Hiring an

WHEN YOU are hiring an architect for the first time,
you’ll probably have several questions.

Here are some of the most
common:

How do I select an archiiect?

To find an architect who meets
your needs you could ask someone
you know who has worked with’
an architect in the past.

You could find out who the ar-
chitect was for a building you
admire — plans on file at your
municipal hall will identify the ar-
chitect for the project.

discussed

THE WORK of Coop Him-
mielbiau will be discussed in a free
Alcan Lecture on Architecture at
6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at the
Robson Equare Conference Cen-
tre.

- Fhe Viennese partnership of
Coop Himmelblau -- Wolf Prix
and Helmut Swiczinsky -~—— is
reponsible for some cf the most
,daring, profound and truly origi-
nal erchitecture of the past de-
cade,

Defying gravity, the architecture
of Coop Himmelbiau often bases
itself -on  bicrcorphic and = an-.
thropomorphic images to create
jagged, sharp, erratic, and soaring
forms.

Having been catapulted into in-
ternational ‘‘stardom” with the
emergence of Decorsiructivism as
the most prominent trend in ar-
chitecture, Coop Himmelblau are
perhaps better understood as
post-industrial expressionists.

Design, according to Wall Prix,

Another opticn is to inteview
several architects, assess their
work, and compare their ability to

‘communicate with you.

Whiat does an architect charge?

Architectural fees are structured
on either an hourly basis, a per-
centage of the cost of construc-
tion, or as a negotiated lump sum.
Recommended guidelines are
available from ithe Architectural
Institute of British Columbia.

Hourly fees can ary with
higher amounts charged for the
principal of a firm and less for
junior and intermediate staff.

A typical fee for start-to-finish
architectural services for a new
house is usuaily about 10% of the
total cost. The percentage of total
cost represented by the fee may be
higher for renovation work, where
a specific budget cost can be iden-
tified.

With a smaller overall budget, a
higher percentage fee is necessary
to cover the services involved.

Payment by lump sum is
becoming less prevalent due to
uncertainties in the construction
climate. However, when a project
is well-defined and the architect’s
experience includes a similar pro-
ject, it may be possible to negoti-
ate a fixed-fee amount.

A retainer is customarily paid
before any architectural work is
initiated. It may be a predeter-
mined fixed amount of a percent-
age of the total estimated or
agreed fee,

A written agreement is recom-

the North Shore News - 54

Hn

architect is an important step

mended at all times.

How long does it take to design
3 project?

Design time is affected by the
size and complexity of the project.

it is not unusual for the design
process to take two or three
months and preparation cf the
construction documents is equally
time-consuming.

During this period critical deci-
sions are made that will affect the
overall success of your project.
Don’t expect everything to happen
overnight!

Building codes, by-laws,

zoning restrictions, design guide-

lines, special permits. i's pretty

confusing isn't it?

Architects deal with these

complicated issues every day, for

people just like you. People who

need someone to care about their

project and belp them through city

is the “concentrated expression of . .
feeling ad thought.” The ar- hali. Someone to be involved with
chitecture is an aliempt to give
permanent form to a vision of ur-
ban chaos.

As a case in point, Him-

all the requirements of planners,
meldlan’s 1985 Attic Conversion
i

engineers, and inspectors...or to

resembles a skeletal winged organ- present their special situation to
ism that has landed on the roof of
a traditional Viennese building,
contradicting the stable form that
houses it.

Coop Himmeldlau’s work has
been published extensively in re-
cent years in architectural journals
as well as in the numerous
publications cn Deconstruction.

in 1990 their as-yei-unbuilt 1983
Open House won a Progressive
Architecture Design Award.

Wolfgang Prix was born in
Vienna in 1942. Formed in the
late °60s, Coop Himmelblau has
always been rebellious and maver-
ick, pushing the limits of architec-
tural expression,

Known for the zabuilt designs
as well 2s their buildings, their
early work included staged ‘‘hap-
penings’’ and sculptures as well as
more traditional modes of design,
Coop Himmelblau has offices in
Visana and Los Angelis.

municipal commitiees and boards.
Architects have the education,
skills, and experience to deal
with these procedures. So before
your project gets complicated, ask
an architect...to be your friend

at city ball.

To contact an arcbitedt tha will best under:
stand your requirements, caihor write:
Architectiral brstinde of British Coltonbia
1043-131 Water SLVanucourer, BONOB AMS
Phone 683-8