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There was a time when one could find a piece of vacant land, lay claim to it, and proceed to build whatever you wished without recourse to any higher authority. However, the steady growth of towns and cities soon led to the need for administrators to exercise some form of control over building activities. Over the years, many new regulations have emerged. While these are generally necessary for the collective well-being of communities, they can often become roadblocks, particularly for commercial architecture companies. Let’s examine some of the more common obstacles commercial architecture faces.
Setting a completion date for a construction project is seldom a problem. It simply entails providing a feasible timeframe acceptable to the client. However, meeting the various milestones en route to the handover can be challenging. Often the difficulties arise from interruptions in the supply chain. Materials are not ordered on time or are delivered late. In other cases, subcontractors, such as electricians and plumbers, fail to arrive on-site when required or take longer to complete tasks than promised. An efficient commercial architecture firm will manage every last detail of a project and have contingency plans to deal with the unexpected.
Many aspects of a construction project have the potential to add unanticipated costs. The price of crucial building materials may increase without warning, or a builder may encounter structural problems such as unsuitable soil or the risk of damage to the environment. The solution lies in detailed preparation. Due diligence during the design stage should include environmental and site assessments to identify problems in advance. A reputable commercial architecture firm will organise these automatically and arrange regular on-site inspections to keep an eye on progress and manage supplies.
Despite specific instructions, it is not uncommon for a builder to introduce modifications or shortcuts, mistakenly believing that these will enhance the project somehow. While the transition from drawing board to construction site may sometimes reveal potential improvements, changes to the plan should only be implemented with the approval of all stakeholders. A commercial architecture firm needs to select a responsible builder and appoint a competent project superintendent to monitor all on-site activity and ensure compliance with plans and protocols.
Meeting the client’s proposed and agreed upon requirements is the joint responsibility of everyone involved in a building project. The best way to achieve this is for the design company to control each stage in the process, from the initial inception to construction and close-out. Total client satisfaction is the philosophy of Gauteng-based JK Designs. Learn about our unique approach and how it could guarantee a commercial architecture project that will meet all your expectations.
