RAsP – RESEARCH FOR ARCHITECTS IN small PRACTICE
If our mission is to support our members and raise the profile of our industry, we need research into the issues that affect small practice architects – what are the challenges we face, and what is the unique role and importance of small practice in Australia? RAsP aims to fill this gap. Research for Architects in Small Practice (RAsP) is a crowdfunded research program led by ArchiTeam. “We believe that building a research fund of this kind will send a strong message that small practice architects need to be acknowledged and counted for in the design of our cities.” Peter Raisbeck, ArchiTeam funding research for architects in small practice
What is RAsP?
Research for Architects in Small Practice (RAsP) is a crowdfunded research program led by ArchiTeam. RAsP’s first research topic is: “Do small practice architect designed renovations improve capital gains in the Melbourne residential property market?” We want to examine the financial impact small practice architects have on the properties they are so integral to transforming. We believe our skills as architects translates into increased financial return when it comes to property on-sell. But does it? If it does we’ll have a much stronger case to put to our clients, to industry and to government. If it doesn’t, we can ask why not? And what might need to change if this is to become one of our key measures of performance? As small architects, we’re too busy with the daily challenges of running a practice to consider these essential measures that underpin our success in this profession, but as a collective, we can make it happen. ‘Small practices contribute much to Australian cities. Small practices believe in design, the elegance of details, and, more often than not, the hopes of local communities. The influence and impact of small practice is everywhere in our cities and suburbs” – Peter Raisbeck, ArchiTeam funding research for architects in small practice
RAsP 1 was successfully funded through a crowdfunding campaign in late 2018
https://www.pozible.com/project/make-the-case-for-architecture
Small practice architecture needs your support
Every year it seems to get harder to get traction, harder to find work and keep it ticking along, and even harder to maintain rewarding practices in a culture that seems to expect high-value architecture without investing in the work it takes to create it. We want to change this. We want to create a body of research that explores and quantifies the value of our industry. Imagine if you could say to prospective clients:
- Did you know that small practice architect-designed renovations increase property values by x%?
- Did you know that you could recoup my fee xfold when you sell this property?
With data, we can demonstrate small practice architecture’s value; we can quantify its relevance. We can understand more about the issues that affect our work, its impact, and provide our industry with targeted research. Research for Architects in Small Practice (RAsP) aims to do this work for all of us. For less than one small renovation fee, we can achieve the first research project in this game-changing initiative for our industry. Our first research topic will be about the financial return of our work, but the next? That’s up to you.