Architects can save brokers time and money in the leasing process.

In today's competitive real estate industry, wasted time means wasted money. With the role of a real estate broker continually taking on new demands, brokers are expected to respond quickly and deliver knowledgeable answers to every client's leasing dilemma, in addition to the day-to-day responsibilities of completing transactions.

Finding the time and resources to provide each client with the attention and information they need can often become overwhelming. But there is a solution: by bringing on an architecture firm to assist with the leasing process, space is identified more easily, transactions are completed more efficiently, and most importantly, time (and money) is saved.

As an architect and founding partner of Tuller/McNealus/Feld Interiors, Inc., I learned first-hand how both architects and brokers can save time and increase productivity by working together as a cohesive team. By joining forces, a broker and an architect can deliver fast, professional solutions to any leasing dilemma.

For instance, an architect can assist a broker in determining the exact amount of space a company truly needs. Instead of basing a search on estimates (such as the industry standard of 250 square feet per employee), an architect can develop a more accurate figure based on research and planning programs. By researching the hierarchy of an organization, the type of seating or work station programmed for employees and the amount of support space needed (reception area, conference rooms, computer rooms, mail rooms, etc.), an architect can accurately estimate the square-footage required.

Mandating more space for a company with large computer or office equipment or cutting down on space for a company that does not require many executive offices are just some of the deciding factors that can influence space requirements. The result: the broker is able to save time by narrowing his or her search accordingly to specific spaces and buildings that meet the programming requirements.

Once the size requirement has been determined, an architectural firm further assists a broker by defining comprehensive client program requirements. This step enables the broker to pinpoint only the best, most appropriate space options in the correct size and location. By interviewing the tenant organization, an architect may discover that the client needs many windowed executive offices in their 20,000 square-foot space. Knowing that the building must have a high window to floor ratio, an experienced architect can immediately exclude long, narrow, single floors, which cannot provide sufficient windows. Time and effort are automatically saved by zeroing in on properties that match the client's exact needs.

Once the search is focused, the space just may not "show" well to a particular tenant. In some cases, the perspective tenant may not be able to visualize what a demolished space would look like when it is built-out or, conversely, what a built-out space would look like after it is demolished and re-built to programmed specifications.

This is when an architect's expertise again comes into play. A talented architect can provide floor plans which help clients visualize the space in the appropriate layout. Floor plans enable a potential tenant to "see" how the space would look with desks, offices, conference rooms and other office equipment in place. Whether the broker and architect decide on genetic floor plans to fit a variety of uses or specific floor plans catered to an individual client, both types of plans enable a client to better imagine their company in the space - and visualize their firm's relocation.

Floor plans can not only assist a potential client, but also brokers representing landlords or building owners. Architects skilled in the commercial real estate world are able to create floor plans that help show the space to its best advantage. These floor plans, whether posted on the wall of leasable space or handed to potential tenants, become a valuable marketing tool.

Once the search process is over and a site is selected, the final stages of negotiating a lease begin - and the architect can again be a valuable team member. Although signing the lease can be just as nerve-wracking as the search process, an architect can assist by reviewing the lease for a client or building owner. By educating all parties involved to the total cost of a new space - filing fees, construction costs, professional fees, telephone installation costs, furniture costs, etc. - both the broker and client are armed with a solid idea of the necessary relocation budget for the deal.

Among the array of other services an architect can provide are: field surveying for leasing purposes and area verification; assisting building owners in developing a tenant workletter; and transferring old drawings, blue prints and building department records onto a computerized system, CADD (computer animated drafting and design), for easy retrieval.

From start to finish, the leasing process is easier and more efficient when utilizing the services of both a broker and an architect. The goal of every broker is to deliver to the client the best deal possible, and with the services of an architectural firm, that's exactly what the client will get.