South Carolina Architects Build on Tradition

Architects Draw on the Past

South Carolina Architects bring a long a storied history to shaping the state's look and culture. Always on the cutting edge of innovation and style, South Carolina buildings from the most grandiose Antebellum Mansion to the Country Family Home has always enjoyed a worldwide reputation.

South Carolina architects are blessed to work in an environment not hampered by materials or climate. Whether it be wood, brick, stone, steel, glass or metals, the architect in South Carolina is free to create anything the client desires. Having spanned the breadth of American history and cultural changes, South Carolina architecture also has a rich and varied tradition.

The modern South Carolina Architect can draw on the past to maintain a sense of continuity while still incorporating the latest in construction and materials science for the perfect building. Whether the client wants to build a home, a business or a multi-use facility, the South Carolina architect has many tools and sources of inspiration for creating a unique and special project.

An Architect's Skills

South Carolina architects do more than just draw a fanciful profile of a new building. They also have to be:

Skilled Engineers
Contractors
Psychologists
Building Inspectors
Negotiators
Graphic Designers and Artists

Your Architect Will Guide You

It's not enough to draw up a blue print and rendering of a magnificent new contemporary store front. The building also have to be built, meet code, satisfy the demands of many detractors and above all satisfy the client.

Many times the client doesn't really know what to request, but they do know what they don't want. It's the architect's job to guide the client through the process, nudge gently in different directions and sometimes just tell the client "no."

It's easy to want a long, flowing suspended staircase descending three floors to a magnificent foyer; it's something else do it on a budget of a few thousand dollars. Sometimes it just can't be done, and it's the architect's job to provide the client with the counsel making the decision more palatable.

Rules, Regulations and Architectural Design

Architects must also be familiar with all the South Carolina local laws, regulations, and zoning ordinances where the building will go up. It's great to design the perfect structure only to find out it's six inches too big to meet a zoning restriction. Also, South Carolina architects must understand building concepts and construction methods.

Again, building something too big or too intricate to be built economically and safely can ruin any exceptional design. The South Carolina architect is well versed in the sciences of stress, load, wind resistance,(very important during South Carolina's six-month hurricane season), and even earthquake dynamics. Many South Carolina residents don't realize one of the major North American earthquake faults lies right through the Low country.

A quake in 1886 almost completely destroyed Charleston and Summerville. Although the Richter Scale did not exist in the 19th Century, geologists have used evidence to calculate that the quake exceeded San Francisco's devastating tremor in 1906. Architects building in South Carolina are keenly aware of these potential perils to what they design.

Bricks For Building - Considering the Building Blocks

When a South Carolina architect designs for any client, the advantages and limitations of any material must be taken into account. Brick is a plentiful and versatile material for exterior and interior spaces. Brick comes in all colors, shapes and fire resistant specifications.

Brick is also heavy and can be labor and time intensive to install. It can weight on a structure over six stories tall, making the building susceptible to high winds. Brick is also a great insulator. It can do wonders keeping a home warm in the winter absorbing the day time sun and radiating heat during the night. The drawback is brick continues doing this in the summer, having an impact on the ability to cool the building and keep it comfortable.

Wood Has Flexibility - Needs Maintenance and Upkeep

Wood is another material South Carolina has in abundance. Soft pine and rock-hard oak grow in both tree farms and virgin stands all across the state. South Carolina architects have used wood as a primary structural and decorative building component long before Europeans arrived over 300 years ago.

Native American towns existed in South Carolina for thousands of years built almost solely of wood and thatch. Wood's versatility and natural beauty can highlight any home's facade, floors, ceiling or oak-paneled walls. Wood, though, can also succumb to the ravages of South Carolina's wet and vicious weather. Although spared the harshest of winter snow and ice, rain, and more rain can ruin the sturdiest of woods.

Humidity and sun can also bake and mildew wood beyond repair. The humid warm temperatures are also a blessing to wood's greatest enemy: termites. Wood's need for steady maintenance means regular costs for the owner.

Architects Consider Metals for Revolutionary Structures

Metal components are revolutionizing building design and construction in South Carolina. Architects must constantly review professional journals and have continuing education to stay abreast of the latest alloys, shapes and uses for different metals. Although buildings for centuries used metal nails, fasteners and door hinges, the Industrial Revolution make metal building structures both plentiful and affordable.

Incorporating steel beams and girders into the design allows architects to go higher and baggier. Steel trusses of unimaginable lengths allow for great open spaces under roofs measured in acres, not feet. That sweeping flying stair case the client wanted? Maybe something in aluminum and steel will allow the architect to meet the challenge.

Also, windows, doors, flooring, ventilation ducts, utility installation and decorative features can all be created with metal options. Now the architect even has the availability of metal roofing to replace older-style shingle or tiles. The only disadvantage to metal building materials and construction is tradition and client preferences.

Many South Carolina home owners especially feel their new house should be a masterpiece of tradition and classic values. The architect may have a long way to go convincing someone to build their dream house with metal beams, roofing and window frames. It's not a matter of what's best but of what's expected.

Today's Southern Architect Has Many Choices and Options

What makes the South Carolina architect's profession so challenging in the 21st Century, are the myriad of available choices. It's easy to go too far incorporating all the latest gadgets and techniques with a new building. Occasionally, the South Carolina architect must step back and rethink a design because it's not meeting the client's desires.

When a client wants a classic French revival-style manor home with 3,500 square feet of living space, the architect can't design a contemporary glass-and-brass showpiece. It may be spectacularly beautiful and perfect for the building's location, but it doesn't meet the client's wishes. As any architect will say, half the struggle is making the client happy.

The Client Has Responsibilities, Too

The client wishing to build in South Carolina must also be able to clearly and openly discuss the building with the Architect. This doesn't mean the client needs the skills and knowledge of the architect. The client may not know the difference between Greek Revival and Victorian Gothic. It's not important to know the terms, just the intention.

First of all, every client must know how much to spend. The architect can't work within a nonexistent budget. Secondly, the client must know the use for the building. The new South Carolina building is not just a house, a store, or an auto garage, it's also going to have to meet certain expectations. Will the house be for a family? Does the client expect to entertain? Will the business handle walk in customers or be a service center for employees only?

All these factors can lead the architect in different directions. Also, the client may say, "I saw Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and like that raised-up elegant style." Now the architect has to translate the imagery of a Low country plantation house to a workable, affordable and most importantly, buildable design.

The Architect - Client Relationship

When the Architect and the Client work together well, the results can be beautiful and functional. The architect brings both experience, imagination, and technical knowledge to the client and the client provides both the inspiration and the finances making the Dream real.