GBS Architectural - London Architectural Designers

The common question is, ‘What is the difference between an Architect & Architectural Designer?’ It would be best to first deal with this question before reading ahead.

The term ‘Architect’ is protected and regulated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) & The Architectural Registration Board (ARB). As such, unless you are registered with either, you cannot use this term. . An architect will typically have undertaken many years of education and training to qualify for the title, including a degree recognized by the ARB, a year of practical work experience, and a further 2 years of full-time university courses such as BArch or MArch.
On the other hand, an architectural designer will have completed a three-year Bachelor of Architecture degree in architectural design, visual design, structural systems, and construction design to gain their qualifications.
Therefore, the term architectural designer is a broad title that can be used by any person conducting architectural services. However, unlike others, GBS Architectural is a registered practice with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT). All our architectural designers are registered members, meaning we are regulated, ensuring our clients are protected.

While both are similar, there are differences between architects and architectural designers, and knowing who the appropriate choice for your project is can help you get the results you require. An architect is typically a planning, organizational and design service that sets the tone for the entire project, while an architectural designer works alongside an architect to help bring the project to life and ensure it meets all legal codes and requirements. An architectural designer, however, has more flexibility and scope when working on a project.

Our architectural designers look to bring a modern sense of pride and energy to every project, using a genuinely collaborative design approach to ensure that we can turn clients’ design briefs into their project reality.

Our experience of designing across different styles and ethos of searching out new inspiration means each project is unique. Unlike other architectural designers, we do not operate an ‘our way or the highway’ system. Instead, we look to bring our clients into the fold early and work with other selected professionals, such as interior designs or structural engineers, to deliver satisfaction from the moment we are on board, whether it be a minor home extension or loft conversion or a larger new build or development scheme.

Successful projects capture the spirit of their surroundings and the client whilst asserting their unique identity, this balance can, at times, be challenging to achieve, but our architectural designs relish every opportunity put in front of them.

A successful project is not only visually appealing but also comfortable, flexible, secure and a pleasure to navigate; they pay their way, adding actual value for their owners and uses. GBS Architectural utilises our experience of knowing how different people will use and experience space and places to ensure that our projects remain flexible to individual needs.

The benefits of this experience can result in lower costs, bigger, more impactful designs, increased integrity, sustainability, and overall satisfaction. We achieve these results by utilising our range of skills and a passion for what we do to help bring each project to life on a case-by-case basis for optimal results every single time.

Collaboration is a guiding force here at GBS Architectural; we believe communication inside the company is critical to a successful project; ensuring that a project is viable technically early on will ensure that there are no nasty surprises for our clients later down the line during the construction, it will also ensure that a project remains on track financially which is critical to overall client satisfaction and will allow each project to maximise its potential gains. This relationship needs to include all parts to the project at hand to ensure compliance and exceptional finish from everyone involved. Developing strong relationships with contractors, architects, clients and various trades from start to finish enables us to eliminate any stumbling blocks and identify any issues before they arise.

Therefore, we provide that our architectural designers and technologists are in constant discussion early in the design phase and the technical grade. At GBS Architectural, we operate a stage-by-stage project process that works almost identically to the RIBA Stage of Works; however, we tailor it slightly to suit each project we are involved with. This allows us to manage our projects, our clients and other professionals in a logical sense whilst keeping tabs on timeframe and deliverables. Running projects this way also ensures our clients know what is expected from them in return and the appropriate time to engage other professionals to keep it moving promptly and avoid any unnecessary delays, which can, sometimes, be a significant contributor to financial losses.

Getting started correctly is, in our opinion, the most crucial influencer to a successful project; this is why our architectural designers will look to arrange an on-site during the enquiry stage; this meeting allows them to get to know you, your property and your proposals in more detail, this will build out a more details design brief which can then be used at every stage after that.

Following the initial meeting, our architectural designers will also look to meet in person during the design process to discuss proposals; it is our opinion that these face-to-face meetings allow a more effective design process and help you visualise the proposal being discussed; of course, we do always offer the option to conduct these remotely should you prefer or if the items being discussed suit that method. This allows us to increase collaboration efforts and ensures that we can build meaningful foundations to start off a fruitful relationship. To get the most from these meetings, we implore all clients to ask as many questions possible; including the benefits of using an architectural designer over architects, share all thoughts and suggestions, and be open to design and architectural input and suggestions to deliver the best results for the scope of the work.

GBS Architectural is a London-based CIAT chartered residential architecture practice with offices in Wimbledon. We specialise in handling the entire architectural process (conception, planning, technical, tendering, contract administration/project management) of all residential projects, such as house extensions, loft conversions, outbuilding designs, and bespoke residential new-build homes.

We provide a stress-free service that puts clients’ satisfaction at the forefront of our working relationship by acting as a single point of contact for our clients.

If you would like us to help you with a new or existing project, please do get in touch.