Expectations Of You
We spoke with an architect and an interior designer and asked them to say what was essential, what was desirable and what to avoid in the client relationship from their viewpoint.
'It is essential from the outset [for the architect] to work with the client to determine their vision for the project. This in reality usually means working with a core group of decision makers within the client organization who each know their defined roles and responsibilities. The need for a well thought through business case and brief is very important and cannot be overestimated. These need to be refined by regular dialogue both informally and in formal meetings. It is important to have a sense of urgency - in order to maintain project momentum. Realistic funding particularly if the brief is ambitious is vital. We don't do miracles!'
'It is clearly desirable in projects in universities and colleges for the architect to have access to all key stakeholders and to have a continuing relationship with the same client representatives throughout the course of the project.'
'The nightmare things to avoid are unrealistically short timescales as design will be compromised by this and mistakes can be costly. Also to be avoided are a badly defined brief as this leads to time inefficiency and frustration on all sides, and bureaucracy should be minimised at all costs as it gets in the way of progress.'
'It is desirable to have one point of contact with someone within the client organisation. Often the best designs are those where many people have contributed - so many inputs into the design is fine, but too many people with 'sign off' responsibility in the client organisation inevitably leads to disagreements, confusion and delays.'
'Regular meetings are also desirable say fortnightly or weekly meetings with clients and user groups will strengthen the project and help to avoid any details being missed. Regular design meetings are also a way of ensuring that everyone feels that they have a voice. In addition to the meetings the 'single point of contact' in the client organisation needs to be readily accessible. Particularly on large projects the designer needs to be able to talk with the client on an almost daily basis. Of course email makes this process a little easier, but it is important that the designer can contact the client by telephone or face-to-face as often as possible.'
'Over management should be avoided at all costs. Sometimes clients can become too involved. Too much management can lead to misinformation and mistakes are often made. Fear is another thing to avoid - but then we covered that under courage above!'
RIBA's View On Clients
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) runs an annual competition to find the best 50 clients. These are chosen from submissions by architects. So what are the key characteristics of a good client in RIBA's view?
Characteristics include 'being prepared to take calculated risks - with location, with architects, with buildings, [and] with style.'
In the 2005 list of 50 there are only 5 educational organisations - 'The education sector remains a poor relation, despite its huge building programme..Never mind schools: why aren't universities more interesting?' - is the comment from RIBA in their journal article 'Who dares wins'54. A further telling comment on what a good client is, that reflected badly in some of the judgements of the universities included in the top 50 list, concerns the link between the project and its environment or community: 'Everyone [the judges in the competition] agreed on one thing. The best clients have a catalytic role that reaches far beyond the individual buildings'. This aspiration for buildings to contribute to and improve the wider community is an important point to consider in your planning as Richard Florida in his discussion of the concept of 'quality of place' says about universities:
Richard Florida, Rise of the Creative Class1
As educationalists we all know that our organisations have an important role in societal improvement, but rarely do we think about this in the context of our building plans. However what we build, where we build it and what it looks like can have important consequences for who it attracts to the institution and, more importantly, what it says about us to those we wish to attract in the future as they pass by our campuses.
