As we are a national ‘Architectural Services’ company, we thought it necessary to explain to our prospective clients the difference between an Architectural Services firm and a fully fledged ‘Architect’. (Including why you would employ each…)

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Why aren’t companies like ArkiPlan.co.uk called ‘Architects?
To legally call yourself an Architect you must have carried out a long and demanding period of study and gained sufficient working experience in such a role. To regulate this the governing body is called the Architects Registration Board (or ARB for short) and an Architect must have registered and been accepted with them to use the title.

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An Architect is normally a person with very good managerial skills, good business acumen, design flare and project management. A common misconception is that Architects spend all their day drawing. In the majority of medium-to-large sized Architect’s practices, the drawing and submission work will normally be done by an Architectural Technician (ie. A trained professional who is an expert in the use of CAD software, technical design, The Building Regulations and the Planning process). An Architect is more likely to be managing his practice, managing build projects, performing surveys, visiting clients, checking work, going to meetings and generally organising the whole build process.
99% of the time, if you spot a company using the title “Architectural Services, Architectural Drafting, House Design etc. they will be run by an Architectural Technician, Structural Engineer, Builder or someone else  who has the relevant knowledge to design buildings and offer good advice but does not have the necessary proven credentials to use the title ‘Architect’ (which requires notorious professional dedication to achieve).

Note – This does NOT mean an Architectural Services company are any less reliable or in-experienced. They have simply followed a different career path into Building Design and have not registered with the ARB.

ArkiPlan.co.uk are not called ‘Architects’ because…well…. we are not Architects. We usually call ourselves “Architectural Drafting & Local Authority Submissions” but we would definitely fall into the Architectural Services category. We do not get involved in your contractual issues, we do not get involved on site and we do not impart design ideas at the start. We don’t even visit our clients.

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Why would I use an Architectural Services company?
Firstly, if you are building on a tight budget, you may like to carry out as much work as possible on your own. For example, you may not want to pay someone to manage your project on site, write up contracts or put your job out to tender for a builder. An Architectural Services company will be perfectly capable of producing your drawings and getting you the relevant council permissions (normally) at a much cheaper rate than a registered Architect. You can then use the extension plans and Building Regulations specification to get quotes from a builder and manage the whole process yourself, thus saving potentially thousands of pounds. If you have a domestic building project that you wish to organise yourself and want to get all your drawings and council permissions on a budget, employ an Architectural Technician!

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Why would I use an Architect?
An Architect would be especially useful on larger projects where past experience, time management and budget management are crucial. Architects will also be able to plan any demolition work effectively if required. As projects get larger, contractual arrangements become increasingly important and an Architect is very useful in handling these parts of the build process. An Architect will also be useful if you are working on a listed building and are required to conserve certain elements. Any project that requires beautiful craftsmanship and intelligent design to enhance an existing building would best be suited to either an Architect or a professional with years of proven experience and an impressive catalogue of past projects. If your project is of medium-to-large size,  poses complicated design issues or you simply want to just sit back and watch your new building being built, employ an Architect!

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ArkiPlan.co.uk were not formed to replace Architects. We are simply here to fill a niche area in the construction industry where the skills of a fully-fledged Architect are just not necessary. Architects are used to working on suitable projects where their skills are used effectively. Unfortunately, this normally means that if one is employed on a simple domestic project, their fees can seem very expensive. ArkiPlan.co.uk are here to provide high quality Architectural drawings at a fair price and submit them to your local council on your behalf. Site surveys are normally expensive so we do not do these either. All our drawings are produced from your sketches and photographs to keep costs down.

If you have any questions regarding our ‘Architectural Services’ status, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

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Until next time,

ArkiPlan.co.uk

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