Architect's input before land purchase can save money

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It is widely recognized that an architect plays a key role in translating a client's specific project requirements into a constructed solution. In most project scenarios, a client consults an architect stating he has a certain project he would like designed for a property he just purchased.|ret||ret||tab|

What often happens next is the architect gets the dubious job of informing the client that the property he just purchased and is so excited about, is not quite large enough for the proposed structure and everything else which must be accommodated. |ret||ret||tab|

Accommodations can include zoning or property restrictions, building or property setbacks, and utility easements. They also can include project-specific requirements such as minimum parking requirements for the proposed use and size of the facility, trash enclosures and site signage.|ret||ret||tab|

Failure to properly plan for these items can delay a project for weeks or months. It might also leave the client scrambling to find another, more suitable piece of property. Situations like these can be expensive lessons for some clients. For others, it may just be embarrassing. The results can be just as devastating if too much property is purchased. |ret||ret||tab|

These hard lessons, and many others, can be avoided by bringing the architect in at the earliest stages of the project's development. Through a process called programming or pre-design services, an architect can establish the internal or external functions and determine an approximate square footage for a proposed structure. With this information in hand, other aspects of the project can be projected. |ret||ret||tab|

The building's size and its use will determine minimum parking requirements. Next add sidewalks, drive-in or teller lanes, patio, trash enclosures and other impervious surfaces. Then add the minimum impervious landscaped area required in most zoning districts. Is on-site water detention required? The list of project requirements is lengthy but can be reasonably estimated by a qualified architect.|ret||ret||tab|

Once the pre-planning is complete, it is time to go shopping for property. This, too, is a critical time to keep the architect involved. Although the client knows, from pre-planning with the architect, the approximate size of property needed, he or she may not realize the effect that location, configuration and specific site features can have on the purchase decision. |ret||ret||tab|

More area may be required if the site is long and narrow, or irregularly shaped. The importance of such considerations can be magnified if the proposed structure is a bank or a restaurant with a drive-through window. Traffic flow efficiency can make or break these types of businesses.|ret||ret||tab|

Once the client has narrowed the field of choices to two or three sites, the architect can quickly and inexpensively sketch a proposed site layout. This is an invaluable visual tool for the client in determining the best property value. The few hundred dollars of time invested can save thousands of dollars in property costs or project delays.|ret||ret||tab|

Just as often as some of the aforementioned project challenges occur, it is discovered that too much land was purchased for a project. If there is no future intent for the owner to expand, the result is an underutilized asset. This can be financially devastating for some projects or force a client to reduce the quality or scope of the proposed building in order to meet an overall project budget. This is an unnecessary sacrifice.|ret||ret||tab|

Utilizing the same planning tools, the architect may discover the property most desired by the client is one-quarter to one-half acre larger than needed to fit the requirements outlined in the programming process. This extra 10,000 to 20,000 square feet can translate into as much as $300,000 in additional project costs. This money may be better spent on increased building quality or as seed money for the next facility location.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Daniel E. Scott, AIA, MBA, is a principal in Design Agency LLC in Springfield.)|ret||ret||tab|

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