Design is not just about the appearance of a building, but involves the consideration of many vital aspects to achieve a successful outcome for the completed product.
The residential client, for instance, will have very personal needs, financial requirements such as the budget and cashflow, the growth of the family and associated changes over the years, and often quite defined aesthetic concepts. As an Architect I have the skill to incorporate all of these aspects in the development of the design.
A commercial client, whether for a shopping centre development, an office building, or a pathology clinic, needs buildings for special functional requirements; as a result I will research the client’s operations in the proposed buildings, including time and motion studies, safety provisions, delivery, production and dispatch coordination, special fire or security protection, and operating costs.

Feasibility Studies are one of the most important precursors to a successful business, and should be part of the business plan. An Architect can not only help clients to procure the most economical structure for the their specific purpose, but assist them with the analyses that can determine the financial feasibility of the development before it is started. Such analyses can include the study of capital requirements, cashflow, annual returns, and life cycle analyses of the buildings from construction to ultimate demolition. They can help to analyse difficulties created by unusual site conditions. They can include environmental considerations for the purpose of reducing heating and air conditioning costs, electricity or other energy source consumption.

Innovation means that a design will be unique. This is not for the sake of being unique, but the inclusion of the latest ideas in the client’s business philosophy or the home owners lifestyle ideals.
An office building or a factory designed for the modern management techniques of today will be very different in layout and indeed size to an equivalent building only ten years ago.
 
I attend seminars to keep up to date with a wide range of subjects, to be able to speak to clients in their own language, and to understand their needs.
 
The Environment  has become central to the policies and strategies of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, and its members are training themselves in the design of ecologically sustainable buildings. Construction of buildings has consumed vast amounts of energy, both in the manufacture of materials, and in the use of buildings. Architects are now in the forefront of designing houses and commercial or institutional buildings that minimise the total embodied and operating energy. Even in existing buildings energy audits can be carried out to facilitate the redesign of lighting, shading, heating and cooling, which can result in considerable running cost savings as well as help reduce green house emissions.

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