Hiring the right professionals
Always Hire an Interior Architect
Wrong.
While architects and construction workers are absolutely essential to bringing your structure to life, they aren’t the only professionals you need to make your building stand out from the crowd. In addition to an architect, you should always include an interior architectural designer on your team to ensure a seamless transition from your exterior’s aesthetic to your interior space.
What is an Architect’s Role in the Design of a Building?
Architects play an essential role in bringing your commercial property to life. They are in charge of design and project planning for your space, and are also responsible for ensuring your building’s exterior is visually stunning. Working together with other professionals, such as general contractors, civil engineers and HVAC technicians, architects develop detailed drawings to test your project’s feasibility. This is usually done using CADD and BIM software to help speed up the process versus relying on hand-drawings.
Once construction begins, architects will routinely visit the site to ensure everything is going according to plan. However, architects aren’t necessarily responsible for the interior construction of your building. Their focus instead is largely on ensuring your exterior building design satisfies local, state, and federal ordinances and codes. After the shell of your building is complete, you’ll need an interior architectural design team to complete the visual journey inside your space.
What is an Interior Architectural Designer?
Similar to a traditional architect, interior architects must account for design functionality, safety, and aesthetic when planning your indoor living areas. Interior architectural designers must walk a fine line between beauty and practicality when creating their interiors. When working with an interior architect, they will:
- Assess how much space is required to accomplish the desired function and space planning of your building’s interior
- Create design drafts including the general layout of your interior architecture, including wall placement, windows, doors, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, structural accents, color selection, and furnishings
- Provide a finish schedule for the general contractors on interior finishes for products like paint, flooring, plumbing fixtures, hardware, critical lighting, and other interior building materials.
- Oversee the ordering, delivery, and installation of all FF&E items such as furniture, decorative lighting, and additional design features included in the project
- Provide construction administration and coordinate with a team of construction workers, inspectors, interior designers, and exterior architects to ensure the project is completed to the client’s precise specifications
Why Do You Need Both an Interior Architectural Design and an Architect?
It’s important to note that both interior architects and traditional architects are needed to accomplish your commercial property design. Without the architect to create the shell, your interior architect can’t set to work on laying out the inside of your living space. Similarly, without an interior architect, you’d just be left with an empty warehouse rather than a livable student housing property, apartment complex, or multi-family housing solution. Both teams are necessary in order to deliver a cohesive design throughout the property.
SouthPark Interiors’ Interior Architectural Experts Can Help
If you’re looking for an interior architect to design the inside of your building, SouthPark Interiors can help. Our team has nearly 20 years of experience helping commercial property owners bring their unique visions to life. Specializing in interior architecture and design, we are capable of covering all the needs of your interior space from planning and drafting to ordering and installation. Allow our team to help you create the interior of your dreams by scheduling a consultation with our interior architects today!