Green Building & Design

Why Hire an Architect?

Architects are versatile professionals, articulate in all aspects of the design process, from concept through construction. Trained to create complete environments, they prove essential in guiding you through the complex process involved in new construction or remodeling. Architects act as advocates for the client on construction projects and ensure that they get the best return on their investment. In addition, an architect’s experience can encompass various building types that respond to the built environment with analytical sensitivity. As buildings use 40% of energy, 72% of electricity and generate 39% of all CO2 emissions (via the Environment Information Administration Annual Outlook), having someone who is knowledgeable about design and sustainability is vital for future generations.

Whether you are planning for new construction or renovation, installing fixtures or redecorating the living room, consider hiring an architect. Architects are necessary when making any major changes to the physical footprint, structural, stability or life safety aspects of your space. Aside from navigating through the complicated building process, the right architect will work with you to create a seamless blend of aesthetics and functionality that stays within budget, meets your lifestyle needs and improves your environment.

Architects act as visionaries to help translate your ideas and desires into a three dimensional space. An architect helps define what you want to build, presents alternatives you may not have considered by finding ways to make the end product more cost-effective. In fact, hiring an architect might actually save you money. When presenting design solutions, architects reconcile your needs and budget at every stage of the process. They will work to incorporate stylish, yet durable materials and finishes that can save on maintenance costs. The implementation of sustainability into concept and construction can also reduce your budget over time by limiting consumption and energy. For example, the effective use of passive solar and natural light can maximize heating, cooling and efficiency, ultimately cutting back on your electric bills. In addition, well-executed drawings that are based on your specifications promote accurate bids from contractors, which eliminate hidden costs.

With the green movement, traditional forms of contractor/architect/owner relationships are changing. The architect, acting as an advocate for the owner, becomes part of a cohesive team that harnesses the synergies, strengths and experience of contractors and subcontractors to build strong relationships and create a non-adversarial construction process as they work together to promote sustainability.

Architects can also help an owner navigate zoning laws, codes and ordinances that can add frustration and stress to the building process and often lend themselves to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Architects are trained to sort through codes and ordinances, and have the ability to streamline the process, which provides you with a clear line of communication at each step of design. The architect also plays a supervisory role in the construction process to ensure that your project is being built to your specifications, on time and within budget.

The foremost reason to hire an architect is because the right architect will work with you to create a meaningful spatial relationship between you and your environment. As architects and designers, JZA+D prides itself on a collaborative approach. The firm acknowledges the fact that their art is created for and belongs to someone else, the client. It is for this precise reason that architect-client collaboration throughout the entire design process must be strong, open and personable, as it is the client that steers the architect’s artistic vision. This results in complete environments that not only adhere to the tenets of proportion, scale, appropriateness, form, context and balance, but also maintains a sense of personality and uniqueness, while ensuring that an owner’s vision for a project is fulfilled.