SLR in Boston Business Journal

Draw on talent: Architects always looking for work By Keith Regan

The slowing economy and even slower building market means it is a buyer's market for people needing architects today. Would-be clients may find larger firms more likely to bid on smaller projects and might find architects more responsive than when work was plentiful.
"There is still work out there but architects have to be prepared to work a little harder to find it and get it," said Stephen L. Reilly, founder and principal of SLR Architecture in Newton. "Good architects will go the extra mile for a client in all times, but that's especially true now."
Architects are increasingly the key and often the first members of a collaborative team of professionals that includes builders and subcontractors and as such, must be equally adept at communication, planning, coordinating and listening as they are at drawing.
"You have to have clear communication at the beginning of a project, in the middle and at the end," said Michael MacPhail, an assistant professor of architecture at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. "It's essential the client and architect have a clear understanding of expectations and the ability to work together throughout a project."
MacPhail, who is also a principal and co-founder of Arlington design studio dEmios, said an in-depth in-terview should reveal plenty about an architect, including whether his or her portfolio has projects similar to the one being considered as well as how they operate before and during a project.
"They should be able to lay out a timeline for what's going to happen and how long it's going to take and ask a lot of questions about what an owner is looking for," he said. "A client should feel the architect understands what they want because they're the ones who will carry the vision forward."
Specific experience with project types of special considerations can save time and money, MacPhail said. For in-stance, an owner who wants a green or sustainable building who hires an architect without experience in that field or without Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation may end up paying the architect to learn the ropes or navigate the specialty on that job.
"Construction is a messy business," Reilly said. "If there are holes in the drawings or things missing it can re-ally add a lot of time and money down the road. That's why you want some-one who has experience with the specific type of project you're doing. They'll know the pitfalls and the opportunities that will come up before a project begins and especially once the building starts."
The goals for both architect and client in any selection process is to lay the foundation for a successful profes-sional marriage, said George Metzger, a principal at HMFH Architects in Cam-bridge and a former president of the Boston Society of Architects (BSA).
That means clients must first take the time to understand what the architects they're seeking need to exhibit in terms of experiences, accreditations, skills and personalities.
Metzger recommends gathering a list of architects from sources such as the BSA or colleague recommendations and then windowing that to a small number with the right experiences and portfolios. Architects can sense when a client has done his or her homework or if the client is on a "fishing expedition."
"If you have done a good job defining the project and making a shortlist, the short-listed firms will reciprocate with a serious effort to help you make the right selection," Metzger said.

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