The Design Dilemma
So, you've decided to renovate or build a new home in Brisbane (or elsewhere), and you need house plans drawn up for it. The next logical question many people ask is whether to use an Architect, a Building Designer or a Draftsman to draw up your plans.
(If you're next question is "What's the difference?" then read our in depth article "What's the difference betwee an Architect, a Draftsman and a Building Designer?" or a more recent article "Should I use an Architect or a Building Designer?")
Put simply, in the home design sector of the building design industry, a draftsperson will often work (or freelance) for an Architect or a Building Designer to produce the necessary house plans for a home renovation or a new home. So for the sake of this article, we will be directly focusing on whether you should use an Architect or a Building Designer for your home design project.
Both professionals can design and draw house plans, and can both produce the necessary documentation to bring your home design vision to life. The right decision for the project's unique needs and budget cannot be overstated, as it can either make or break your build.
But what is the actual difference? Which is more expensive? Which gives better value? Which one will get you the best outcome for your project? By the end of this article, we promise you will have a better understanding of the differences so you can make an informed decision on which one is right for you. Or, just skip to the end of the article for the 8 questions that will help you decide!
(If you're next question is "What's the difference?" then read our in depth article "What's the difference betwee an Architect, a Draftsman and a Building Designer?" or a more recent article "Should I use an Architect or a Building Designer?")
Put simply, in the home design sector of the building design industry, a draftsperson will often work (or freelance) for an Architect or a Building Designer to produce the necessary house plans for a home renovation or a new home. So for the sake of this article, we will be directly focusing on whether you should use an Architect or a Building Designer for your home design project.
Both professionals can design and draw house plans, and can both produce the necessary documentation to bring your home design vision to life. The right decision for the project's unique needs and budget cannot be overstated, as it can either make or break your build.
But what is the actual difference? Which is more expensive? Which gives better value? Which one will get you the best outcome for your project? By the end of this article, we promise you will have a better understanding of the differences so you can make an informed decision on which one is right for you. Or, just skip to the end of the article for the 8 questions that will help you decide!
What's the actual difference between an Architect and a Building Designer?
The formal difference between an Architect and a Building Designer, at the base level, comes down to the level of tertiary education and licensing organisations that they are registered with.
An Architect's qualifications:
For someone to call themselves an Architect, they must have completed:
However, for many people that have completed a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Architecture but are not registered with an architecture board, it is illegal to call themselves an architect. Many practicing Building Designers out there may actually have completed architecture degrees, but never registered as an Architect, and therefore cannot call themselves an Architect at the risk of being sued by the board (who take this sort of thing VERY seriously!)
A Building Designer's qualifications:
For someone to call themselves a Building Designer, they must have completed the level of study specific to their state's licensing organisation. For instance, in Queensland, the QBCC is the licensing organisation and requires a Building Designer to be licensed, having completed:
As you can see, both careers have minimum qualifications and experience requirements, with the main difference being within the formal tertiary and examinations parts of the licensing requirements. (Side note: It is illegal for a Building Designer to use the word 'Architect or Architecture' to describe their services.)
So that's a quick summary of the official licensing differences.
But, if both produce house plans, how does that help you decide which is going to be best for your project?
An Architect's qualifications:
For someone to call themselves an Architect, they must have completed:
- a Masters of Architecture Degree (5-6 years usually), and
- 2 years of on-the-job experience, and
- have gone through the rigourous examination process with the architecture board, and
- then be registered as an architect with the architecture board (and re-register annually).
However, for many people that have completed a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Architecture but are not registered with an architecture board, it is illegal to call themselves an architect. Many practicing Building Designers out there may actually have completed architecture degrees, but never registered as an Architect, and therefore cannot call themselves an Architect at the risk of being sued by the board (who take this sort of thing VERY seriously!)
A Building Designer's qualifications:
For someone to call themselves a Building Designer, they must have completed the level of study specific to their state's licensing organisation. For instance, in Queensland, the QBCC is the licensing organisation and requires a Building Designer to be licensed, having completed:
- a Diploma of Building Design, and
- a minimum or 2 years on-the-job experience, and
- must provide at least 3 written references from employers or contractors who can confirm their competency in the scope of work, and
- hold and maintain a level of Professional Indemnity Insurance to continue to be licensed.
As you can see, both careers have minimum qualifications and experience requirements, with the main difference being within the formal tertiary and examinations parts of the licensing requirements. (Side note: It is illegal for a Building Designer to use the word 'Architect or Architecture' to describe their services.)
