I.
Introduction/background:
An architect is more than a designer of buildings. He or she provides
other professional services that would help him or her improve his or
her skills of being an architect. Architectural services endeavours
planning and design of buildings and spaces, and also its
administration of the construction. Design and planning embody the
aesthetics and organization of buildings and also provides the comfort
to zoning and safety requirements. This research addresses the
different services that an architect provides and explains the various
skills that architect has. Specialized Architectural Services deals with
specific expertise for further enhancement of the architectural interior
and exterior components of a project.
II. Objectives:
The aim of this research is to determine the purpose and requirements
of the specialized architectural services to both client and architects.
The objectives of these research are:
1. To identify all the specialized architectural services.
2. To define the design services of these specialized architectural
services.
III. Contents:
The specialized architectural services provides a variety of different
services and deals with specific expertise for further enhancement of
the architectural interior and exterior components of a project.
1. Identification of all the Specialized Architectural Services:
1.1. Architectural Interiors (AI)
1.2. Acoustic Design
1.3. Architectural Lighting Layout and Design
1.4. Site Development Planning (SDP)
1.5. Site and Physical Planning Services (including Master
Development Planning, Subdivision Planning and Urban Design)
1.6. Comprehensive Development Planning
1.7. Historic and Cultural Heritage Conservation and Planning
1.8. Security Evaluation and Planning
1.9. Building Systems Design
1.10. Facilities Maintenance Support
1.11. Building Testing and Commissioning
1.12. Building Environmental Certification
1.13. Forensic Architecture
1.14. Building Appraisal
1.15. Structural Conceptualization
1.16. Preliminary Services
1.17. Contract Documentation and Review
1.18. Post-Design Services (including Construction Management
Services)
1.19. Dispute Avoidance and Resolution
1.20. Architectural Research Methods
1.21. Special Building / Facility Planning and Design
1.22. Building Components
1.23. Management of Architectural Practices
2. Definition of the design services:
2.1. Architectural Interiors (AI)
Architectural Interiors (AI) involves the detailed planning and design of
the indoor / enclosed areas of any proposed building / structure,
including retrofit, renovation, rehabilitation or expansion work which
shall cover all architectural and utility aspects, including the
architectural lay-outing of all building engineering systems found
therein.
2.2. Acoustic Design
Acoustic design services involves the detailed planning and design to
control sound transmission for compatibility with the architectural
design concept. Throughout architectural history, one of the limiting
criteria in building design has been the need to control sound in an
enclosed space. The continuing evolution of products and techniques in
sound management and control has provided a wider flexibility in the
design of the interior environment. This allows the Architect to build an
environment that answers the acoustical demands of varied activities
within an enclosed space.
2.3. Architectural Lighting Layout and Design
Architectural Lighting Layout and Design Services involves the detailed
planning and design of light transmission, timing and control for
compatibility with the architectural design concept. One of the limiting
criteria in building design has been the need to control light in an
enclosed or defined space. The continuing evolution of products and
techniques in lighting has provided a wider flexibility in the design of
the building’s interior and exterior environments. This allows the
Architect to build an environment that answers the lighting demands of
varied activities within and outside a building.
2.4. Site Development Planning (SDP)
The space planning, architectural lay-outing and utilization of spaces
within and surrounding a specific building / structure in relation with
the existing natural and/or built environments have to be a well-
coordinated effort so that both the building / structure and the host
environment shall act as one. Arising from his concept of the total
environment, the Architect is not merely concerned with the building /
structure he creates but with the grounds and surrounding space as
well. He studies the existing environment in relation to the building /
structure and consequently lays out the areas / grounds immediately
surrounding the building / structure. Ordinarily, the landscaping layout
of small building projects could be done by the Architect as part of the
site development planning (SDP) effort. However, if the project is large
in scale, the Architect must hire other State-regulated professionals
(RLPs) as qualified Specialist Consultants (SCs).
