The architect can then use their training and experience to integrate solutions creatively and thoughtfully in order to exceed the client’s expectations.
Chartered Practice Architects
159 Askew Road, W12 9AU
0208 743 9535
warrenhagues@cparchitects.com
www.cparchitects.com