How To Find an Architect

 

Every architect has an individual style and approach. Here's how to find the right architect for your project.

1. Ask friends, neighbors, and co-workers about their architects. Also check with Realtors and builders in your area. Find the names of architects who designed projects similar to the one you plan.
2. For restoration projects, check with your local historical society or historic zoning board.
3. Search through online directories. Most will let you search for architects by location and by speciality. (For the best architect directories, scroll down this page to our resources list.)
4. Call prospective architects. Find out whether they would be interested in your project.
5. Ask whether there is a fee for an interview.
6. Request literature that describes the firm's qualifications and experience.
7. Meet with several prospective architects.
8. Confirm that the architect you are meeting is the person who will actually work on your project.
9. Determine your architect's design philosophy.
10. Ask how long the project will take.
11. Discuss fees and anticipated construction costs.
12. Ask for references from past clients. Find out how past clients feel about their new home.
13. Visit at least one project by your prospective architect. Ask the owners about any problems that may have been encountered during the design and construction of the project.
14. Verify your architect's licensing and other credentials. A licensed, registered architect (RA) will have different education and training than a certified building designer (CPBD).
15. Find out the professional affiliations of your prospective architect. An architect who joins an organization is not necessarily more highly qualified than a non-member. However, by joining a group such as the IAI (Indonesian Insitute of Architects), the pro indicates indicates a committment to the values and standards of that organization.

More Tips:

1. You may be working closely with your architect for many months. Choose someone you can communicate with. Understand each other.
2. Interview prospective architects at their offices, if possible.
3. Plan to spend at least one hour on your first meeting with a prospective architect.
4. Be sure to scroll down this page for more resources to help you find the right architect for your project.

How To Add Character to Your Home

Does your house seem bland and uninteresting? Here are some ways to add charm and character. Be creative... and have fun!

1. For an inexpensive solution, give that blah house a fresh coat of paint using several accent colors.
2. Remove outdated aluminum or vinyl siding. Wonderful features may be hidden beneath.
3. Consider using a new exterior surface treatment such as stucco or stone relief.
4. Place new windows in existing openings. Or, fill in some windows and enlarge others.
5. Add window and door moldings, cornices and other details.
6. Transform the landscaping. Plant new trees or hedges.
7. Add interest with shutters, awnings and arches.
8. Build a covered entry way.
9. Build a deck, covered patio, porch or other outdoor living space.
10. Open interior ceilings to create vaulting heights.
11. Change the entire profile with a raised roof or gabled dormers.
12. Build a new addition to the front or side of your existing home. Add a porch. Enclose a porch.
13. Add character through elimination. Change the entire profile of your house by removing something already there -- a tree or shrubbery that hides a charming exterior; an addition that throws off the symmetry; a modern skylight or metal door that seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tips:

1. Keep it simple: Too many ornaments or an oversized addition will overwhelm your house.
2. Preserve light and space: Make sure that new additions don't fill your entire lot.
3. Consider resale value: Costly additions won't raise your home's price above neighborhood standards.
4. and last is Go slow - Style cannot be rushed!

CBZ Resort - A Hidden Village in Myanmar

Luxury hotel of 12 individual chalet rooms, 8 suites, and 5 three to four bedroom private villas set within a largely natural woodland of Teakwood.

Much of the site will be reafforested with single species groups of plants located at stategic locations.  An existing marsh has been extended and rehabilitated as a lagoon with marsh planting around the edges

Design Architecture of Luxury House in Surabaya, Period 2013

Another solution of Sustainable Architecture for Luxury Residential in Surabaya from Yulianto Maliang is a combination tropical and contemporer design on 2013.

An interesting facade design combination of line and colour

A big open space to give a natural light inside the room

A spacious sense for each of the room, and given detail attention on each room and room layout.

Each of project value is above USD 200,000.- with built up area above 350 sqm
Design and built quality is a priority.

Best regards,

Yulianto Maliang

(081 216 10178)

New Carnoustie Villa Series

The architecture of Kerala tells many stories. The way its architecture has been designed not only speaks about the artistic and technical capabilities of the craftsmen, but also about the progression and evolution of its society. 

Kerala has an abundance of architectural styles. Places of worship have been reworked over centuries, the styles differing according to the period of renovation, resulting in a vivid representation of an eventful political and cultural life. 

The new villa for carnoustie resort is has architecture designs that radiate warmth and an aura of timelessness

designs which are the realization of a desire to integrate the natural Kerala element.

A Three Bedroom Among Palms and Rice Paddies

This 2,300-square-foot house, completed in 2013, It was built in the traditional Balinese style, on a single level, with white stucco walls and a roof made of ironwood. Each room has access to the outdoors; flooring is mostly terra cotta tile; the woodwork on cabinets and windows is reclaimed old-growth teak. 

The entry is approached via a stone path that winds among frangipani trees. Orchids and staghorn ferns cling to the trunks of palms. The teak front doors open into a hallway flanked by the living room and the dining room. The kitchen, farther back, has a wood-topped breakfast bar and a sink handmade by a local steel worker; the countertops are Italian black granite. A covered outdoor walkway leads to the master bedroom, which has a timbered cathedral ceiling. Three walls enclose its en-suite bathroom; in place of the fourth is a private walled garden. The other two bedrooms, on the opposite side of the house, also have open-air bathrooms. 

The house is surrounded by countryside planted with rice paddies and coconut palms. Ubud is about 10 minutes away by car, although most people prefer to navigate the island’s narrow streets on scooters. Well known as a hub for the fashion industry, Ubud is home to many expatriate artists and spiritual seekers. The airport is an hour and a half away, in Denpasar. 

Published in New York Times

Green School Nature Art Work

Nature is the best artist and a limitless source of inspiration! And what better place to be inspired than here at Green School?  

What evolved was a collaborative art project that allowed for each of us to view our campus with ‘fresh’ eyes. Here is a sneak preview of the work produced...