2.5. Site and Physical Planning Services (including Master
Development Planning, Subdivision Planning and Urban
Design)
Physical planning refers to the orderly arrangement within a piece of
land or property on which vertical structures such as buildings,
monuments and the like, as well as horizontal developments such as
rights-of-way (ROWs), open spaces and activity spaces are to be
proposed. Planning, as we know it today, started with physical
planning, with Architects performing the lead role. The great cities of
the world have taken shape mainly through the activities of visionary
Architects who actively engaged in physical planning. The Architect is
concerned not merely with a building / structure but with its immediate
surroundings as well. In planning for a building, he studies its
interrelationship with other structures, the surrounding environment,
and their effect and impact on the neighboring areas. If the Architect is
commissioned to do physical plans for specific site, he has to go
beyond the study of human behavior and activities and must undertake
an in-depth study of the host site’s economic systems, its laws and
regulations, tax structure, infrastructure, utilities, and all other
components that will have a bearing on the project.
2.6. Comprehensive Development Planning
Comprehensive Development Planning (CDP) Services are based on the
concept of expanded physical planning services to include other
activities necessary for the proper handling of the numerous
components considered in the formulation, implementation and
realization of a Master Development Plan (MDP). Comprehensive
Development Planning (CDP) covers the range of all services from
primary data gathering through the formulation of the MDP and the
parallel preparation of the environmental impact assessment /
statement (EIA/S). While the planning team is multi-disciplinary, the
CDP Services may place heavy emphasis on the non-physical / non-
engineering components of the development plan i.e. financial,
economic/ market demand / forecast, administrative-political-
institutional-legal, socio-cultural, environmental, and the like. In
contrast, MDP Services puts a premium on the physical planning and
engineering components of the development plan, which are the direct
or sequential physical translations of the inputs from the initial stages
of the CDP effort. If suitably trained and experienced, the Architect’s
ability to synthesize and organize into a whole (the various information
relating to the user’s needs, perception and expectations, site and
climatic conditions, construction technology, materials, cost and other
information) qualifies him to take the lead role in an undertaking that
cuts across various disciplines. The Consulting Architect is concerned
with the management and use of land as well as the conservation,
preservation and upgrading of the human environment. Since the
Architect, particularly if a separate RLP i.e. Environmental Planner (EnP)
with suitable training and experience in physical and land use planning,
has the social commitment and technical experience as coordinator of
several disciplines, he is qualified to lead the multi-disciplinary team in
offering Comprehensive Development Planning (CDP) Services.
2.7. Historic and Cultural Heritage Conservation and Planning
The suitably trained and experienced Consulting Architect in this area
of architectural practice provides research, assessment, recording,
management, interpretation and conservation of historical heritage.
2.8. SECURITY EVALUATION AND PLANNING
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice arranges and
formulates methods of rating and ascertaining the value of structures
or facilities which must be fully secured, kept safe, protected, assured,
guaranteed and provided sufficient safeguards for the conduct of any
work or activity.
2.9. BUILDING SYSTEMS DESIGN
The Architect in this area of practice engages in methods of producing
building components in a highly engineered, efficient and cost-effective
manner, particularly for residential and commercial applications.
2.10. FACILITIES MAINTENANCE SUPPORT
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice provides the
Owner/Client with means and measures to ensure the proper function
and maintenance of the building / structure and site after final
inspection.
2.11. BUILDING TESTING AND COMMISSIONING
The Architect in this area of practice recommends the systematic
process of ensuring that a building / structure’s array of systems is
planned, designed, installed and tested to perform according to the
design intent and the building’s operational needs. If the building
materials, equipment and systems are not installed properly or are not
operating as intended, the effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and
other benefits of high performance plans/designs will not be achieved.
2.12. BUILDING ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION
A building environment rating system is needed to evaluate the
environmental performance of a building and to encourage market
migration towards sustainable design. The rating system must be:
credit-based, allowing projects to earn points for environment-
friendly use of the building /structure and actions taken during
planning, design, construction and occupancy.
flexible, such that projects need not meet identical requirements to
qualify.
consensus-based and market-driven in order to accelerate the
development andimplementation of green building practices.
