Real estate development

Abstract

Almost all the commercial buildings in Central Wellington are supposed to be architect-designed. But architects are not the people chiefly responsible for the present central city environment. This is because the developers, who initiate most of the building projects, do not normally introduce architects until most of the critical decisions regarding what, when and where to build have already been made. In this report, I investigate the development process through direct consultations with some property developers and investors in Wellington and then outline the process in sufficient detail for an architect to begin to understand the essential requirements for participation in the process. The aim of this investigation is to explore possible roles for an architect, which may have positive effects upon the existing development process. My conclusions are that there are strong justifications for earlier and more participation of architects in the development process and it should not be too difficult for an architect to acquire the necessary skills to do so.