Decision Fatigue

Recently, during a meeting in the later stages of designing a building, we had a client say, “I can’t make all these decisions right now. Can’t we just get started and work all this stuff out during construction?” We’ve heard variations on this from other clients on projects ranging from new homes to commercial projects. These comments illustrate that people have different capacities and processes for decision-making.

The number of decisions needed to design and construct a building has multiplied exponentially over the past ten to twenty years. Increased regulation to protect public safety, protect the environment and make buildings accessible is part of the equation. The amount of technology woven into the building’s fabric also demands more planning and decisions. In addition to data, communication, security and life-safety systems, we now have the ability for our buildings to “sense” and monitor usage and adjust heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting accordingly. Overarching all this is the ever-increasing cost of materials and labor to construct a building. As it becomes harder to get financing for projects, Owners need to know exactly what a building costs as soon as possible. All of this makes swift, precise and thorough decision-making an essential part of the design process.

Decision-fatigue also manifests itself with our residential clients. Most people start with a plan book and contractor. The plan book gives them ample, but finite choices and, other than selections of flooring, cabinets and paint, they leave decisions about the methods and materials of construction up to the contractor. Architects seek to get the most value out of every aspect of a home, so we tend to examine every component of the house and ask, “Will this material or system deliver the best performance, value our aesthetic impact for our client?” We try to discern early on whether a client wants to make decisions about insulated or un-insulated crawlspace, OSB sheathing or SIS panels, 13 or 14 SEER heat pumps and so on. Many clients are satisfied to tweak the layout, get the windows in the right location, pick exterior materials, pick cabinets, plumbing fixtures, lights, flooring and paint colors and move in. Busy work and family schedules make it hard for them to handle much more.

Blue Ridge Architects works hard to balance a thorough and efficient process with the unique decision-making style of each client. We guide you through efficient decision-making by:

• Leading a collaborative process where the architect, contractor and key consultants and trades work together to make the right decision at the right time. This results in critical, accurate information for high-value decision-making early in the process

• Knowing the market -- Whether it’s commercial space to leased or building a home we know what layouts and amenities hold value over time. This produces a solid return-on-investment

• Scaling our services – We listen carefully to find out what is important to you, and provide only the services you need. If you just need a plan to get a building permit and will make decisions about finishes on your own, we price our work accordingly. If you need some conceptual ideas to take to a builder, we focus options and ideas rather than details. This minimizes the cost of our services

We believe that good decision-making is essential to good design. Crafting a customized process that is in-sync with needs and personality of our client helps Blue Ridge Architects consistently deliver projects with lasting value.