So that's a quick summary of the official licensing differences.
But, if both produce house plans, how does that help you decide which is going to be best for your project?
Key Factors to Consider When Deciding
What you Project Scope
Many people believe that an Architect is better suited to larger, more complex projects, whereas a Building Designer is more suited to simpler, more straight-forward projects. However, this argument has some nuance to it, and often comes down to the experience of the Architect or Building Designer.
So, before concluding that your project is just too big or small for a Building Designer or Architect respectively, we would recommend placing more weight on the relevant real-world experience and specialisation of the businesses you are choosing between. For instance, an Architect who has always worked in the commercial design and drafting space, may be qualified to produce plans for a residential project, but may not be the best fit for the project. Conversely, the same might apply to a Building Designer who has always worked in the residential space, but is being considered for a commercial building design.
The simple answer is, consider the project scope, and do your own research on Architects and Building Designers that may have specialist experience in the field most relevant to your project, and that have a demonstrated history of projects that are most similar to your project goals.
Design Aesthetic & Personal Vision
Due to their higher level of tertiary training in creative, out of the box thinking, an Architect may be well suited to conceptualisation of high-impact, divisive, boldly designed buildings. So, if you are looking for an extreme level of creativity, especially for commercial buildings, an Architect may be the best suited to the job. However, there are many Building Designers that push the boundaries of creativity that rival even then most intensely creative Architects.
However, what comes with high creativity and bold, attention-grabbing design, is often the personal ambition of the Architect or Building Designer. Why does this pose a challenge? Due to the personalisation of a building design conceptualised by the 'creator', if the personal vision of the client does not match the creative vision of the Architect or Building Designer, then the likelihood of the building being built dramatically reduces.
Consideration then, should be given to whether the Building Designer or Architect has a demonstrated history of meeting previous client's design outcome expectations, or not. This can often be obvious from hearing past client's experiences, and reading Google reviews which can be helpful, especially if this factor is mentioned frequently in reviews.*
*We recommend avoiding placing too much weight on Google reviews however, as this can often be a distortion the actual and current state of service of a business, and the majority of client outcomes, especially if the reviews are years old.
Local Knowledge & Regulations
There is no point designing something that won't get built. This point is quite simple. Local knowledge and experience with the local council (such as Brisbane City Council), state planning policies (such as the Queensland Development Code), and national regulations such as the National Construction Code, are crucial to a design outcome that has the highest likelihood of being approved by the relevant authorities.
This applies to either a Building Designer or an Architect.
Project Management & Contract Administration
Now we are getting to the nitty-gritty. Many Architects are engaged to oversee the entire build process. Commonly engaging the builder on your behalf, and sometimes making decisions on your behalf to keep things moving, so you don't have to. Building Designers may be able to provide this type of service also, but if a project requires it, an Architect is the most common professional to use.
Budget
Consider the budget for your project. Due to their higher level of tertiary education and examination process, Architect's can often be more (sometimes significantly more) expensive to engage for your project that a Building Designer. In saying that, many Building Designers may charge equal or sometimes even higher fees than some other Architects, due to their specialisation in a particular field. So it is not a blanket rule that Architects charge more than Building Designers, but it is expected and usual that you will pay more for an Architect than a Building Designer.
Don't just choose on budget. Get the design and planning stage of the project wrong or not well-documented, and you will have nothing but stress and nightmares throughout your build... if it even gets to that point in the project's life. Large, complex projects really do benefit from a high level of documentation. (Some of our projects here at QDH here have over 100 pages of plans.) However, it may not make sense to spend 10% of your project's budget on plans, if it is a relatively simple project (eg. a 1 bedroom extension), that could be well-document with 20 carefully crafted pages of plans.
Apply common sense - choose a specialist professional in your project type, that is well-reviewed or recommended by others, and make sure the budget suits the project type and/or complexity.
Many people believe that an Architect is better suited to larger, more complex projects, whereas a Building Designer is more suited to simpler, more straight-forward projects. However, this argument has some nuance to it, and often comes down to the experience of the Architect or Building Designer.
So, before concluding that your project is just too big or small for a Building Designer or Architect respectively, we would recommend placing more weight on the relevant real-world experience and specialisation of the businesses you are choosing between. For instance, an Architect who has always worked in the commercial design and drafting space, may be qualified to produce plans for a residential project, but may not be the best fit for the project. Conversely, the same might apply to a Building Designer who has always worked in the residential space, but is being considered for a commercial building design.
