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BUILDING SMALL, BUILDING BETTER by Eric Fisher AIA, LEED AP and Bea Spolidoro AIA, WELL AP; Principals at Fisher ARCHitecture
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t is common for clients in need of architecture services to meet with their chosen architect and ask for the moon thinking that bigger is better. Rather than postponing or avoiding the subject, it is important for architects to let their clients know that it may well be possible to fulfill their programmatic needs with less area. As we will discuss, architects also need to make this argument with local municipalities and at the state and national level.
COMMUNICATING WITH CLIENTS ADVOCATE FOR QUALITY: We live in a MORE IS MORE society. Many owners feel like big houses are status symbols. In our experience at Fisher ARCHitecture, owners are more concerned with how THEY will live than with saving the planet. So we make the argument that building small presents a huge opportunity to focus on QUALITY construction. We show our clients precedents from our own work and from around the world that demonstrate that oversized spaces aren’t required if their homes are designed thoughtfully. Better quality finishes and details can result when folks build smaller. ADVOCATE FOR SAVING MONEY: More often than not there is a gap between our clients’ available budget and their construction goals. We let them know that designing fewer rooms but connecting them in a skillful way means buying less construction materials and using less resources. This leads to smaller mortgages, reduced energy bills, and fewer maintenance costs. PAGE 6 | DEC ‘21 | JAN ‘22
“The Irwin Studio,” Fisher ARCHitecture, Pittsburgh, PA
When hard discussions about the project budget are postponed the result can be shattered expectations and unhappy clients. Not only do we share projected cost per square foot numbers with our clients before we draw a line, we also advocate for having a contractor budget the project as soon as possible. This is made possible with a “negotiated bid” process in which the contractor becomes part of the team at the very start. ADVOCATE FOR EFFICIENCY: Here is a big truth: Most people only use a small amount of their living space. The “Center on
