First contact with an architect

This questionnaire has been designed to help you better identify your needs, desires and preferences, and to communicate them clearly to your architect from the very first meetings.

You do not need to register or subscribe to use this questionnaire. Simply save your questionnaire via your email address, then return to it whenever you wish via the link you will receive. If you are working with an architect who uses My Plan, you will find your questionnaire automatically linked to your project.

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First steps

You are invited to consult this online form and complete it before your first appointment. It will be automatically sent to your architect once it has been validated.

During your initial meetings with your architect, you will revisit certain points contained in this questionnaire to clarify them, re-examine them and work together to establish a common direction for your project.

You will then need to carefully read the architectural agreement proposed by your architect. This will be the contract that binds you for the duration of the project. Do not hesitate to ask questions if you have any concerns regarding this agreement.

Once the agreement has been signed, your architect will assess the existing situation at your project site. Then, based on the information you have provided, they will prepare a sketch or preliminary design, which they will present to you at a meeting. This initial preliminary design is often a basis for discussion and can be modified according to your wishes, your expressed needs and your comments.

Your architect will then come back to you in due course with a new version of the plans to validate the changes made to the project. Based on the preliminary design that you have agreed upon, your architect will present you with an estimated budget. This estimate is by no means guaranteed. However, it allows you to assess the feasibility of the project. If the budget is too high, you will need to lower your expectations or sequence the phases of the project to reduce the initial costs.

Once everything is in order, your architect can prepare the planning permit application, which will be submitted to the local council. You will then need to be patient and wait for the project to be approved before starting the execution phase of the project.

If you need assistance completing this questionnaire, please contact an architectural consultant or architect for a ‘planning’ consultation.

Introduce all future occupants of the project

These few pages are intended to introduce the project owner, i.e. all clients/future occupants (in contrast, the ‘project manager’ refers to the architect). What are your profiles? How do you live, what are your daily habits? We invite you to express yourselves in order to reveal who you are and what you might need.

What are your daily activities and habits ? And those of the future users of the building ?

Tell us about your dreams, your desires,…

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years ? How would you like to see the project evolve over time ?

What are your tastes in terms of spaces ?

Show us some images of what you like, regardless of where you currently live Select one or more images Import

Show us some images of what you don't like, regardless of where you currently live Select one or more images Import

What do you like about where you live now ?

Show some pictures Select one or more images Import

What doesn't work in your current living space ?

Show some pictures Select one or more images Import

Prioritise

Classify your priorities into three categories. In reality, not everything will be possible. You cannot do everything quickly without compromising on quality and at low cost. Sometimes you will have to make concessions. Your architect is there to discuss this with you throughout the project. But remember that a well-thought-out decision at the outset will save you time later on !

I absolutely need... (list here everything that you consider absolutely essential in your future home)

I would like... (list here everything that would be nice to have, but not essential)

If possible... (list here everything else you can think of that would be a nice addition but that you could easily do without)

What is your biggest fear about the project ?

Being able to discuss the budget

We often forget that the total available budget cannot be spent solely on the work itself. In fact, there are certain costs that clients tend to underestimate. External contractors, such as surveyors, energy performance experts, engineers and health and safety coordinators on site, are often essential and must also be paid. In addition, the cost of the work is often estimated excluding VAT.

It is advisable to prepare a ‘retrobudget’: the budget for the work recalculated after subtracting all estimated costs for parties other than contractors.

Please note : This document does not constitute a fixed budget. All the information contained in this form is intended to facilitate communication with your future architect and has no contractual value.

We need assistance in assessing the budget we could invest, for example before going to a meeting at the bank.

Planned budget (all inclusive)

€

Planned budget for work

€

The hoped-for programme

You are invited to list the rooms or functions you want, their approximate surface area, and describe them using one or two adjectives that convey the atmosphere (describing the light, the feel, the views from these places, for example). Feel free to add comments or diagrams if certain connections or passageways between certain rooms are essential for your use of the space.

Be sure to provide your architect with any existing documents that may be useful (old plans, photos of the existing situation if the first meeting does not take place on site, etc.). Also remember to specify whether the building is connected to utilities such as gas, water and electricity, or whether special treatment of the soil is required in the event of pollution.

Will events, receptions, musical or sporting activities take place in the building ?

Specify if you have any particular wishes or requirements in terms of techniques (sustainable, innovative, home automation, etc.)

Is there a specific type of heating, hot water production or ventilation system that needs to be considered?

What type of window frames would you like to use?

What types of materials would you like to use for the structure, insulation and facades of the building ?

Other comments

Questions you would like to ask your architect

Other notes

Let's stay in touch !

This questionnaire is available free of charge; simply enter your email address below and it will be sent to you. With the link that will be sent to you, you can also return to it, continue it, update it, etc. Feel free to share it with the architect you are working with on your project !

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This form was drafted by members of the Inter’Act laboratory at the University of Liège, with funding from the National Fund for Scientific Research. The researchers, acting in complete neutrality, set out to study how architects and their clients interact on a daily basis. Inter’Act offers you a tool designed to facilitate communication and mutual understanding. This document has no contractual value and is not binding on any of the parties.

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