ARCHITECTURE MARKETING SKILLS

ASSIGNMENT -6

Q1.What is the role of available technicians & contractors in shaping architectural

services for the Client ?
➢ While architects are responsible for coming up with initial concepts and designs,
architectural technologists are more concerned with the technical side of
construction. They work closely with architects and other building professionals to
resolve any potential design problems before construction starts.
• Work activities can vary depending on the project, but typical duties can
include:
- selecting the best materials and processes for the project.
- surveying sites and identifying location benefits.
- carrying out feasibility studies and risk assessments.
- assessing environmental impacts and identifying legal issues.
- analysing architectural plans and drawings, highlighting any
possible risks or problems and making amendments using
computer-aided design applications (CAD).
- specifying the appropriate technology and tools to be used in the
project and advising where this requires deviation from the initial
design plans.
- liaising with the architect, surveyors and other construction
professionals, sometimes managing the design project team.
- preparing documents to help with getting planning permission and
similar approvals.
- visiting sites to check progress and inspect work.
➢ Architect is a "client’s consultant" whose role is to provide design services and assist
the client in securing from the contractor a project that is generally in conformity with
the architect’s design concept and specifications.
➢ Contractors, not the architect, are responsible for building a project. Architects
assume responsibility for issues that are under their control, and within reason. For
example, architects cannot control contractor activity on the site and cannot be
held responsible for jobsite safety or contractor or material delivery schedules.

Q2.What if Client refuses to give the fees for the Architectural Services that has
already been delivered ?
➢ Steps that are to be followed when the client refuses to give the fees for architectural
services that have already been delivered, are as follows-
1.Research the client-
Before doing anything else, the company suffering from this situation must research
about the background of the client. They could Google their name, ask their contacts if
they know anything about their new prospect, and look if there are any similar
complaints against them on those sites.

2.Discuss before signing the contract-

At the end of all the sweet and polite conversations with the clients, this is all a business
deal. It's crucial for any company to discuss all the cost and the expected payment
dates with the client and must mention all the payment conditions while signing the
contract. Business is all about written proof. The company should say all the details
regarding everything, even small ones too.
3.Send invoices right away-
With so many tasks on the plate as a business owner, it can be easy to lose track of a
customer invoice. They may even to forget to send one in the first place, and going after
a client for payment on a bill the person never sent will only hurt the reputation. It is
advised sending an invoice as soon as a job is completed and staying on top of it until
it's closed out to avoid falling behind.
4.Send project completion summary from time to time-
The manager or the person dealing with the clients on the upper management level
must send project completion summary from time to time. This vigilance in work will
remind the client that the company is keeping their promises and also this will act as a
document of proof that the work was delivered on time.
5.Invoice follow-ups-
The company must immediately follow up the invoice if they don't get any response
from the clients soon.
6.Document everything-
Everything discussed with the client must be drafted in an email. Any conversation
happened in any other platform should not be considered.
7.Ask politely first-
Questions related to payment must be asked in a friendly manner first. Nobody should
use any harsh or rude words. It can hurt the feelings of the client. Even they are a little
late there could be a reason behind it, specifically in a case where the relationship
between the client and the company is old. Communicating regarding the late
payment could help to solve the issue.
8.Charge Late Fees-
Every business is always ought to charge late fees for unpaid invoices. It needs to set up
a fee structure for defaults in payment that can be used on every client, ideally as a
written policy in the contract invoices. Such a step should be taken early, within 10 or 15
days after an invoice goes unpaid. The company can send a message beforehand that
because the invoice has gone unpaid for so long, add a late fee if it isn't paid within 48
hours, or something similar. These late fees have to be continuously tracked if the clients
still haven't paid after a reminder.
9.Stop Working Further-
Even after multiple follow-ups, if there is no response from the clients' side, the company
should stop working on their projects. Withdrawal of working terms, in such case, is
necessary to avoid further payment defaults and capital imbalance.
10.Take legal action-
Having covered any or every step aforesaid, if the client is still in denial of payment, it's
time to take some legal action against them. Putting the matters into the discretion of a
judiciary authority is the ultimate option to excavate money from flaky clients.

Q3.What if Client doesn’t understand the proposed design ?

