“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

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.

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. Please pledge to RAsP. Without the support of our community, it is very unlikely RAsP will gain the funding it needs to go ahead.

'"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

How will the research work?

This first topic is a joint research project between ArchiTeam, the Melbourne School of Design, and Senior lecturer in Architectural Design Practice at the University of Melbourne, Dr Peter Raisbeck. We’re aiming for the research to be completed 14 weeks after the project has commenced.

The research will involve a descriptive, comparative, quantitative analysis of two data pools. One pool will be based on sale data from architect-designed houses, and the other will contain sale data from non-architect designed houses. The data from each pool will be aggregated, analysed, and compared. Descriptive statistics, as well as correlation and regression analysis, will be employed to compare the two pools. For more information about the research process, please contact Dr Peter Raisbeck via ArchiTeam: (03) 9329 0033. 

Early research results and analysis will be made available to the ArchiTeam board and ArchiTeam members, then released to the broader public.

Dr Peter Raisbeck and ArchiTeam will conduct a Continuing Professional Development session presenting the research findings at the conclusion of the project.

Further RAsP research topics will come through consultation with ArchiTeam members. Initial research themes around legal issues, client demographics, and business models, have been discussed.

Thank you!

Thank you to the generous supporters of RAsP:  
Daylesford Long House, Melbourne Architours, Coy Yiontis, DADo, Open House Melbourne, and Studio Worldwide.

About ArchiTeam

Founded in 1991, ArchiTeam Cooperative is a membership association for Australian architects working in small, medium and emerging practices. We’ve been around for over 25 years but we’re undergoing a growth spurt as the unique role and importance of small practice is recognised in the design industry. ArchiTeam is democratically run by members, for members. Every member is encouraged to play an active part in shaping our organisation. With over 600+ members, we are the leading dedicated voice of Australia’s small architectural practices.

We need to raise $27,820 (including gst) in total for this first RAsP research project to proceed. ArchiTeam will make an initial pledge of $5,000. The balance ($22,820) we hope to raise through crowdfunding.

Pledges raised from contributors will not be processed until the target amount ($22,820) is achieved. If the project doesn’t reach the target amount within the time limit, no pledges will be processed, and RAsP will receive no funds. If RAsP reaches its funding target, the pledges will be processed.

RAsP funds will be administered by ArchiTeam, who will sponsor appropriate researchers where required, to undertake the RAsP program research. For this first research topic, we have elected to work with the Melbourne School of Design and Dr Peter Raisbeck.

Funds raised will principally cover employment of the researcher (Dr Peter Raisbeck), a research assistant, and any fees required to access relevant data. Pozible service fees (5%) and merchant transaction fees (1.75%+30¢) will also be deducted. 50% of the funds will be made available on commencing the research, with the balance made available upon completion.

As the research program continues, further funding will be required. Funds required for each research topic will be dependent on the scope of the work required. RAsP aims to accomplish one research topic per year.

If you have any questions about the funding or budget, please contact Rosemary Ross, former director of ArchiTeam and RAsP coordinator at ArchiTeam: (03) 9329 0033.

If we don’t achieve our crowdfunding goal of $22,820, RAsP will not proceed.

If we over achieve our $22,820 crowdfunding goal, extra funds will be put towards the next RAsP research topic.