What"s The Difference between Hiring an Architect and a Builder

The differences between architects and builders are many.  But to be begin with an architect is a designer that works directly for you and for you, where as a builder is commissioned by you to build a home; much like the differences between going into a gallery and purchasing a painting off the display wall versus commissioning an artist to create a piece of artwork for the space that it is intended for.  Both approaches have merit and we can make a case for either approach.  But, perhaps I am a little biased in saying that you would best be served by commissioning a work that suits you versus purchasing something that was not created with specifically in mind.

It is best to illustrate a couple of different relationship scenarios before getting into some of the other differences:

DESIGN BID BUILD

Fig. 1:  Owner develops project program with Architect and uses Architect to manage project.

DESIGN BUILD (turn key)

Fig. 2:  Owner initiates project program with Builder, Builder then furnishes the Owner with a finished Project.

To further explain the two main relationships scenarios;

·         The Design Bid Build scenario, is initiated by the Owner and the Program (design and specifications) is developed in partnership with the Architect.  The Program is then provided to a list of potential bidders (Builders) that is recommended by the Architect and approved by the Owner.  The winning bidder is then selected by the Owner, and the Architect notifies the Builder of their selection.  At this point the Owner and the Builder enter into a contract to complete the Project and the Architect then works as the Owner’s Representative to manage the Project and ensure that the work completed by the Builder satisfies the Program Requirements. 

·         The Design Build (turn key) scenario is initiated by the Owner.  The Builder will then provide Design options that most closely match the Owner’s Program requirements.  Once the design concept has been selected the Owner enters into a Contract with the Builder.  The Builder will then “customize” the design to closely suit the Owner’s intent.  The Builder then constructs the building and upon completion turns the project over to the Owner.

One of the key differences between these approaches is that in the Design Bid Build scenario were the Architect acts as the Owner’s Representative; the Owner owns the project and has control of it from day one to the date of completion.  And, in the Design Build scenario the Owner provides the need to initiate the Project but does not own the Project until date of substantial completion or occupancy.  So, the Builder while motivated to satisfy their client, they are ultimately in control of the whole project.

Is there a difference in cost to the owner, between these two scenarios?  That is debatable.  In the Design Build approach the owner more often than not is going into an agreement with the Builder with their price to complete the selected project up front, with all the usual exclusions for extras and changes.  When dealing with an Architect, the Architect works to have the Project completed within the Owner’s budget, by providing Estimates of Project costs as based on the Program criteria developed with the Owner.  In either scenario the Architect’s or designer’s fees are built into the overall budget of the project. 

Builders are general contractors that need to balance the several project requirements and goals while an Architect is only beholden to you,  the Client/Owner.  With both Builders and Architects you will find good and bad, but Architects are responsible to there professional associations for maintaining their credentials and for staying current through continuing education.  Builders are not required to gain credentials to practice or to participate in continued education.   Some might but they are the exceptions not the rule.

But ultimately, Architects and Builders work hand in hand to get the job done. Knowing your needs, wants, and budget are the first step selecting the approach that is right for you.  If your intent behind building a custom home is based on a desire to have a building designed and constructed completely on your directions, vision, needs, and wants then hiring an Architect to develop and contribute to that vision may be right for you.   If you just simply want a home built that suits your needs and you are not interested in retaining control of the project then hiring a builder may be right for you.

In either case it is you that needs to be happy with the outcome.  So do the research and choose the approach that best represents your needs and wants.

Do You Understand Your Electricity Bill?

Well if you understand your electricity bill you should contact world renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking because apparently he is stumped.  Apparently he spent months trying to work out the math and terminology that the utility company used, but in the end he gave up and decided to go back to studying black-holes and singularities because they made more sense.  Imagine that!

