What Does an Architect Actually Do?
The popular image of the architect as visionary designer who sketches brilliant forms on a napkin and hands them to builders is, at best, incomplete. In practice, an architect manages a complex, multi-year process that integrates design creativity with technical rigour, regulatory navigation, and contract administration.
The RAIA Project Stages
The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA, now the Australian Institute of Architects) defines a standard set of project stages that structure an architect's work:
Stage 1: Brief and Inception The architect meets with the client to understand the project brief — what spaces are needed, how they'll be used, who will use them, and what the budget and programme constraints are. A site visit and analysis of planning and zoning constraints typically occurs at this stage. The deliverable is a written brief that client and architect agree on before design begins.
Stage 2: Concept Design Working from the brief, the architect develops initial design concepts — massing, orientation, spatial organisation, relationship to the site and street. This stage involves sketches, diagrams, and often physical or digital models. Client sign-off at concept stage is critical: changes made here cost far less than changes made at documentation stage.
Stage 3: Design Development The concept is resolved into a more detailed design. Structural, hydraulic, and electrical consultants are typically engaged at this stage, and their inputs are coordinated into the developing drawings. Materials and finishes are selected. Window and door schedules are drafted. The design becomes buildable in principle.
Stage 4: Construction Documentation This is often the most time-consuming stage. The architect produces a full set of tender-grade drawings, specifications, and schedules from which a builder can accurately price and construct the project. Good construction documentation is the single most important factor in avoiding expensive variations during construction.
Stage 5: Building Permit The architect appoints or assists in appointing a Registered Building Surveyor (RBS) and lodges permit documentation. The RBS reviews the drawings for NCC compliance and issues the building permit. The architect responds to any queries or requests for additional information.
Stage 6: Tender Completed documentation is issued to a shortlist of builders for competitive tender. The architect assists the client in reviewing tender submissions, assessing builder qualifications, and recommending a preferred contractor. The ABIC or other construction contract is executed.
Stage 7: Construction Administration During construction, the architect makes regular site visits, reviews shop drawings and builder submissions, responds to Requests for Information (RFIs), assesses and certifies progress payment claims, and manages variations. This is the stage where the architect acts as contract administrator — an impartial certifier holding both the client and builder to the contract terms.
Stage 8: Practical Completion The architect inspects the completed work, prepares a defects list, and certifies practical completion once defects are rectified. The occupancy permit is obtained from the RBS.
Fee Structures
Architects charge for their services in three main ways:
- Percentage of construction cost: typically 8–15% for full residential service, providing a fee that scales with project complexity
- Fixed fee by stage: agreed at outset, providing cost certainty for the client
- Hourly rate: typically $150–$250 per hour for principal time, used for limited scope engagements, variations to agreed scope, or feasibility work
Most residential projects use a combination — a fixed fee for design stages, with construction administration charged on an hourly or monthly basis once the construction programme is confirmed.