Overall Architectural Business Organization (PcM) (PjM)

Although there are many architectural firms in the United States, a very low percentage of them could be described as large. Well over eighty percent have less than ten employees. Architectural firms with more than a hundred licensed architects on staff, are just about non-existent.

Given this industry preponderance for small, start-up, entrepreneurial enterprises, we examine here the way these firms are structured. How to properly set up an architectural firm should be a source of good information.

The most basic of decisions will involve the legal structure of the organization you will establish. That choice will determine risks you will be taking, the direction future growth will take, how liability will be allocated, and even which laws will be used to govern your practice.

My hope is that the following information will be a good starting point for your deliberations.

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

• Discuss strategies to use to thrive with a small architectural firmIdentify common methodologies used in organizing architectural firms
• Differentiate between the basic legal structures used to establish businesses
• Recognize the tax and liability implications in forming different types of business organizations
• Interpret regulations and laws governing employers
• Explain different means of charging for design services

Paul Spite, BS, BA
AFD Consulting, Founder and Principal

Paul is a Registered Architect with over forty years of experience, a course developer and has been a teacher in multiple venues in the past. He is also a writer in many venues, having developed many studies, a few published articles, numerous short stories, multiple screenplays, two non-fiction manuals for church design and one novel. More to the focus of this endeavor, Paul has also created presentations for twenty-six lunch and learn presentations for building material manufacturers, webinars covering the subjects of Aging-in-Place and Architectural Acoustics and eleven distance learning courses for architects, engineers and contractors. As he nears retirement from managing his small architectural practice, Paul hopes to focus even more of his energy on teaching and on course development.