At times, the client doesn’t understand the design which is being proposed by the
architect. So, in order to tackle this situation, the architect needs to do-

1.Clear and honest communication:

Understand the issues client is facing, why he thinks the way he does. Ask specific
uestions to get to the roots of the client’s problems. Lack of understanding and partial
flow of information may cause some distortion and will force you to compromise. This
often leaves both sides unsatisfied and results in an average design.
Keep in mind that you have to respect your client’s opinion. You can’t just ignore his or
her feedback, even if you’re strongly against them.
You have to help your client understand your thought process and why certain decisions
should or should not be made. You should seek a common ground with your client
through similar past experiences.
2.Benchmarking:
Showing solutions created by the competition. Provide explanation why certain solutions
are good or bad, why they will work or not in your client’s case. To prove your point,
show your client a few real, live examples of these solutions. Try to demonstrate the
outcome of certain decisions and their impact on the rest of the project.
3.Co-operation:
Attempt to develop solution along with the client. Try to convince him that the solution is
his genius idea. Your goal is to make your client develop a strong bond with the project.
This way he will start taking responsibility for its final outcome.
4.Educate:
Educate your clients about the most recent solutions, design processes, element
arrangement, the way to acquire new users - how to move forward, not just keeping the
old user base satisfied (unless that’s one of the business goals). Show him the influence of
user’s experience and impression.
Build the trust with your client. Remind him that the final product is as much important to
you as it is for him.
Constantly provide him with clear updates on the project, the stage the development is
at, what will happen next etc. Solutions have to be presented as complete, logical and
rational - don’t base them on your intuition and emotions.
5.Hold your opinion:
Give concise arguments why you think your solution is better and more beneficial. Your
words should be a catalyst for making changes. They should influence another person to
agree with you.
It’s not about repeating your or your client’s points over and over again. A designer
should have a convincing and encouraging tone.
Consider spending some time learning how to create statements that will trigger a
certain, desired reaction. Your intentions have to be clear. As a designer, you have to
prove that the project and its certain elements are thought out, logical and did not
come from nowhere. Show your clients that they are there for a reason and that there
are certain goals behind them. You need to be self-confident and have something to
say. You’re the expert after all.
6.Be prepared:
Note every small detail about the basis of the project that was made from the very
beginning of the development process. It will help you defend the solutions by simply
showing where they came from, what were their origins, what may influence them and
what will be their result.

Q4.What if Client is not aware what’s best for him ?

There are cases where the client is unaware of what’s best for him. So, in order to tackle
this situation, the architect needs to-

1.Reframe their concerns to solve a problem:

Every client has an underlying reason they want a project done a certain way; maybe
they have a specific audience or goal in mind. Assure them you really are acting in the
best interests. Let them know that you were really listening during their proposal, you’ve
done some research of your own, and according to that research, your approach may
actually improve their desired results. If you really want to go the extra mile, have some
studies on hand that back it up.
2.Make sure to include them in the process:
You’re an expert in your field, but they’re also experts in their respective fields. If they
have certain colours they want to use or content they want to include, do your best to
incorporate what they want it in ways that work for you too. Again, if something they
suggest is just too far out there and you simply can’t make it work with the current
project, suggest another project or solution and help them understand why it won’t work
with the current design.
3.Use the right language for the right situation:
Telling your clients that they’re terrible people is a lot different than suggesting that a
design strategy may not work as well as they’d hoped. But it’s incredibly easy for
frustration to turn an innocent suggestion into an actual insult. Remember that words
can start wars as easily as they can solve problems, so choose your words carefully.

Q5.How Client’s age, sex, profession affects the architectural services ?

➢ AGE
Age plays a major role in providing services, it depends which age group you are
dealing with and how you have to approach that particular age group, an architect
has to design on the basis which age group will come in this space or which age
group the architect wants to target the most. For example, if an architect is
designing an old age home then he must keep in mind that what senior citizens will
like the most, open spaces, greenery, barrier free architecture and if the architect is
designing for kids then he/ she must use different colours, cartoons to make the
space interesting for the kids.
➢ SEX
Sex determines how male and female use the space both of them have different
approach for space and they utilize it in different ways for example the requirements
of a women in a house will be storage and the requirements of men will be comfort
after they are coming back from a long day from work, hence the definition of
space changes when we segregate them in terms of male and female.
➢ PROFESSION
Profession is one of the important and personal factors of designing a space, a
person’s profession speaks a lot about him/ her. By considering the profession
architect must design the space so that it compliments their work environment. For
example, if an architect is designing an office for engineers then he won’t give
graffiti walls in their office but rather go with minimalistic and professional approach
by using simple colour palette.

