How to Ensure a Good Design is Executed for low cost Projects?

At times Architectural Designs are made but never executed to the Architect’s Imagination or as depicted in the Architectural Renders. And this is common among small projects without proper Structure during execution.

Traditionally for a design to be executed as Designed or imagined by the Architect, a typical Structure of Construction must be formed including; The Project Manager, The Architect, The Structural Engineer, The Quantity Surveyor, The Construction Manager and Contractor. With all these parties must work hand in Hand from the Design to Completion of the project. But traditionally this is the best but quite expensive since you have to pay all these professionals.

For a Client who cannot afford Paying all those professionals, A lot of learning and understanding will have to be put at work here. This Is good for those who have no construction knowledge but want to indulge in the Real Estate Industry of Construction for Sale, Letting or Residence. (Basically everyone else without Architectural In-depth Knowledge.) The Client will need at least a good Architect and get involved in the in-detail design and understand the integration of design form factors as listed Below;

1. Flow of the floor Plan. Typically, in Architecture, this involves functional diagrams and in-depth study of movement and space functionality with in the building. (Explained in my Article about Planning Spaces and Transition with in Buildings.) In order to ensure good design habits, they have to be developed right from the start and the client’s sincere interest in the structure will have to be grown right from the beginning. This will involve the Architect engaging the client in sketching their perspective of how they want to move from room to room and advise on the comfort and space interaction.

2. Positioning of the Plumbing fittings. Residential House Washrooms are crucial in determining the habitability of an Architectural piece. Typically, its advised to Have your Wash Hand Basin Directly right after you open the door to the Washroom and then the WC and Shower. But these have occasionally been altered depending on the location of the Toilet doors and size of the Washrooms. This is important information to know because of how common traditional plumbers place fittings in absence of the Architect or Housing M&E Engineers. This should be known such that in their absence, the client has prior knowledge to their positioning.

3. Proportionality of the Windows to the Room Sizes. Windows and Doors are very crucial too in the habitability of a structure which involves your utility bills too. Traditionally the Ratio of window size to Floor Area is________; this helps attain enough light in spaces in-order to keep lights off for an extensive time and have no need for AC or other cooling mechanisms. Luckily the direction in which Residential Architecture is heading partly solves this problem. Residential Architecture is becoming Modern Contemporary which involves Large Doors and Windows for Proper lighting and Air Circulation.

4. Cantilever Supports. Cantilevers come in many styles and in most cases provide beauty for the structure. Cantilevers should be embraced onto modern structures. Clients with the help of Architects and Advice from Structural Engineers should understand the purpose and integration of cantilevers on the structure and where they are needed.

5. Flow of the Aesthetic Blocks. Understanding the design concept and how the aesthetic components are running, put together, textured and painted. For and in-depth explanation of this refer to my article on Flow of the Aesthetic Blocks in Modern Square Designs. It explains how Squares and rectangles are easy to construct and reduce cost of the project.

6. Design Patterns. For a House to look nice, a design concept must be followed through to all elements of the building from the Floor Plan, Walling, Door and Window burglar, Railing and screens on the house. For the client to ensure these happen in the absence of the Architect, they must have prior knowledge of the concept and suggest the design to be used themselves.

7. Type of Materials to be used. Understanding the material types, price and sources of the materials available around the site location. In the modern day construction, Hollow concrete blocks are the way to go since you save on Cement-Sand Mortar used and also at the finishing/ Plaster level. The Client being the overall seer of the project should also know how to use the different materials.

They will have to understand all this to the last detail such that they may understand how the structure works since the time of the Architect on the project will be limited and construction will have to move fast in order not to escalate the cost of the project, (That’s it! That’s the trick there)