The architect that I hired to design my new house invited me to the 2017 Architectural Seminar. I did not want to go at first because I thought that it was an exclusive event for professionals. However, the architect insisted that others would be bringing clients like me to the conference to help everyone understand the craft.
I was happy about the invitation because I did learn so many things about architectural design. These are the signs of excellence to look for:
Concept
The first indication is if the architect has followed the concept that you have chosen. No matter how artistic they are, real professionals know that customers will always be right. They cannot decide on a concept and ignore your wishes.
Scale
The design needs to have an appropriate scale so that the contractors will be able to build the structure accordingly. It is the architect’s responsibility to explain the size of every room, window, and door to avoid confusion in the end.
Proportion
The idea is that nothing should be too big or too small in the house. It all depends on what your house’s dimensions are, how many rooms you want to see, etc. If you want a two-story house, for instance, and the second floor is visibly of shorter height than the first floor in the drawing, then that’s not an excellent proportion.
Alignment
Despite the unique building designs that sprout in the metro, the mirroring sides of the structure need to be in perfect alignment. That is how you can ensure that it won’t lean to one side and then eventually collapse.
Design
Of course, the overall appearance of the house should be pleasing to your eyes. You know that you have a fantastic architectural design in your hands if it has the parts that you have initially asked the professional to add. Say, if you want brick walls, they should appear in the drawing. In case you want a slide from the living room to the backyard, it needs to be visible, too.
Final Thoughts
Do yourself a favor and attend similar seminars as I have done to realize the basics of architecture. Good luck!