Planning on putting up a building (be it commercial, residential, etc.), What do you do first as a developer? Who do you contact first and why?
Who do you contact first and why?
Well, you need to contact an architect. But first who is an architect and why do you need to contact him/her?
An Architect is someone who as per the Architect’s Registration Act Cap 269, is responsible for the design, preparation of building plans, and supervision of any buildings in Uganda. And should possess a valid practicing certificate issued by the Architects Registration Board (ARB). The Uganda Society of Architects defines an Architect as a professional qualified to plan, design, and review the construction of buildings and the spaces around them. As of 31st August 2022, there were 214 architects allowed by the ARB to practice architecture in Uganda. These were joined by 4 others as of 27th September 2022.
An Architect should be your first point of contact once you have any thoughts about putting up any development. On contact, your needs are discussed, reviewed and he will advise you on any supplementary information concerning what you want and plan a site visit to asses more site particular factors; such can be the topography, the views, access points, and neighborhood…, all of which influence the final design. You should always bear in mind that your building doesn’t stand in the air, hence the necessity to avoid quacks (ba yinginiya) who want to sell you designs even without knowing what your site offers.
He then focuses on drafting and getting preliminary designs to discuss with you (the client) and when they are agreed upon, he (the architect) engages other professionals to add their input. At this point if the client has any professionals, he/ she would desire to have an addition to his/ her work, he can connect them to the architect for easier collaboration, though it’s best for the architect to engage the professionals he is comfortable with to archive the best results.
COVID-19 locked us home and for most, poorly designed homes felt like a prison. Yet some, even without COVID enjoy being in their homes. That comes up (the unpleasant home) due to the quacks (the so-called YINGINIYA) who mislead you into trusting them with your work and produce catastrophic results which you as a client might not be able to point out until you have wasted your hard-earned resources in construction. Designs produced by these people end up being very expensive in use and the construction phase. And for something to be done right, it has to be done by an expert in that field, most clients claim architects are expensive, but yinginiyas are more expensive due to their poorly thought-through designs.
The architect based on his experience and can help estimate the cost of the services involved and the cost of the works, though an improved estimate can be best provided by the quantity surveyor (QS) to avoid big variances from the actual figures when the construction phase begins. In addition to that, the Architect can guide on which construction techniques to use, and materials to be employed, help with the choice of the contractor, estimate the construction duration, etc.
The work done will need to get approved by the council or the building committee before works start at the site and it’s best if all that process is left to be handled with the architect.
An Architect is needed to guide you through all your construction processes and should be involved at every stage for the smooth running of the project.
The writer is a graduate architect with Gridway Engineering ltd and a Lecturer at the International University of East Africa.