The simple answer is, consider the project scope, and do your own research on Architects and Building Designers that may have specialist experience in the field most relevant to your project, and that have a demonstrated history of projects that are most similar to your project goals.
Design Aesthetic & Personal Vision
Due to their higher level of tertiary training in creative, out of the box thinking, an Architect may be well suited to conceptualisation of high-impact, divisive, boldly designed buildings. So, if you are looking for an extreme level of creativity, especially for commercial buildings, an Architect may be the best suited to the job. However, there are many Building Designers that push the boundaries of creativity that rival even then most intensely creative Architects.
However, what comes with high creativity and bold, attention-grabbing design, is often the personal ambition of the Architect or Building Designer. Why does this pose a challenge? Due to the personalisation of a building design conceptualised by the 'creator', if the personal vision of the client does not match the creative vision of the Architect or Building Designer, then the likelihood of the building being built dramatically reduces.
Consideration then, should be given to whether the Building Designer or Architect has a demonstrated history of meeting previous client's design outcome expectations, or not. This can often be obvious from hearing past client's experiences, and reading Google reviews which can be helpful, especially if this factor is mentioned frequently in reviews.*
*We recommend avoiding placing too much weight on Google reviews however, as this can often be a distortion the actual and current state of service of a business, and the majority of client outcomes, especially if the reviews are years old.
Local Knowledge & Regulations
There is no point designing something that won't get built. This point is quite simple. Local knowledge and experience with the local council (such as Brisbane City Council), state planning policies (such as the Queensland Development Code), and national regulations such as the National Construction Code, are crucial to a design outcome that has the highest likelihood of being approved by the relevant authorities.
This applies to either a Building Designer or an Architect.
Project Management & Contract Administration
Now we are getting to the nitty-gritty. Many Architects are engaged to oversee the entire build process. Commonly engaging the builder on your behalf, and sometimes making decisions on your behalf to keep things moving, so you don't have to. Building Designers may be able to provide this type of service also, but if a project requires it, an Architect is the most common professional to use.
Budget
Consider the budget for your project. Due to their higher level of tertiary education and examination process, Architect's can often be more (sometimes significantly more) expensive to engage for your project that a Building Designer. In saying that, many Building Designers may charge equal or sometimes even higher fees than some other Architects, due to their specialisation in a particular field. So it is not a blanket rule that Architects charge more than Building Designers, but it is expected and usual that you will pay more for an Architect than a Building Designer.
Don't just choose on budget. Get the design and planning stage of the project wrong or not well-documented, and you will have nothing but stress and nightmares throughout your build... if it even gets to that point in the project's life. Large, complex projects really do benefit from a high level of documentation. (Some of our projects here at QDH here have over 100 pages of plans.) However, it may not make sense to spend 10% of your project's budget on plans, if it is a relatively simple project (eg. a 1 bedroom extension), that could be well-document with 20 carefully crafted pages of plans.
Apply common sense - choose a specialist professional in your project type, that is well-reviewed or recommended by others, and make sure the budget suits the project type and/or complexity.
How to decide which is right for your project?
Making the right decision for you can be challenging. However, when choosing between an Architect and Building Designer, there is one question that continues to come up: Which one is right for YOUR PROJECT?
To make the right decision, we recommend you consider the following generalisation questions (remember each professional may differ in speciality, pricing and services offered):
We know that by answering the above questions, the answer will present itself to you. We hope that has helped in your decision on whether to choose an Architect or a Building Designer for your project. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out to us to book in a free design consultation.
Sam-QDH
Director
To make the right decision, we recommend you consider the following generalisation questions (remember each professional may differ in speciality, pricing and services offered):
- What are my goals for the project?
- How large and complex is my project?
- Do I want to break news and social media headlines with the creative aesthetic of my project?
- Do I have a clear picture in my mind of my vision for the project?
- Do I want to say my home is 'architecturally designed'? (or a 'so-and-so-designed home?
- Does the Architect or Building Designer I am considering have local knowledge of the project area?
- Do I need the build to be project managed?
- What is my overall budget for my project?
We know that by answering the above questions, the answer will present itself to you. We hope that has helped in your decision on whether to choose an Architect or a Building Designer for your project. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out to us to book in a free design consultation.
Sam-QDH
Director
RSS Feed