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You’ve decided to build something and now it is time to hire an architect. You know you should interview a number of prospects, but what do you ask them?

You should remember that an architect is a highly skilled professional. The architect is not only highly educated and not only is required to pass stiff examinations to be licensed, but also must have artistic and creative skills that can only be honed, but not taught. You can be fairly certain that his or her services are not going to come with a cost that is not a substantial part of the overall building budget. As with any professional, unless price is truly of no concern to you at all, asking about the price of his or her services is going to be a necessary question.

However, price is not, or at least should not be, the place to start. The questions about price and experience are selection questions. They are asked before the architect is “your” architect. The architect selection process is similar to the selection of other types of professionals, but is more akin to the selection of an artistic type professional rather than the selection of a more practical type. In other words, you would select an architect more like you would an interior designer or photographer and not quite the same as you might select a lawyer or financial manager. This means the portfolio is the primary indicator of talent and experience. If you are selecting an architect to design your new church, it is helpful to view the kinds of churches he has built in the past and maybe even his artistic visions of how a church could look.

It is always important to understand this simple rule of the professional. You are going to get what you pay for. If you base your selection process on finding the least expensive architect, you might do well to be prepared to be a little less than satisfied with the results. Obviously, the most experienced and most talented architects will not only have the thicker portfolios but will command the higher price. Your goal should be centered on finding the best that you can afford.

Once you have selected your architect, the questions you will need to ask should begin with ones that establish that he has a complete understanding of your needs and desires. No matter how imaginative a design and regardless of how appealing to the eye it might be, if it does not meet your needs, it is of no value to you at all. This is the major mistake of clients with architects. The finished design must be a meeting of minds. It is a merger of the architect’s knowledge and creativity and your own practical needs and desires. It is not the place to be overly trusting or to make assumptions. You need to ask questions that satisfy you that the architect is on the same page that you are on when it comes to the desired end result.

Remember that, like many professionals, the architect’s time is a valuable commodity and one that might end up costing you. This is why your questions should be detailed and probing. This can not be overstressed. Trusting too much is always a mistake when dealing with a professional while at the same time a great deal of rapport is what you are seeking. Like the doctor is entrusted with your body and the lawyer might be entrusted with your very freedom, the architect is entrusted with your vision and dream. If your questions establish that your architect understands your vision and even understands the scope of your dream, you can afford then to have some faith and trust.

By: Aazdak Alisimo

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Are you planning to build your home? If yes, here is a list of Top 10 architects services in Albuquerque city. The list is ordered by how frequently the architects information is stored in people’s digital address books. The #1 Architect on the Top 10 has been stored by 474 people. Generally, people only store a business’ information in their address books if they are satisfied with the provider’s service and wish to engage in repeat business. So typically the best and most popular businesses end up on top of the list.

The Top 10 Architects of Albuquerque :

1. Design Collaborative SW Architect (474 people stored this Architect in their digital address books)

(505) 843-9639

320 Central Ave SW – Albuquerque, NM 87102

2. Antoine Predock Architect

(505) 843-7390

300 12th St NW – Albuquerque, NM 87102

3. Smpc PA Architect

(505) 255-8668

115 Amherst Dr SE – Albuquerque, NM 87106

4. Molzin Corbin & Associates PA

(505) 242-5700

2701 Miles Rd SE – Albuquerque, NM 87106

5. Fanning Bard Tatum Architects Aia Limited

(505) 883-5200

6100 Indian School Rd NE Ste 210 – Albuquerque, NM 87110

6. Weller Architects PC

(505) 255-8270

401 Alvarado Dr SE Ste D – Albuquerque, NM 87108

7. George Rainhart Architects & Associates

(505) 884-9110

2325 San Pedro Dr NE Ste 2B – Albuquerque, NM 87110

8. Nca Architects Planners Aia

(505) 255-6400

1306 Rio Grande Blvd NW – Albuquerque, NM 87104

9. Gilbert van H Architect PC

(505) 247-9955

2428 Baylor Dr SE – Albuquerque, NM 87106

10. Vigil Claudio Architects

(505) 842-1113

1801 Rio Grande Blvd NW – Albuquerque, NM 87104

Find a right person for planning, design and oversight of your home construction. This Top 10 List is for you to find and get a highly qualified Architect in your locality to help you fulfill your dream of a sweet home.

By: Zander Smith

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First of all, be really sure about your choice of architect as you will have a lengthy relationship with this particular individual involving substantial sums of money. Be sure you can trust him or her and that they are willing to listen with great care to all your ideas and requirements.

Ideally, formulate your design brief before meeting with your architect and be realistic about your budget or other constraints that might exist. This will enable the architect to assess your project realistically and put forward appropriate design proposals, which will help you make suitable choices.

Your initial brief need not be very extensive but at least contain information regarding broad principles such as the overall size and theme of the structure; define features you want to achieve and key functional or special inter-relationships. If you already own a stand point out specific views or areas of the site that you would like to utilize.

Be realistic and honest about your budget from the start. The relationship between you and your architect should be one of mutual trust and by being dishonest about your budget might only lengthen the design process thus in the end costing you more in architects’ fees to get to a viable solution or you might end up with a house design that is beyond your budget limits and you would not be able to complete the project.

Try not to impress a specific style or theme or personalize the design to much to your own individualistic needs. These themes are often short lived trends in property markets and certainly put a date stamp on a property and you might have difficulty or not get the best resale value when it comes to the selling of the house. A good style is one that is unique but has longevity and remains contemporary.

The design of the house does not only have to do with the aesthetics and physical proportions of the building but also, and perhaps even more so, how it flows or functions. Your home must work visually and physically. It is imperative to consider aspects that cannot be seen on the plan, such as the various uses for the different living spaces, the movement through the areas without bumping into furniture or doors that might open onto unsightly areas of the home, the provision of light and ventilation for the various rooms and security of the building.