Q6.How do you identify that what Architectural service should be given to a Client ?
With varied experiences and unique knowledge, architects have the opportunity to
provide valuable services for clients in addition to the basics. While making sure we are
building a strong foundation by executing well on the basic services, additional services
will enable you to provide your clients with the perfect level of service.
➢ BASIC SERVICES
Basic services are what the architect needs to do for every design. These services are
considered basic, because an owner should expect each of these to be included in a
standard contract. Many of these services have been covered by us as Design Phases
so we are just providing a basic overview here. Basic services typically include the
following:
✓ Programming-
In programming, the scope of work to be designed is determined. No actual design is
being developed at this point. We will mainly ask our client questions to gain an
understanding of their problems, wants, and needs. This is also where the research and
decision-making process happens. This service is mainly a consulting job, but we should
have a list of the clients wants and needs by the end.
✓ Schematic Design-
Here the basic form of the building is developed. There will be a lot of sketching vs.
formal drawings. Generally, the floor plans, site plans and building elevations are
developed. This will give us a complete description of the building systems (structural,
mechanical, HVAC, plumbing and electrical), interior and exterior finishes and the
building site.
✓ Design Development-
After the basic idea, we begin to refine them. Specific materials in this phase and
evaluating them for beauty, durability, and price will be then looked after. This is when
our client will be selecting the materials for countertops or shower tile. We should have
the full design by now.
✓ Construction Documents-
During this phase we will be providing a product: two complete sets of drawings. The
construction documents will fill in all the details and include every element of the design.
✓ Construction Administration-
Construction Administration typically involves the architect acting as the owner’s
representative during construction. Size visits, materials testing, and inspections make
sure that the contractor is building as specified and isn’t cutting any corners.
These is some debate if this is considered a basic or additional service. More times than
not, architects will include this as part of their basic services. Owners should check with
the architect if they include this as a basic service. Architects should decide if they want
to include it or not. If the architect an owner selects doesn’t offer this as a basic service,
it is in the owner’s best interests to request it as an additional service. Most owners don’t
have the experience to be their own advocate during construction. An architect can
help guide and advise the owner to a successful project completion.
➢ ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Additional services are services that are not required to include under a basic contract.
The more additional services can be offered, the better we can assist our clients.
Additional services also have the benefit of being extra revenue.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the additional services might be provided, but
it does give a pretty good start on creating our list of additional services.
✓ Alternative Project Delivery Selection
✓ Record Drawings
✓ Sustainable Design
✓ Urban Design
✓ Project Management
✓ 3D Renderings
Q7.How to analyse that what amount of time should be taken by the firm to provide
the Architectural services to the client ?
➢ Every client is important, and what is more important is to respect the fact that
everyone is seeking for the best design and to achieve that firm should provide
proper time with everyone, though not every meeting or project requires the same
amount of time. The time frame may differ for various projects depending the
capacity of the client and the type of the project they want the firm or architect to
do.

Q8.What is the role of Client in shaping architectural services? What do you

understand by it?
➢ The client’s role is at the core of the architectural or interior design process. Everything
the architect does is to achieve the vision established with the client.
➢ The client knows they want a new building, a remodelled home, an interior
improvement, etc. But the client may not know exactly what their need entails or they
may lack a fully developed vision.
➢ An experienced architect empowers the client with the correct advice to make
important decisions during every step of the process.
➢ Architects can sometimes assume that clients have a better understanding of the
design and construction process as well as their role and responsibilities in the process
then they really do. This can lead to frustration and misinterpretations when the client
does not perform the role(s) that the architect expects.
➢ We try to help our clients to fully understand the terms of the Client/ Architect
Agreement including design and construction phases as well as general conditions
and specifications.
➢ While a lacking of knowledge does not relieve the client of contractual obligations, it
may lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts.
➢ And architect is a "client’s consultant" whose role is to provide design services and
assist the client in securing from the contractor a project that is generally in conformity
with the architect’s design concept and specifications.

VIPUL SOLANKI
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