The Benefits of Hiring an Architect Local to Park City
If building a ski lodge in the Park City, Utah area has been a dream of yours for years, and you’re finally ready to take the plunge, your first step is hiring an architect. With so many choices, we recommend hiring one local to the Park City area, and Sparano + Mooney is a great choice.
Hiring an architect local to Park City is a smart move, as local firms bring things to the table that out-of-town firms do not. And while those other firms still have things to offer, having a local connection just can't be beat.
Park City Urban Ski Residence. Photography courtesy Sparano + Mooney Architecture
LOCAL FIRMS KNOW LOCAL LAND
If you hire your architect first, you won’t have a piece of land picked out or purchased yet. A local firm can offer advice on the best places in Park City to build. A lot of local firms have connections with builders and real estate agents as well, and you could get a leg up on the most desirable properties currently on the market.
Along those same lines, locally architects know how to use the plot of land you choose to maximum design advantage. They understand how the local environment plays into accomplishing your design goals. An out-of-town firm may not have that level of understanding of the local Utah environment.
LOCAL FIRMS KNOW LOCAL REGULATIONS
When it comes time to start the design phase, there are going to be local and state regulations to consider. An out-of-town firm based elsewhere in Utah may be completely familiar with state regulations and still lack knowledge of regulations local to Park City. This could make an enormous difference.
LOCAL FIRMS KNOW LOCAL RESOURCES
Next, local firms are intimately familiar with the resources available to them. For instance, mountain modern architecture is big in the Park City area. One of the more important aspects of mountain modern is sourcing local materials whenever possible. Building with local materials ensures that a home appears to flow from the surrounding environment rather than having been placed in it.
As local architects, we are intimately familiar with the surrounding area and the resources available to builders. We can design with that knowledge base as our foundation.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ENHANCES PASSIVE DESIGN
If you are looking for your new ski lodge to follow passive design principles, you really need a local architectural firm. The basics of passive design are consistent all across the country. However, the local environment influences passive design in subtle ways that may not be understood by out-of-town designers.
Passive design is a principle that seeks to reduce dependence on mechanical heating and cooling by utilizing what the surrounding environment has to offer. Passive design relies on an understanding of local temperatures, weather patterns, and even how the sun travels across the sky in relation to the property on which the home is being built.
LOCAL IS USUALLY BETTER
Local designers know what it's like to live here, and they fully understand the Park City environment in ways that someone who does not live here cannot. We feel that this is important to designing and building a custom home. If you are thinking of building a new home in the Park City area, we would be honored by the privilege to work with you.