Whenever parents go to meet their children's teacher they always talk about the three-legged stool, being Teacher, Parent and Child. The idea is that if one leg is missing the stool falls over.
This concept has relevance to other situations such as Architecture. I always talk to my clients about the core team for their build, made up of three parties which are often described as the ABC triangle.
A - Architect
B - Builder
C - Client
The great thing about illustrating this team in a triangular diagram (like the three-legged stool) is that all the sides of the triangle are shown as equal length. This nicely demonstrates the equal relationship that should exist between the team members. In short all three are essential to a successful project.
NO CLIENT no project idea or funding
No ARCHITECT no design or documentation
No BUILDER no realisation of the project into built form
Almost perfect concept except using ABC puts the Architect first but it is not about us. Without the Client neither the Architect or Builder have a project. Perhaps reversing it to CBA would be better. Either way it's not about hierarchy it's about an equal team of three. Sure, there are other parties such as separate consultants, sub-contractors, suppliers and council but the idea is to make a strong point and illustrate it simply.
Get this team right and you will have a happy, profitable and successful project. We all want that right!
If you want to work with an Architect who has been building successful teams for over 30 years come talk to me.
I'm Graeme Jacobs a Christchurch based Architect specialising in high performance homes using SIP PREFAB
The image is a hand carved stool from Tanzania.
