I have witnessed my fair share of absolutely chaotic situations arising from miscommunication between the contractor and architect. One project in particular that I remember the best to prove that point is of a massive restaurant being built inside a mall in Malmo, Sweden. In this situation the contractor and the architect didn’t speak to each other until construction was under way. Only then did they realize that a lot of the plans the architect had, were simply not feasible. That’s when the finger pointing began. Meeting after meeting the two went at it to make sure that the blame got put on the other guy.

So whose fault is it? Is the architect responsible for contacting the contractor to see what he/she can do with the designs? Or should the contractor make sure from the beginning that the architect isn’t doing something completely out of this world? The truth is they’re both to blame.

Contractors and architects need to work together from the get-go. The contractor should be talking with the architect during the design phase to ensure his/hers ideas are actually feasible and can be done within budget. And the architect needs to be regularly present on the job site in order to ensure that the plans are being interpreted correctly. In the end they both bear the responsibility of delivering what the customer has requested, within budget, and on time. So why is it that so many contractors and architects dismiss each other? Is it because they look at things completely different and can’t agree or anything?

I want to hear from everyone on this subject. Tell me all of your views on this, and share any stories on the topic you might have.

I really hope one of these guys is the architect.
Photo by: USACE Public Affairs, found on Flickr.com

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