We all know what it is like to have that dream home, built to our satisfaction, but finding someone to design a particular building may be a little more difficult. For example, an assisted living architect has all the knowledge needed so that people can get around their homes without too much trouble. A nursing home architect too, has specific ideas in mind to allow the patients to feel free without too many restrictions.

Although it is obvious, when someone is not as strong as they used to be, that they will need certain allowances made for them in the home. Finding ways to keep them independent goes a long way to keeping the peace in the family. Indeed, there have been many family wars started because people do not take the time to work out what is best for the afflicted person.

When a house is being designed, people should first consider what the family will need in future. The house may be the ultimate in modern living, but if an elderly or infirm person is coming to stay, they certainly need some adjustments made so that they can do everything they need to.

For example, it is all very well having that wonderful staircase that everyone admires when they enter the house, but will it be possible to put in a stair lift in future? Even the owners of the house may be getting on in years and it seems a shame to move on simply because they cannot use the stairs anymore.

Likewise, if there is an annex to the building, perhaps for mom and dad to retire to when the time comes, does it have wide enough doors and no steps so that a wheel chair can be accommodated? Although this work can be undertaken when the time comes, it often spoils the design of the place and will certainly make it difficult to sell down the line.

For hospices or buildings that cater for those who cannot take care of themselves, finding an expert who has all this knowledge at his fingertips is a must. Indeed, designing a hospice is not that easy since many local by laws will also have to be adhered to here.

Small points, like having grab rails at the appropriate height, are sometimes overlooked by those who just are not familiar with the rules, and buildings have failed to get their certificates merely because something like this was not attended to. If they do not come up to code then the building will not be able to take in residents at all.

One thing to remember though, when looking for an expert designer online, is that local people know what is right and what is wrong in any particular area. They also have made contacts with officials over the years so they are easily accessible to ask questions of. Checking them out though with past client testimonials is a must since no one would want to get someone with a bad reputation for sure.

By: Stewart Wrighter

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The general consensus about Oxford architects is that you only need to hire one when you are going to build a brand new home or building from scratch. However there are many more times that a good quality Oxford architecture company would be a real hand to aid you in your home design and save you time and money by using their expert knowledge. You should really have an architect you use and that will be on hand to help you out with your various projects.

If you’re looking to redesign the layout of your downstairs living room, have a loft conversion, turn a bedroom into a bathroom, turn you garage into a living space or simply redesign the whole interior of your home then you really should seek the help of a Oxford architect. They’ll be able to clearly see what could be done with the space you have and how to best break it down into rooms and kitchens etc.

They will take your ideas and put them into an actual design, without accurate designs it will be both hard to show these to local councils to approve and to brief builders on what kind of work you want doing on your home. Architects have expert knowledge and can come up with genius ideas as how to best utilize your living area that you would never had thought of.

Once your architects has drawn up the designs for your house they will present them to local councils and as discussed before the likelihood if they will be approved because the Oxford architecture agency would have designed the plans with local building regulations in mind. They will have dealt with local councils before and are experienced in this area.

Having your Oxford architects draw up the designs and present to local councils can save you a lot of time. This is because if you were to do your own amateur designs they could include elements that are not allowed by local councils. Some people do not even know there are local building regulations and proceed with a building projects that does not abide to them; this means that the build will be stopped once the local council find out. The build will have to be knocked down. This can waste a LOT of peoples money and time! Also if you are going to do a design that abides by local regulations you will have to trawl through loads of paperwork to see what you can and cannot do, it’s much quicker to allow an Oxford architect to do them.

By: Jonathan Pitts

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In the history of architecture there has often been an unseen contradiction between what the architect wants to design and what the client wants built. Sometimes an architect will get so wrapped up in his vision and personal aesthetic values that what the client likes and does not like becomes secondary, or is overlooked completely. When this happens the house or building created may win design awards and look beautiful to a trained architectural eye, but the client or people who have to live in it may dislike it intensely. Often the owners or tenants will go back in and change things a second or third time to better suit their aesthetics or purpose.

At the root of this problem is the very nature of architecture, to create. An architect is very passionate about the creative artistic aspects of his work. He wants to create something new and different and put himself and his vision into his work. Often, however, the growth and development of an architect involves the painful realization that their unique vision does not usually count for very much. The client, after all, is paying for it and has to live with the house or building long after the architect has finished and gone on to other projects. The architect is there to serve the client and not the other way around.

The other professions rarely have this problem. Doctors and lawyers are almost always acknowledged to be the decision makers and authorities in their respective fields. Science and the written law are established and much less subject to interpretation compared to artistic values and visions.

Unfortunately, the established architectural community and schools have more often than not made the problem worse. Architects are never made famous because of how well they satisfy their clients. They are famous because of the unique, creative style or image that they have managed to present to the world. Architectural awards are given to designs or buildings that are creative and almost never to buildings that perform their function flawlessly or totally satisfy their clients. In many cases, world famous architects have never had the opportunity to build more than a small handful of buildings because of this contradiction between client needs and the architect’s creative vision.

If you do approach a world famous architect with a project, it is pretty much assumed that you as a client are buying into that architect’s creative vision 100 percent. You as a client become an extension of the architect’s vision and not vice versa. Of course, the client has generally had ample opportunities to review the famous architect’s body of work before hand because of the exposure the architect has gotten in the media. You like his work and aesthetic values and hire him, or you don’t. Of course there are architectural firms that are almost the opposite. They are highly client oriented rather than design oriented. They often become financially successful from client loyalty and referrals but rarely get media attention or become famous because of the conservative nature of their work and business.

Ultimately the best solution for most established architects is to balance the two extremes and become a teacher for the client. The architect presents the client with various design and style options and the pros and cons of each and listens carefully to the needs and tastes of the client. This establishes a dynamic synergistic relationship. Together they decide the image and vision for the architectural creation.

By: Michael Russell

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