It was what I did not see, that created the opportunities. A hotel refurbishment that I worked on, Mansards in Mayfair, afforded technical and site-based experience, but it is only in looking back that I understand the decisions that were made to create that environment for learning.
Here in the UK, a Design and Build procurement route involves a Contractor taking on a building project without a completed technical design in place. The Contractor inherits the responsibility for this and the construction. Being appointed as this Contractor’s Architect gives us direct insight into how the building is to be built.
The building’s owner (the Client) will typically have procured a design sufficient for tender purposes, often with the help of a consultant team. Part of the contract negotiations often include novation agreements, meaning that certain consultants who have until now worked for the Client, now work with the Contractor in the latter phases of the project. This did not happen at Mansards.
The client can retain a portion of the original team in a scrutineer role. No client technical team was retained at Mansards, only an agent to administer the Contract.
We, the Architect, were appointed by the Contractor, not the Client. There was a schedule outlining the Client’s requirements produced by their previous design team. Our work for the Contractor started with a series of technical reviews to identify and discuss items requiring further attention. From there we coordinated the design, all the while informing the Contractor of any necessary alterations as works began and then progressed on site.
We were there to critique but also adhere to the brief and deliver its contents in accordance with statutory guidance and regulations. All the while we had to be mindful that our employer, the Contractor, had a budget and a scope of works that had to be closely adhered to. Any change to cost or time needed, and variations to the contract were sought.
Our services with the Contractor continued right up to Practical Completion of the works, the time at which the building is sufficiently completed for the Client to take possession and the the Contractor to step back. Working for the Contractor can be intimidating, as they place a lot of responsibility on you to deliver for them. It is a spirited environment that when managed well can deliver for all parties.
“To build any building requires knowledge, care and coordination. Architects of all ages and specialisms would be minded to remember that our schemes do not deliver on their vision until they are completed. As the old adage goes, “Anyone can start a building, but it takes something different to finish one.””
The situation we found ourselves in at Mansards was not a route - or revenue stream - much talked about in Architecture circles in my younger years. I would maintain it is an area where Architects can and do deliver quality and value. Reduced influence over the design can hold some Architects back from this type of work. But without an understanding of the build, how can we claim to know what works? To this day I am more than happy to find myself in the ever-expanding role of ‘Builder’s Architect’, whenever and wherever that may occur.
You don’t have to do it forever, but it will introduce you to the people who procure, plan and construct your designs. Understanding their business a little better, helps not only them but those that occupy the buildings you have a hand in delivering. Give it a go, for the building’s sake.