We know it can be overwhelming to dive head first into a design and/or construction project, and having words thrown at you with no obviously applicable every-day definition can make it worse. We try to avoid or define terms according to our commonly used connotations, but when they come do up, here is a useful list to reference. This will be an on-going list of terms (jargon) that we and others in our industry may use in the course of conversations, contracts, drawings, and other instruments of services.
Architect
A design professional licensed and regulated by a state's architect's board who has demonstrated technical skill and professional responsibility in the practice of architecture. An Architect either has an accredited degree in architecture, or an equivalent number of years under a licensed mentor and has passed numerous exams and maintains continuing education as required by the state(s) in which they are licensed.
Draftsperson / Draftsman
An unlicensed and unregulated designer. A draftsperson may design residential projects in most states, but may not legally use the word architect or architecture in their advertisements or work descriptions. There is no guarantee of education, experience, or insurance when working with a draftsperson, and no regulatory body in place for reporting negligence or unprofessional conduct.
Project Budget vs. Construction Budget
When planning your project it is important to know the difference between these two numbers. The construction budget is the number for the physical building - the time and materials of the contractors to construct the building. Whereas, your project budget is your overall number that needs to take design costs, permitting, land costs, financing, and several other factors (sometimes referred to as soft costs) into account in addition to your construction budget. So if you have $500,000 total to build a home, $500,000 is not your construction budget, it is your project budget. From the $500,000 you need to subtract all your estimated soft costs, leaving you with your construction budget. Now, divide your construction budget by the average cost per square foot of construction in your area and you have the target square footage of the home you are designing.
Instruments of Service
The products of an architect's work are legally protected as their intellectual property and referred to as 'instruments of service'. This generally refers to drawings, but also includes calculations, specifications and other design products (renderings, schedules, etc.) that the architect produces in the course of their work. These instruments of service may not be taken from one architect and used by another architect or draftsperson without the written permission of the original architect. Nor may instruments of service produced for a specific site be used on a different site without the written permission of the architect.
Contract Documents
These are the drawings, specifications and calculations produced by the architect to be used in the agency review (plan check) and by the contractor to construct the building.
Project Management
Project management is a service separate from the standard scope of services of an architect. It includes overseeing, organizing, and coordinating all the entities involved in a project - the architect, engineers, other design consultants, contractors, sub-contractors, and agency submittals and inspections. It is a comprehensive role that is typically provided by a third party, but may be provided by some architects for an additional fee.
Scope of Work
The extents of a project, in specific and definable terms as described in a legally binding contract. For example, the scope of work on an Accessory Dwelling Unit will include the survey of existing site, the design (drawings and renderings), the construction documents (plans, elevations, sections, details, electrical and plumbing layouts, structural design and calculations, and energy calculations), Plan Review, and Construction Administration.
Reimbursables
Costs incurred by the architect outside of the proposed fee for which the architect shall by reimbursed per the terms of the contract. This commonly includes travel, meals, and printing costs.
Retainer
An upfront lump sum fee to begin work. Many architects prefer to begin work on a retainer basis as projects may be quite loosely defined and hard to accurately define in a proposed fee. The retainer allows the architect to do the due diligence and conceptual design work that is required to define the nature and scope of the project .
Deliverable
We use this term to identify what our clients should expect to receive after each phase. For example, the deliverable for a Design Phase may be a Client approved Floor plan and Exterior Renderings, and the deliverable for a Plan Review phase may be an approved permit.
Plan Check / Plan Review
This is a phase in every permitted project where the local agency (AHJ - usually a city or county) reviews the drawings and calculations for code and local regulation compliance. This typically lasts at least 30 days for the initial review, and will generally require responding to at least one round of comments. Some agencies have begun accepting digital plan submittals, and some still require large format plotted drawings with each round of submittals / resubmittals.
PROGRAM
We use this term to describe the types and quantities of spaces required for a project. When we begin a project we will request your program. This can be as simple as a list in an email, but is most useful as a spreadsheet where notes are included about how each types of space will be used, any equipment associated with each space, and preferred adjacent spaces.
