What Is the AIA?
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the professional organization that helps architects serve the public's needs and builds awareness of the role of architects and architecture in American society.

Why an AIA Architect?
Like doctors and lawyers, architects are licensed professionals. Only an individual who possesses a state license to practice architecture may use the title “Architect”. They are the only professionals in the construction industry who are ethically bound to represent you, the building owner.

Professional qualifications generally include:

• College degree from an accredited school of architecture, requiring five or more years of professional studies
• Three years of internship under the supervision of licensed architects
• Passage of a rigorous five-day examination

Only those professionals, who have fulfilled these requirements, or other requirements as stipulated by each individual state, may legally call themselves architects and practice architecture in the jurisdiction granting the license. Individuals may be registered, or licensed, in more than one state by means of reciprocal licensing agreements among the states.

Get the Real Thing Look for "AIA"
Look for the AIA initials after the name of any architect you consider for your project. AIA architects remain current with professional standards through continuing education and subscribe to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assure clients, the public and colleagues of their dedication to high standards in professional practice.

What do Architects do?
You have a vision of what you want. Now you need to make that vision a reality. Here's how architects can help you:

Architects see the big picture
Architects are specially educated to help you define what you want to build, present options you might never have considered, and help you get the most for your valuable investment. They don't just design four walls and a roof -- they create total environments, both interiors and exteriors that are functional and exciting places in which to work and live.

Architects solve problems creatively
Architects are trained problem solvers. Need more room for your growing family? Architects can show you how to enlarge your home so you won't have to move. Have a limited budget? Architects can propose ways to get more for your investment than you imagined possible.

Architects help you get the most from your construction dollar
Architects can reduce building costs, decrease your home's energy needs, and increase its future resale value through good design.

Architects make your life easier
Building is a long process that is often messy and disruptive, particularly if you're living in the space while it's under construction. Your architect represents you, not the contractors. Your architect looks out for your interests and smoothes the process, helps find qualified construction contractors, and visits the worksite to help protect you against work that's not according to plan. 

Speak with an architect who is a member of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) at the earliest stage of the design process.

The Architect's Fee
There is no set fee arrangement for a particular type of project. Fees are established in a number of ways, depending on the type of project plus the extent and nature of services required from an architect.

Common methods of compensation include: hourly rates, a stipulated sum based on the architect's compensation proposal, a stipulated sum per unit of what's to be built (i.e., the number of square feet or rooms), a percentage of construction costs, or a combination of these methods. Your architect will explain how a fee is to be established. Then, the basis for the fee, the amount and the payment schedule are issues for you and your architect to work out together.

The 1998 Means Square Footage Cost Data survey indicates that fees for architectural services on a customhouse can range from 5 to 15 percent of the total cost of construction. Factors that affect the fees include the scope of the project, the level of quality and detail, and economic conditions.

The architect's fee is usually a relatively small part of the cost of the entire building project, including the estimated construction cost (on which the fee is computed), the furnishings and equipment, and the interest paid on the mortgage. If you consider the cost of a house over a 25-year period, your actual expenditure is probably two and a half times the initial price tag.

The architect's fee, a one-time expense, is actually less than 3% of the cost of the house over a twenty-five-year period— not counting maintenance costs, which would reduce the architect's percentage even more. If the mortgage accounts for 75%, instead of the 50% indicated in this example, the architect's percentage, overall, would be reduced to around 2 percent. It is also worth noting that, even with a tight set of plans and specs, the range of prices in competitive bidding often varies by more than the amount of the architect's fee.

Get It in Writing: AIA Contract Documents
The AIA Contract Documents Program, the oldest and most comprehensive program of its kind in the world, develops standardized contract forms and administrative procedures for the building industry. AIA contract documents provide the basis for nationwide uniformity for contractual relationships in the design and construction process. They represent the state of the law regarding construction industry practices and new legal developments. Most important they assure fairness to all parties--owners, architects, engineers, builders, and contractors--and contribute to successful projects.

Any project will benefit from the use of AIA contract documents. Contact your local AIA chapter or discuss AIA contract documents with an AIA architect.

The following are some of the more commonly used documents:

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