Designing a Custom Fit
Architects Adjust to Changing Needs of Clients

by Dave Brumbaugh

 

It takes three thermometers to determine the economic temperature of local architects: the residential one has been warm, if not borderline feverish; the commercial one dropped a few degrees but is rising; and the public sector hovers around 98.6.

While revenue is important, it’s not the only issue on the plate of architects. They’re finding new ways of improving communication with other participants on construction projects; incorporating energy efficient and Internet-friendly technology into homes and buildings; and educating clients about using materials that won’t leave them with a “sick” structure.

 

Housing boom

An extended period of low and stable mortgage rates, combined with Whatcom County’s population growth, has led to increased demand for custom-designed homes that fit the needs of their owners.

“We’re doing more residential projects than ever before,” says Michael Smith, a principal at Zervas Group Architects in Bellingham. “I think people are beginning to realize the value an architect can bring to any project.”

Although residential design accounts for less than one-third of business at Ross McClure Cornwell Architects in Bellingham, partner Jeff McClure says it has been strong for months while commercial projects slumped in last year’s fourth quarter and early this year.

A key component of housing designs now is a home office, complete with necessary wiring for high-speed Internet access, a second telephone line, extra outlets for computer equipment and appropriate lighting.

“Every residential project I’m working on has a home office,” states David Christensen of Christensen Design Management in Bellingham.

Smith agrees that most people want home offices.

“There’s just so much telecommuting going on ... They can be just as effective working at home,” he remarks.

However, commercial projects are the primary revenue producers for Zervas Group and Ross McClure Cornwell, the two largest architectural firms in Whatcom County. Both firms reported declines in this sector in the fourth quarter of last year but signs of improvement early this year.

“I think people just wanted to let things settle out economically,” McClure comments. “I don’t think it’s going to be a real strong runup but I see steady growth ahead.”

Smith believes commercial construction could spike sharply upward if the value of the Canadian dollar could rise from its current level of 60-65 cents to 80 cents.

“This is a market that could explode,” he reports.

The public sector (schools and government facilities) is important for Stewart+King Architects of Bellingham, which also handles commercial and resident projects. Stewart+King works with many of the county’s school districts, preparing a study every five years that reviews how their facilities are meeting the needs of the district’s educational programs, as well as projected student enrollment.

“We’re trying to make buildings flexible enough to be adaptable,” says partner John Stewart, who adds that the firm has experienced steady growth the last 10 years.

Stewart+King currently works with the Blaine School District on upgrades and expansion of its buildings. Facilities 20-30 years old often need improved security measures, such as locks and lighting; more and/or better fire sprinklers; improved accessibility to meet standards of the federal American with Disabilities Act; and programming management systems that enable more control and better efficiency of heating and lighting.

 

Looking at the big picture

While the stereotypical architect is seen as creating intricate drawings for contractors to follow, Christensen has developed a niche by creating charettes, a rough sketch and outline of a project.

The process of charette design brings together many parties who have an interest in a project and invites them to express their goals, needs and concerns during a day or several days. For example, a meeting about a commercial building may include the property owner, employees or tenants who would work in the structure, the real-estate agent and a representative of a neighborhood association. The participants then strive to produce a creative and realistic proposal.

The architect contributes ideas and facilitates the discussion, then brings back the charette the next day for a presentation of the plan and revisions.

“Everybody does these microplans and nobody does master plans that look at the big picture,” Christensen remarks.

The primary advantages of charettes are: 1) their collaborative process and 2) they are quick and inexpensive to produce in comparison with a complete architectural design. Christensen says he usually partners with a larger firm such as Zervas Group and Ross McClure Cornwell on major projects.

Charette design is popular in the public sector and in community planning and is gaining some acceptance among corporate clients, according to Christensen. He began preparing them in 1989 with one for Bellingham-based Trillium Corp.

 

Trends and challenges

Economic and environmental concerns have led to changes for architects.

• Several reported that commercial clients have been moving away from awarding contracts to the lowest bidder, instead favoring negotiated contracts. Also, communication has risen among the builder, architect and engineers of a project from start to finish in an effort to reduce expensive change orders and improve construction quality.

• The materials used to construct buildings have attracted much more attention as stories spread about employees becoming sick from working in some buildings.

“Indoor air quality is a huge concern,” Smith says. “We have all the tools to research the materials that go into a finished product.”

“The biggest claims against contractors now are mold,” remarks Christensen, who adds that he and others recommend against crawl spaces underneath the ground floor of a house.

• McClure says the process of getting something built, including meeting codes and obtaining permits, is becoming increasingly complex. He particularly notes that increasingly stringent standards for groundwater runoff and retention have made it more viable to look at alternative paving treatments. A pervious pavement can reduce the size and expense of a retention pond or an underground vault.

• Christensen and McClure also report that mixed-use buildings that include residential units and space for retail and/or office tenants are gaining popularity in downtowns across the country as well as in Bellingham. One is under construction now at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Holly Street and McClure is a partner in another such project planned for another corner of that intersection.

• Three years ago, Zervas Group joined architectural firms that create a secure area on their Web site so participants in a project can have immediate access to data, drawings and messages.