Assembling a Dream Team for your New Building
Getting a building off the ground takes teamwork. While an architect can help advise on the right engineering consultants to hire for the design team, a building owner often needs to assemble their own committee.
Deciding WHO is on a building committee and HOW decisions are made is critical to organizing an effective group. When it comes to building committees, SOA has seen great examples of groups that were able to work smoothly and efficiently, and we have also seen some groups flounder, unable to make timely decisions.
We compiled our observations and suggestions in a recent E-Booklet “Assembling a Building Committee.” This quick read is especially helpful to a client that is new to the design process and in a position of formulating a building committee for the first time.
The E-Booklet covers a number of topics, but some quick tips include:
- Limit the Committee Size: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos suggests that if a meeting can’t be fed with two pizzas, then there are too many people in the meeting! SOA has found smaller groups can frequently come to a decision faster than larger groups. As a result, we try to be strategic about which consultants are invited to which design meetings, to get the right level of information at the right time.
- Communicate beyond the Committee: Limiting the size of a committee does NOT mean a committee must operate secretively or without input from a wider group. SOA has helped groups gather information (via surveys and focus groups) and disseminate information (via design images and diagrams, or newsletters). A small building committee does not need to be an isolated one.
If you are assembling a building committee for the first time, then you might find our other e-booklets helpful. Check out SOA’s Resources webpage for information on “getting your project ducks in a row.”
Featured Resource
Programming: Making a Building Wish List
"Getting your Ducks in a Row" E-booklet 1
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