Choosing the Right Team

Choosing the Right Team 

Selecting the right architectural firm and development team is probably the No. 1 battle to conquer at the onset of any design, development or construction project. Professional preferences must align, personalities need to mesh, and most importantly, the vision must be seen and expected by all. 

The loudest resounding response on this topic from industry experts has been, “Choose someone who has industry experience.” 

“As with just about anything, practice makes perfect,” says John A. Marasco, AIA, NCARB, with Marasco and Associates, Inc. “Those firms that have been in the business from its inception and have completed hundreds of like projects have a much better chance at designing it right than an inexperienced firm does. You want to find a firm at the end of the learning curve, not the beginning. In this way you can take advantage of all the mistakes they have learned from in the past.” 

Robert Carrera, president of Fort Collins, Colo.-based Pinnacle III, says that he has seen firsthand the devastation that lack of experience can inflict on a project. “I have had some bad experiences where we’ve been asked to get into a project when the developer has already been picked, the construction company has already been picked, and they have no ASC experience,” he says. “If I could make one point … even if you pick a great management group, if you have already picked a construction company that has no ASC experience, it can make the project trying.” 

And experience in “healthcare” isn’t enough. Previous experience in the outpatient surgery market — specifically — is essential for a design or management consultant, asserts William R. Massingill, AIA, NCARB, chief executive officer of Polkinghorn Group Architects, Inc. While generally offering healthcare services and while generally concerned with fundamental healthcare aspects, ASCs are designed, staffed, and utilized much differently than acute care facilities, he points out. “Thus, the client should confirm that the A/E team and development consultant retained for a project are each experienced in this outpatient industry and that each have a good track record on similar facilities for other clients. The outpatient surgery industry is a tight circle, and the A/E team and development consultant being considered for a project should be able to provide the client with a number of references who can be contacted regarding those consultants’ performance on previously designed projects.” 

Area-specific knowledge and expertise also are imperative, as many laws and standards differ throughout the country. Sam W. Burnette, AIA, senior designer/principal with Nashville, Tenn.-based Earl Swensson Associates, says you definitely want to research the firms who are licensed in your state and verify they have a good depth of experience in your state in healthcare and in ASCs specifically. “At no time should any hired design professionals go through a learning curve on your project,” he contends. 

“You also want to hire a firm with good references from your peers and other owners in the industry,” Burnette points out. “Check with the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and professional journals that list reputable firms in your region.” 

In addition, hiring a firm that is going to commit seasoned staff on your project is imperative. Burnette says you should ask to meet that staff in person to get a sense of whether there is a professional chemistry and kinship to your culture. 

“If I were hiring a firm, I would also want to hire a firm who has surrounded itself with talented consultants and doesn’t have to assemble a team.”