Four Walls Architecture Stress The Importance of Choosing the Right Materials for Building

An often-overlooked aspect to beginning a new construction project is the selection of materials that will be used to complete the design. Selecting the proper materials for a new design is only half the battle; it takes effective communication and comprehensive planning to ensure the success of a new building. Amy Hendry of Four Walls Architecture asserts that architects have a particular skill base in assessing materials for their suitability for projects, with their criteria including suitability for the location, cost, aesthetic, buildability (how easy they are to build with), performance over the life of the building and maintenance. And, of course and quite rightly, sustainability is becoming a bigger and bigger decision-making factor these days – how is a material made/recycled/transported?

There are so many materials available these days and there is a heap of marketing that goes with them, which can be very confusing for a client. As Amy says, “Our worst nightmare is a  client that goes to the Home Show – stall after stall of some products that are great, and some that are downright dodgy – a client can’t necessarily discern between them!”  An architect has the knowledge, skill, and history in the industry to judge materials based on construction merits, rather than the glossy brochure, and they ask suppliers for technical information which they can then apply to a particular project to see if the material is suitable.

Selecting the appropriate materials to use in the design of an upcoming project can significantly affect many aspects of the construction process, and in order to avoid unnecessary problems down the road, architects should take the time to consider several factors in regards to the materials selected for their upcoming design as nothing can cause commotion and frustration among architects, engineers and clients like a debate about the cost of materials.

If the planned structure is located in an area with corrosive environments, additional considerations must be taken during the material selection process and architects need to be aware of materials that can become corroded and omit these from their plans, or utilise paints and other protective coatings that can reduce corrosion over time.

Architects who are responsible for choosing the tools used to produce a new building must be in constant communication with the engineers working on the task as, with effective communication, engineers can get a better feel for the end goal of the project and can offer valuable advice on materials that the architect may not be aware of.

Amy and her team at Four Walls Architecture take all these factors into consideration on all their projects, so for further information please go to https://www.fourwallsarchitecture.co.nz