Rendering
A rendering is a photo-realistic computer generated image produced from our modeling program that is also used for drawings. We produce interior and exterior renderings on many of our projects to help visualize the project during design. Renderings aim to produce a realistic image, however they are considered artistic renderings as real life construction will always vary at least a bit.
AHJ / Authority Having Jurisdiction
This is the government agency where we submit our permit package. Most projects are reviewed by a city or county building department, but there are also state-level AHJs (DSA, OSHPD) for essential service and school projects.
Due Diligence / Entitlement / Feasibility Study
Also sometimes referred to as Pre-Design - this is the overhead and behind the scenes work that happens before pen hits paper. The architect is making phone calls, reviewing codes and local ordinances, and any other regulations or restrictions that confirm the feasibility of the project and inform the conceptual design strategy.
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
The architect presents and reviews conceptual solutions based on the program and additional constraints discovered in pre-design with the client. The schematic design deliverables may include plans, elevations, renderings and other similar conceptual tasks.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
The architect reviews with the client alternative approaches to design and construction of the project. Based on the mutually accepted design program and project budget requirements, the architect prepares, for approval by the client, design documents consisting of refined details and selected systems.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
Based on the approved design documents, the architect prepares construction documents setting forth, in detail, the requirements for the construction of the project. The architectural documents may include floor, ceiling, roof and site plans, exterior and interior elevations, building and wall sections, life safety and accessibility plans and details, general construction and design details. The construction documents may also include structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing drawings and calculations, as well as energy calculations and truss design packages. As a whole, the construction document package includes all the information required to describe the proposed construction to both the reviewing agency and the contractor. The architect assists the client in filing documents required for the approval of governmental authorities having jurisdiction over the project.
BIDDING AND NEGOTIATION
The architect assists the client in obtaining bids or negotiated proposals in awarding contracts for construction. This assistance may include emailing out drawings or other portions of the construction documents to potential contractors in order to solicit a proposal or bid, and responding to questions about the drawings and documents.
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
Tasks carried out in the architect's office during construction. These tasks include processing change orders, supplementary instructions, requests for information, shop drawings and submittals, Contractor’s application for payment, revisions to the contract documents, and substantial and final completion services.
CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION
Tasks carried out in the field during construction. These tasks include punch list walk-throughs for substantial and final completion, periodic observation for construction conformance, and to solve unforeseen issues during construction.
Deferred Approval / Submittal
Many AHJs allow drawings and calculations for portions of a project to reviewed for code compliance during construction rather than before permit issuance like most architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing scopes of work - these are called Deferred Approvals and will be listed on the cover sheet of your drawing package. Essentially these are drawings and calculations that lay outside of the architect's scope of work and either cannot be completed until construction is underway, or are simply more efficient to be completed later in the process by a subcontractor who will be directly installing the work they are submitting. The most common deferred approvals are Fire Sprinklers (which are often designed by the plumbing subcontractor or a specific fire sprinkler sub-contractor), Photovoltaic (Solar) Systems (designed, permitted and installed by your contractor's selected sub-contractor), and Septic Systems (preliminary testing done, designed, permitted, and installed by your septic sub-contractor).
LEED AP
This group of letters that you may see after a design professional's name stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. It indicates that the design professional you are working with has proven via quite a rigorous set of exams, that they are proficient in a wide range of concepts relating to sustainable building practices. These letters may be followed by additional letters such as BD+C, ID, or OM, etc. to indicate a specialization - BD+C is the most applicable to our field of work and stands for Building Design + Construction. A LEED AP is qualified to guide a project through LEED certification. Check out the LEED website for more information here: https://www.usgbc.org/leed
WELL AP
This is another set of letters after a design professional's name and indicates that they are an Accredited Professional in the WELL Building Certification program - a newer program aiming to assess and improve the health and wellness attributes of a building. Check out the International Well Building Institute's website for more information here: https://www.wellcertified.com/
NCARB
Last but not least NCARB stands for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and is the examination and certification body for American architects. Once a design professional completes the required education, examinations, and experience, recorded and certified by NCARB, they are qualified to legally register in their state as an Architect. An architect who maintains an NCARB record can more easily apply for reciprocal registration in other states, although each state may require different or additional testing specific to their state regulations. Many architects who maintain NCARB records choose to include NCARB in their signature lines.