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice must have much more
than the basic knowledge of Green Architecture and Environmental and/or
Sustainable Design and sufficient knowledge of the governing
environmental laws and environmental investigation processes and
procedures under international protocols such as the Philippine Solid
Waste, Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, DENR administrative issuances
and the like.
2.13. FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE
The Architect in this area of practice undertakes a scientific study on
the built environment’s well-being, which allows the Architect to focus
on the ways in which the building/structure can best maintain itself and
prolong its life in a cost-efficient manner, and finally provide
recommendations to the Owner/ Client. The forensic study may include:
determination as to the causes of building, building component
and/or building material deterioration
the causes of observed building deficiencies e.g., non-compliance
with planning and building laws, deviations from original use or
function of spaces
research on possible faulty activities and operations during the
project implementation phase
determination of faulty plan/ design and/or construction
methodology.
2.14. BUILDING APPRAISAL
Appraisal is defined as an act or process of estimating value. The
Consulting Architect in this area of practice places value on the building
/ structure condition and defects, and on its repair and maintenance,
including the required improvements.
2.15. STRUCTURAL CONCEPTUALIZATION
The Architect in this area of practice conceives, chooses and develops
the type, disposition, arrangement and proportioning of the structural
elements of an architectural work, giving due considerations to safety,
cost-effectiveness, functionality and aesthetics.
2.16. PRELIMINARY SERVICES
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice must have much more
than the basic knowledge of Site Analysis, Space Planning and
Management, Architectural Programming, and the other services under
SPP Document 201.
2.17. CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION AND REVIEW SERVICES
The Architect in this area of practice must have much more than the
basic knowledge of Specification Writing, Estimation and Quantity
Survey, Architectural Production, Architectural Software, Architectural
Support Services and Contract Document Review.
2.18. POST-DESIGN SERVICES (INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION
SERVICES)
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice must have much more
than the basic knowledge of Pre-Construction, Construction, Post-
Construction and the other services under SPP Documents 204, 206
and 207. Included under this specialized practice is the preparation of
the Fire Safety and Life Assessment Report (FALAR) required by R.A. No.
9514, the 2008 Fire Code of the Philippines and its 2009 IRR.
2.19. DISPUTE AVOIDANCE AND RESOLUTION
The Architect in this area of practice must have much more than the
basic knowledge of the various modes of Alternative Dispute Resolution
(ADR) prescribed under R.A. No. 9285, the ADR Act of 2004 and its IRR
i.e. Construction Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation, Negotiation
and of Contract Administration, Quality Surveys, Appraisals and
Adjustments and
Expert Testimony. An Architect specializing in ADR must preferably be
State-accredited.
2.20. ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH METHODS
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice must have much more
than the basic knowledge of Research Methods, Philippine Architecture
and its History, Architectural Materials and Finishes, Building Types and
Standards, Architectural Design Trends, Architectural Writing and
Architectural Photography.
2.21. SPECIAL BUILDING/ FACILITY PLANNING AND DESIGN
The Architect in this area of practice must have much more than the
basic knowledge of the Planning and Design Processes required for
Housing Developments, Recreational and Tourism Estates, Health Care
and Hospitality Facilities, Transportation and Telecommunications
Facilities, Production and Extractive Facilities, Utility-related
Developments, Secure Facilities, Business and Industrial Parks,
Economic Zones and Community Architecture and the like.
2.22. BUILDING COMPONENTS
The Consulting Architect in this area of practice must have much more
than the basic knowledge of Building Materials and Finishes,
Construction Methodologies, Building Envelopes including cladding and
roofing systems, Architectural Fenestrations and Architectural
Hardware, Fixtures and Fittings.
2.23. MANAGEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES
The Architect in this area of practice must have much more than the
basic knowledge of the Types of Architectural Office Operations,
Architectural Office Management, Accounting /Finance / Taxation /
Audit, Labor Code, Architectural Marketing and Project Development,
Proposals / Negotiations / Contracts, Contract Administration, File
Management and Limitations of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) Operations.