When consulting your architect for the first time, remember to try and keep and open mind, the first session with this professional will largely consist of discussion and questions about your requirements and ideas of you house and site and which take priority. During the session the architect might present you with suggestions, ideas or solutions that might sound pleasing to you at first, but might make sense later on in the planning stage.

When negotiating fees with your architect, you might have a choice to use only a part of his or her service or a ‘full service’. If your budget does not allow the service of the architect, he or she might be willing to provide you with advice and ideas on a hourly basis. The services of an architect is not rigid and most will be willing to taper services to suit you needs or budget.
A full architectural service includes: consultation, design and sketch plans, working drawings for local council approval, construction drawings, obtaining approval from the council, sourcing and appointing contractors and site management.

By: Jere Botes

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Architecture became an organized profession by mid-nineteenth century. In the year 1837, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) was established. This was formed in order to improve the art and science of architecture in Britain. Furthermore, it was established in order to highlight the effects of architecture in the towns and cities. Twenty years after, The American Institute of Architects was also founded following the examples of the British. The Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris was the main influence in both the American and European architectural education. Established during the 17th century, this French academy preferred the study of ancient Greek and Roman Architecture. Students from this academy were encouraged to create building projects in sophisticated two-dimensional watercolor renderings. All of which were in symmetrical designs. The Americans in many of their architectural schools adopted the same method. This style led to the Beaux-Arts Classicism. This architectural style was widely applied in all of America including such buildings as the New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal.

The turn-of-the-last-century architects were mostly showmen, much like today’s pop stars. They made it a point to pay careful attention to the designs and location of their offices. Additionally, they dressed according to styles of their creation. Architect Henry Hobson Richardson was a good example whose studio resembled an artist’s atelier. Richardson wore a monk’s robe and made the visitors feel like pilgrims entering his exotic retreat. Modern architects like Frank Lloyd Wright also created their own artsy style. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was known to wear capes and pork-pie hats. Architect Louis Kahn was always seen sporting bow ties. Architect Le Corbusier always wore his owlish round glasses, a style that was later adopted by architect Philip Johnson. Today, the same image-building strategies are still evident in most architectural practice. Most successful architects are first-rate marketers and business people themselves aside from being artistic and creative.

How does one get to be an architect? In the United States, each state requires a person to get a license or proper registration to practice architecture. The requirements for acquiring an architect license include the following:

1. A professional degree in architecture

2. A practical training called an internship, comprising a certain amount of period

3. A passing grade on a test administered by the state

4. An examination called the architect registration examination.

If you want to be an architect, you can choose from several types of professional degrees in architecture. There is a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree. This type of degree is especially designed for students entering the program directly from high school or those who do not have any prior architecture training. There is also a 2-year Master of Architecture degree. This type of degree is intended for students who already gained an undergraduate degree in architecture. There are also some universities that offer 3 or 4 year Master of Architecture program. This usually caters to students who already finished a previous course other than architecture.

Finally, architecture is man’s world. Recent studies show that only about 13 percent of all registered architects are women. Only about 9 percent of these women head their own architectural firms. However, even if you are a woman, this should not deter you from becoming an architect. This is an exciting and challenging field that any woman who loves architecture should try their hands in. Accept the challenge, be an architect now.

By: Michael Russell

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Working with outstanding Phoenix real estate agents is one of the best ways to find the perfect Phoenix homes that will best meet you and your family’s needs. Once a Phoenix realtor understands the type of property you wish to purchase, he or she will apply that criteria when searching every Phoenix real estate listing until the best property matches are found, thus saving you time and money. As you begin settling in, you will have ample opportunities to explore this beautiful city. Phoenix is home to several prominent architects whose talent is on display in remarkable buildings in Phoenix that they have designed.

Phoenix-based Gould Evans Associates, LC + Wendell Burnett Architects were honored with the 2007 American Institute Honor Awards for Architecture for their design of the Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center owned by the City of Phoenix. The connection of the mind and body was used as a design theme that features two equally sized “volumes,” which are lit at the bottom and top, so you can see the activity going on inside from the outside. The library is housed in one side, and the gymnasium in the other. Care was taken to incorporate “green” building products, including floor tile made from recycled tires and cork, while walls were made from oriented strand board made from recycled wood. Formaldehyde-free insulation was also used.

The award-winning Phoenix architectural firm of richard + bauer Architecture was the design organization that created the Meinel Optical Science Research Building for the University of Arizona in Tuscon. Principals James Richard, Kelly Bauer, and Stephen Kennedy’s building features a concrete wall that is covered with red-bronze copper treatment to relate in tone to bricks used on the campus. To give the feeling of a darkroom, openings allow light into the building, and the light plays off the rooms within. For their work on this important building, richard + bauer Architecture were also awarded the 2007 American Institute of Architects Honor Award.

There still occasionally come on the Phoenix market vintage homes designed by Ralph Haver. Haver was a prominent Phoenix architect in the 1950s who made his mark in contemporary-styled single-family homes. His designs often feature window walls, clerestories, beam ceilings, carports rather than garages and a low pitch to the front facing gable roof style.

Probably the most famous architect in American history has his foundation in Scottsdale, and that is Frank Lloyd Wright. Known for organic architecture that allows the building to fit into the context that the land itself provides, Taliesin West in Scottsdale is where Wright had his home, his studio, and was the site of his architectural school. Archives of Wright’s work are housed at the Foundation as well.

So many amazing architects have been, and continue to be, inspired by what Phoenix and the surrounding countryside has to offer. The buildings and Phoenix AZ homes for sale reflect that splendor.

By: Wayne Hemrick

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