Consulting architects are business owners or managers who own or work for independent architecture or multidisciplinary design firms. These licensed professionals are employed in many variations of private practice. Some are sole proprietors that focus on residential or specialty work. Others are involved in medium-sized firms, likely working on a broader scope of contracts from government or private sector clients. Many are large enterprises, often taking on a wide range of public, commercial and industrial projects.

Their role is to plan creative and innovative building design solutions for clients. This often involves master planning and project management, as well as design. Many consulting architects are specialists.  For example: some manage land and building projects for private developers; others focus in specific building types or in fields such as urban design, conservation, environmentally green architecture, restoration, or renovation planning.

Types of projects

Consulting architects in Alberta provide services in a wide range of areas:

 

Alternative dispute resolution Heritage restoration Project management
Building envelope High tech facilities Recreational
Churches Hotels Renovation
Cultural Industrial Residential – multiple
Education Institution Residential – single
Expert witness Interior design Retail
Feasibility studies Landscape Sustainability / green design
Food service Office  Transportation
Functional programming Performing arts Urban design
Health care Planning

 

Consulting architects:

Consulting architects lead integrated teams of architects, engineers, planners and interior designers to:

  • Design aesthetically pleasing and highly functional buildings and landscapes
  • Provide technically competent and aesthetically sensitivity solutions suitable to physical, social, and cultural environments
  • Offer technical knowledge to ensure projects are designed to provide sustainability
  • Create purposeful spaces that meet health and safety concerns
  • Provide solutions that accommodate budgets without compromising goals
  • Turn ideas into tangible structures that meet the needs of clients and their communities

More information

For more information about the architecture industry in Alberta and beyond, see:

 

ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ARCHITECT

WHAT IS A CONSULTING ARCHITECT?

WHY YOU NEED AN ARCHITECT

THE ARCHITECT’S ROLE

LINKS AND RESOURCES