Golden Crescent architects riding high on new project demand

Ask state officials, check with your local chamber or simply drive around. The pace of commerce may be slowing in distant locations, but the design and development of commercial property is flat out booming across the Golden Crescent. With hundreds of companies and thousands of employees bee-lining it to the region, these appear to be heady times for those responsible for designing offices, distribution centers and other commercial buildings.

Is it a great time to be an architect in Cabarrus, north Mecklenburg and southern Iredell? Paul Lorenz, AIA, thinks so. Lorenz, principal and owner of downtown Concord-based Lorenz Architecture, said the commercial market is booming in the area and development along the interstate highways is only part of it.

"I have concerns with the overdevelopment of interstate exits since it involves continued dependence on automobiles," Lorenz said. "I also believe it may conflict with the growing interest in green design and stewardship of the environment. We do have some projects that are tied into interstate exits and those projects hinge on the petroleum powered automobile."

Roger Layman, AIA, of Roger Layman Architecture in Davidson, said his firm has a full plate of commercial work.

While most architects can benefit from the booming commercial sector, firms with strong ties to hospitals or developers could find themselves in a competitive advantage, Lorenz said.

Architectural fees tend to vary widely, Lorenz said. Some firms set fees based on a percentage of construction costs. Others set an hourly rate and put a ceiling on their charges. "Some firms will negotiate depending on the type of project," Lorenz said. "There is more room for negotiation if the project is large and the fees are potentially larger."

Layman said different levels of service and differing complexities of a project can influence the fees an architect charges. Layman designed the soon to be completed Aquesta Bank building in Cornelius.

According to Lorenz, another key factor for clients is the value an architect brings to their project. "We like to base our fees on a fixed amount that is not contingent on construction costs," Lorenz said. "We don't want to give the impression that we might try to bump up construction costs to raise our fees."

Frequently, how much a building costs depends on how it will be used. Excluding site costs, Lorenz said, a fully upfitted building with some green features could range from $110 a square foot for a simple office building to more than $300 a square foot or more. "A medical office building, bank or restaurant would be on the higher end," Lorenz said. "Full design fees could range from 4 percent to 8 percent of construction costs."

In many areas, residential construction can go forward without the services of an architect. That's not the case in commercial construction. "The public's health, safety and welfare are foremost in a public building," Layman said. "Codes really dictate an architect's involvement."

Lorenz said designing a building that is safe, that accommodates a company's space needs, that creates a design or look that helps attract new clients and sell a business and that stays within a budget can be a challenging task.

"An architect can look at a parcel of land and maximize its potential. An architect can translate your thoughts and ideas into a built form and can also take the burden off you by finding a contractor and managing the entire construction process," he said.