The base contracts of the design and construction industry are the contracts produced by the American Institute of Architects. These contracts have been in place for more than 120 years and they are the standard. They cover all of the relationships in the process not just those involving the Architect, a common example is the Owner/Contractor agreements.

The primary reasons for choosing an AIA contract is that the contracts are generally fair and balanced and they have been through legal proceedings enough that their definitions are well established. They aren't very open for interpretation. The contract document software also has a feature that tracks changes so if you know the usual contract it is very easy to understand the changes. In addition the various agreements all tie together create a comprehensive set. What this means is that the obligations in the Owner/Architect agreement match up with the obligations in the Owner/Contractor agreement and the Architect/Consultant agreements.

The primary reasons that people choose to avoid AIA contracts tend to be complexity of the contract, scope that is very unique and attempts to produce contracts that are tilted towards one party.

At EVstudio we emply a variety of contracts. Where owners have their own contracts we will review them to verify that they are workable. When we propose on most smaller residential and commercial work we have a 4-5 page agreement that is much less intimidating than the 20+ pages in an AIA contract. We also enter into a number of different AIA contracts depending on scope and coordination with other agreements. We also suggest contract forms for owners to use with other parties. We've put together enough to guide you through your choices.

Originally posted 2009-02-16 23:16:22.

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Pros:

• It can go faster because it moves the design time for MEP into the construction phase.
• There may be cost savings on the engineering fees when they are bundled with the install
• The contractor will attempt to pick their most cost effective solution

Cons:

• The biggest con is that contractors are pricing a guess and the bids are not easily comparable
• You may be getting a price for the cheapest system rather than the right system
• If the systems require changes to the architecture you'll face additional services
• Some jurisdictions will not allow it

I think that both delivery methods have their place, you just need to make sure that you're picking a delivery method that is in line with your priorities.

Originally posted 2009-11-14 00:01:08.

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1. The Design-Build Project Delivery Process – Architect Led
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Generally speaking, I would advocate that our residential clients hire us directly rather hiring us through another party. Clients who need an advocate and someone with experience can really benefit from having an architect working directly for them. We have to respect who holds the contract with us, if it is the owner we work for the owner, if it is the contractor we work for the contractor.

There are quite a few delivery methods for getting projects built (a subject for several more posts) but many people prefer the old design-bid-build format. Competitive bidding requires that you have a complete set of plans and basically necessitates hiring the architect yourself on the front end.

Sometimes clients decide to switch contractors during the design process or after prices come back. If they've hired us, we just switch, if we are working for the contractor it can be messier.

There are some cases where the project needs to be fast tracked and that is an area where hiring the contractor to deliver a project with design build may be a faster solution. The contractor can fix a price and needs less than a finished set to get started.

Some contractors have the ability to bundle the architectural fees into their overhead and save on total fee, that's another place to consider hiring their architect. They may also have the ability to cut down on fees out of pocket that could be rolled into the construction loan.

Finally, it is important that if you use the contractor for your architectural drawings you need to make sure who is actually doing the work. There are many examples of home builders that will have someone on staff draft up a plan and then they have an architect stamp it, where you might be paying enough to have an architect do the entire design. Technically it is against state statute for an architect or engineer to stamp work where they didn't supervise it but it happens.

Please give us a call if you're in this dilemma or have related questions about the process.

Originally posted 2008-06-30 22:16:22.

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Building Contractor Class A license is a general contractor license that allows erection, alteration, demolision and repair of any building or structure.

Building Contractor Class B license allows work on Type III, IV and V buildings. It also allows work on Types I and II that are less than a high rise in height and less than the area allowances for Type III. A Class B license also allows demolition of one or two unit building and any building of one story. It also allows non-bearing interior work on any building type.

Building Contractor Class C license is a residential contractor license and allows work on one and two unit dwellings along with attached townhomes.

Building Contractor Class D license is a specialty contractor license. This license is required for antennas, insulation, concrete, curtain wall, store front, custom windows, fences, fire doors, fireproofing, taps and backflow preventers, plaster, masonry, decks, outdoor stages, overhead doors, precast, prefab buildings, racks, retaining walls, scaffolding, siding, swimming pools, mobile buildings, tile, lifts and trash chutes. It can also be used for non structural residential remodels and non structural tenant finish.

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The American Institute of Architect Denver Chapter (AIA), the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver (HBA), the Denver Board of Realtors and the Apartment Association of Metro Denver have spent a fair amount of time testing the code. As the testing was moving forward their coalition found several items that they felt needed to be addressed. This week they released a letter to address these issues and encourage the city to:

• "Establish a formal system for comment submittal, making responses available and identifying any corresponding changes in the code.
• When appropriate, responses to comments or updates to the code should be made public at www.newcodedenver.org, providing broader access and transparency to the process as well as avoiding duplication in future modeling.
• Publish all modeling carried out by CPD staff for public review.
• Provide support for the assertion that non‐conformity will not increase.
• Provide support for the assertion that product and design flexibility will not be diminished.
• Provide a distinct contextual approach for new‐build developments in Greenfields .
• Evaluate proposed design standards, such as increased setbacks or height limitations, for their impact on the ability to deliver housing that meets market demands (e.g. a third and fourth bedroom, walk‐in closets, reasonably sized bathrooms, appropriate ceiling heights, etc.)
• Evaluate the code for the potential unintended consequences of reduced buildable area on single‐family zone lots, form‐based design standard like a mandatory building step‐back, or reductions in allowable density.
• Work with the undersigned in a collaborative undertaking of modeling/testing to further identify and resolve issues in the draft code."

The full letter:

Several other groups including the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Downtown Denver Partnership are also studying the effects of the Denver Zoning Code Update on potential development.

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