16 January 2012 TvArquitectura

Spanish architect fees

The reason for having the lowest fees in the European Union, there may be a factor only, and whose solution is very complex.

One such factor may be in ignorance, by the developer, the work of the architect. This task is not based exclusively on the design of the building or signing a document to get a building permit, but requires a very large and full of responsibility. In addition, each year give more powers to the architect, the back loaded and these professionals have to bear the weight of new burdens to carry out their work.
This added responsibility in recent years can be seen simply by comparing the size of the current projects with written 7 years ago, they have doubled in size and regulations to justify.
With all this, not to say that the architect is trained to handle all the “weight” of a work, but that the fees it receives for an order did not reach the level of work performed.

To explain, we can see an example based on the experience of architects TvArquitectura directors:

- Project for a detached house (villa) of 150 square meters.

1) Preliminary work and draft.
Corresponds to the phase of preparing the plot plan and meetings with developers to reach a final layout and design.

2) Basic Project and Execution.
Project preparation for the building permit and carrying them out. This document contains the rationale for mandatory rules, structure calculation, calculation of the facilities, energy rating, technical selection and measurement of all building materials, etc ….

3)  Monitoring of the work.
The architect, along with the technical architect, has an intensive monitoring of the works.

4) Payment and receipt of the works.
Documents are prepared to terminate the work.

5) Extras.
All work always carry an extra that normally takes the architect, as can be, aesthetic counseling materials, transfer of documents to the municipal office, studio budgets builders, gardening advice, reformed into the project design, and so on. ….

All of the above, in our experience, require a minimum of 650 hours work done for 12 months or so.

Most architects today are charging less than 11 € / hour, the price at which we have to deduct the expenses required for the exercise of our profession (civil liability insurance, social security, association of architects, office rent, printing costs, etc. .)

Private Promotion
The projects promoted by private developers, technical target mainly the lower your fees further.Not realizing that a good architect can save you more than twice the difference that had the technical budgets.

Public Promotion
In the competitions promoted by the government, the drafting team budget being the main reason for selecting the winner. Without perceiving the example so pitiful that they are giving those responsible for the competitions to other citizens.

We want to send us your opinion about it and how we can develop proposals to improve this serious problem with no easy solution.

 

User 1 comment
Truly sad, everything we’ve discussed more than once spoken in the study. And although they try to convince the developer in the financial proposal on fees should not be decisive for many is the only variable that contemplate. Fortunately, many then have realized his mistake in choosing the cheapest and back, and fortunately, although that is hardly a household will make another, and we lose as a client, if satisfied will be a great “commercial” free profession and our word of mouth, both positively and negativamete works. So our professional resume andthe quality of our work should be supply on the economy of fees.

User 2 Comment 
There are many colleagues who take the project as if they were all his own house, with a dream to find the best solution to all the factors affecting it … there are many, that illusion often not aware of hours but of enthusiasm. ……

Just think of the architect’s fees are about 10% of the operating budget and its decisions are material 100% of the result. Final …….

User 3 Comment 
I also think that this is the result of many factors, unfair competition being the most decisive.Those 11 € / hour that you have calculated can still be profitable where labor is paid a 5 € / hour … If we value and respect between us (architects and co) are going to ask others to respect us?Worst of all, this problem is not inherent to the crisis (no mistake), these attitudes were already in good times and long before the said Omnibus.

User 4 Comment 
It’s a good question, I see two major problems: one of them you expose in your article is that people do not really appreciate our work, that any trade copper copper which anyone seems to understand that the notary or ask anyone given a minute question it comes up, but we do.Secondly, and relatedly collective ourselves and we do not plant so much competition as there are throw away prices.

WE HOPE YOUR CONTRIBUTION