You can read it for your self in a fun little post on the daily mash:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-technology/hawking-baffled-by-electricity-bill-2012112149876

But really it shouldn't be funny at all.  We all get our utility bills and we dutifully pay them after giving them a cursory look.  Here in Collingwood our utility company is Collus Power Corp. and  their bill has about five line items for electricity supply and five line items for water and sewage.  Taking a look at the fixed charges that are not influenced by our actual consumption and I notice that on average the fixed charges account for over 65% of my to utility bill or more.  The utility company is kind enough to provide a glossary of terms used on their bills but there is actual explanation as to how these costs are calculated.  I am sure or at least hope that someone knows how these sums are calculated but I have not encountered them yet.

So my recommendation is fairly simple.  Where possible reduce you consumption, improve home energy efficiency, and install residential energy harvesting appliances (i.e.: solar panels, solar hot water heaters, wind turbines, geo-thermal, etc.) and sell back your excess energy to the grid.  Wouldn't it be nice to have them owe you for a change?

What Is a Carbon Zero Home?

A very simple question that stirs up a lot of mixed reactions and answers.  I for one lean on the principals of philosophies of design that are central to any timeless buildings.  Which are formed around some basic questions;

1. What will the building be used for?
2. What is the purpose of building it?
3. How do we ensure that it outlasts us?
4. What materials can we source locally?
5. Can the building be adapted beyond our original intent?
6. How do we ensure that we that building operates as a efficiently as possible?
7. Can eliminate our dependence on external energy sources?

Essentially Carbon Zero Homes are buildings that satisfy a very simple equation:

(CARBON FOOTPRINT GENERATED BY CONSTRUCTION + CARBON FOOTPRINT OF BUILDING OPERATION) - (OPERTATION WASTE REDUCTION +  OPERATION WASTE DIVERSION + RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION)  = ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT

*NOTE: waste refers to energy and water waste as well as material waste.

But here is a link to more information on the subject, and  for a little added clarification:

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/what-is-a-zero-carbon-home.html

What makes a house sustainable?

What makes a house sustainable?  Is one of those questions that while, you may intuitively know the answer, it may not always be that simple to express it in a succinct sort of way.  I have run into this quite recently where, while at friends home, the question was asked of me.  In my initial attempt to answer the question I began to ramble on, when I noticed that my audiences eyes began to glaze over, I summed up my answer by saying, "A sustainable home is built in a manner that uses the minimal amount of low ecological impact resources, while maximising performance and service life."  However, some eyes did not unglaze at that point.  While it is intuitively not complicated, the process and design required to achieve this can be,  but ultimately it should result in a high quality building that  costs you less to operate over the span of it's service life.

Our first cues on how to design a sustainable building come from nature.  A thoughtfully designed building of any sort home or otherwise, will like any other natural portion of the landscape, take its form from its purpose or function.  Minimising its scale to satisfy its purpose, not sized for the sake of opulence. It is passive, drawing on the sun for energy.  With good orientation, strategically placed high performance windows (glazing), high thermal resistance and thermal mass; the building can provide its users with natural ventilation, natural lighting, resist temperature fluctuations and stored heating and cooling capacity.  Being passive it will take the site into consideration it form a "natural" part of its location, employing a favourable shape and to reduce  wind driven pressure differentials and unfavourable surface exposure thermal gains and losses.  Reducing its energy consumption, reusing "waste" in its operation, and using recycled material wherever possible.  But favouring materials with optimal life cycle characteristics in construction

Figure 1: Small Footprint Concept

Now that we are minimising our impact on the environment from a passive perspective, we need to look at how we can make your building work with modern demands while respecting our resources.  There are many options to do just that, and the technology that we can employ is getting less expensive as it gains in popular use.  One of the cheapest, is a simple rain capture system to harvest water for your landscaping needs.  Then there is grey water recycling, which takes your drain water (not solid waste) and it is used for flush toilets and irrigation.  Heat from hot water going down the drain can also be reclaimed.  Solar energy can be captured for electricity as well as heating with Photovoltaic panels, thin film membranes, and vacuum tubes.  There are also wind turbine and water ram systems that could be used to harvest electricity depending on your site.  Lets not forget geothermal either, but this still requires electricity to operate.  The poor cousin of the mix here is bio gas digesters for supply fuel from methane harvesting, but I'll leave that one for another post.

Let's not forget that you want to love your home.  It needs to appeal to you aesthetically and provide you with comfort and safety.  This cannot be overlooked if your home is to be sustainable.  After all what is the point if you hate it!  This where we work on finding balance in the design process.  While working to achieve what I have mentioned above, we need to also look at where the building is to be situated, and look at the user.  The home must be design with context and you in mind.  This is probably the most important piece of the puzzle, because without you this concept never takes shape and would never become reality.

Another thing that makes a home sustainable is respect for place and time.  Take cues from the surrounding environment, buildings, and culture.  These elements factor into making a home timeless, rather than a dated edifice that will become an eyesore in fifty years that will draw the ire of local community and precipitate its premature demolition.  We wouldn't want your neighbours forming a mob and marching on you doorstep with torches and sledge-hammers in hand because your home is a blight on their community now would we.

Figure 2: Earth Ship by Mark Boyle in the UK

Respect the future! There is no escape from time, so what will make your home sustainable is that it has a negligible environmental impact while standing the test of time.  Choosing materials that have long service lives, reducing the amount of resources required to operate, and choosing renewable energy sources all factor into whether your home is truly sustainable.   

Rather than trying to isolate ourselves from this larger environment, what if we embraced where we were and lived in harmony with it?  This is not really as radical a concept as it may sound.  Think of the house as an extension of its environment that you find safe and comfortable harbour in.  Like some animals and most humans living in cold climates had their caves, we have our homes.

While sustainability is a big buzzword these days.  It is not a new concept.  It has always been about living in balance with our environment.  Not taking more than can be replenished.  A sustainable home is about creating a living space that is in equilibrium.  Balanced with the environment and people of its space.

Just the Beginning

Welcome to my first official blog post for b.o.a. DESIGN.  This is a very exciting new venture for me, and I am looking forward to getting started on some projects that have just come my way.  From the variety of scale and type in these projects, there will be much to keep me occupied in the coming weeks.

What really strikes me at the outset is the support and generosity of friends and family alike.  They have been very understanding through this process of launching b.o.a. DESIGN.  They have contributed time, effort and imparted me with their knowledge and expertise; as I take all my technical knowledge, creative instincts and experience and shape it into the design firm that has been my dream for quite some time.  My professional mentors will be kept close at hand and will remain important to me as this firm grows.

I must mention how important the BERN program has been to me and how the knowledge I have gained through them will no doubt prove to be of great worth to me as I launch b.o.a. DESIGN and as it goes through its first year of operation.  Their continued support is invaluable! The people I have met through the program have been fantastic.   I now count them as my friends as well.

Over the last couple of months I have inundated those closest to me with details of what  this firm means to me and what I envision it being.  Those who have patiently listened as I droned on about it have really helped me refine what this firm truly needs to be in order to not only be successful, but to also satisfy my personal goals, and my need to contribute to my community.

b.o.a. DESIGN's name is an acronym for Botelho (my family name) Organic Architecture Design.  Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term Organic Architecture as form or school of design philosophy that would form the tenets of what I believe to be true and good in architecture.  He said, "Organic buildings are the strength and lightness of the spiders' spinning; buildings qualified by light, bred by native character to the environment, married to the ground."  Buildings should be inspired by nature, be sustainable, be healthy, be conserving and be diverse.  The design of building needs to unfold from concept driven by client needs, wants, while taking shape from its time and place.  Designs should be made flexible and adaptable; striving to satisfy social, physical and at times satisfy spiritual needs.  Buildings should "grow out of the site", remaining true to context of the environment and be unique to that place.  Though a building should strive to be timeless it must avoid being predictable.

So it here in this blog that I hope to share some of my experiences as well as thoughts about b.o.a. DESIGN, as well as the world of architecture and construction.  Since I am new to blogging I am sure that this will be a learning process as it is with anything new.  Check in regularly, and don't be shy about leaving your comments.