FAQ (About building design job request)

Job request.
Feel free to contact us if you are looking for a lecturer, a reporter, a designer, and a thesis writer related to architecture. Questions that are frequently asked are listed below.

Question 1. Can I still contact Matsuda Tatsu, even if I am still ambiguous about the request?
Answer 1. Feel free to contact us through telephone or e-mail even if you are not too set about your request. It will be better, if you could come over to Tatsu Matsuda's firm and see you in person. We will certainly not charge you for any fees at this stage.

Question 2. Can I make a long distance request from Kanazawa?
Answer 2. There are no worries. There might be possibilities that I will be at Kanazawa. Usually, I travel both ways from Tokyo to Kanazawa. (I will come and see you in person if the travel fee is provided).

Question 3. Can I have a discussion before owning a land property?
Answer 3. You certainly can. Matsuda Tatsu architecture design firm is capable of discussing about the acquisition of land property as well. Please bring any of related information. Our discussion might suggest you with information that are listed below: whether the land property and its cost are appropriate; circumstance of the land related to architecture; and  whether there is any land property with better condition. There are possibilities that the request from the property owner is an exorbitant price. We are not property owners, however we are capable of correctly advising you using information like current land value and area price range. Also we have relation with land property owners. Our interaction with the client from this stage will maximize the possibility of your building design.

Question 4. What do we mainly discuss in building design discussion?
Answer 4. Three basic things that we discuss are listed below; 1. your land's condition; 2. preferable budget of your building; 3. your preferable image of the building. You could bring magazine coy for the discussion (you can also take a look at the magazine in our office) or you could make any request that are on top of your mind. Understanding each other is significant in the design process. After considering numbers of conditions and your aspiration, I will supply you with numbers of possibilities that could happen on your building.

Question 5. Can I make a request other than a new building?
Answer 5. There is no design that we cannot do. We are capable of designing a domestic house, a reconstruction of a building, a shopping interior, an apartment building, a villa-house, an office building, a gallery space, and many more. We appreciate any design request. Our firm have experienced numbers of projects including; Tokyo and Kyoto urban design; and even reconstruction project on 30,000meter square sized mall. There were numbers of smaller design projects as well. Therefore, there is no worry.

Question 6. Can I take a look at beginning design stage of the building?
Answer 6. Yes, if you could provide us the environment conditions. We could provide you building models, plans, and even CG depends on your request. We are capable of sending you the beginning design stage of the building between 2 weeks to 1 month, depends on the size of the project. We will supply you with a presentation of the building design. This process could cost approximately 30,000 yen to 150,000yen. (the 100m2 housing design project costs approximately 30,000 yen). However, we will not charge you, if the request is something like volume-study (estimating the size and volume of the building considering legislation and its condition).

Question 7. What if I am strongly interested to take this to the next step?
Answer 7. We can certainly take it to the next step, if you appreciate possibilities that we provided. If this process enters into an agreement, we will subtract the amount of the beginning design fee from total planning fee. (This beginning design fee will be the down payment) This building design process will take place until both of us fully agrees on its product. During this process our firm will provide you with elevations, plans, models, interior CG and conceptual drawings until we meet your needs.

Question 8. How much is total planning fees?
Answer 8. This amount differs according to the size of the project. To give you an idea on this amount, it is usually around 10% of the total construction fees (approximately 7% to 15%). This price range is relatively similar compared to other architecture firm. To give you an idea it is around 10% of the 30,000,000 yen total construction fee. This total planning fee needs to increase for smaller projects. The standard total planning fee is set by the regulation 15th of ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism. Thus, it will be appreciated if this explains that these numbers are reasonably calculated. The planning fee's percentage calculated from total constructing fee is decided according to numbers of things like size of the building, structural method, location and typology. Furthermore, if structural calculation is necessary (usually larger projects) this structural calculation fee needs to be added on top of total construction fee.
 
Question 9. What is the difference between architects and House marker?
Answer 9. There are big difference between architects and House marker. If we explain it as a fashion; house maker is ready-made makers or prêt-a-porter, and architects are order-made or haute couture. Architects are capable of creating the building that does not exist anywhere else. Also the building that fits the client needs as well as appreciates the environment. House maker bill usually says, it does not charge much for planning fee. However, House makers charge you for commercial fees, operation fees, housing exhibition fees, as well as, invention fees. Thus, it is known that House makers charge for 30% to 40% other than construction fees. Therefore, there are numbers of other things that are being charged, even if it does not say planning fees are not charged as much. It will be appreciated, if you could understand that this 10% of planning fees charged by architecture firms are reasonable.
Us architects are always seeking and striving for creating space that are not usually capable by read-made houses. If you are interested of building your own house, please feel free to contact me. Contact information is listed above.

Question 10. How long does it take to construct a building?
Answer 10. The process of designing, planning and constructing of a new house could take approximately a year. If clients are not in hurry then we sometimes take up to a year and half. If it is renovation or reconstruction project then the process might take shorter. We will try our best to accommodate with your schedule.

Question 11. What kind of design do you create?
Answer 11. Please take a look at previous projects and housings. Architecture is always about interaction with the client. Thus, the design will be most fitting to the client. Also I would like to always strive for newer possibilities of design and architecture.

Question 12.How can I get to know you more as an architect?
Answer 12. More information on my activities, my schedules, and news are listed on the website below. It is inside-cybermetric 『Jacques Ta2』(Matsuda Tatsu's blog) . Also I have started architecture related radio with numbers of other architects since 2008. This radio mainly discusses and criticises architects, architecture, as well as city. Please feel free to listen to my radio from architect radio. r4 (first episode) and architecture radio (second episode). Also CAAK group demonstrates intra-relationship of architecture, urban, culture and art across the city. Furthermore I participate in the urban experimentalists' discussion, urban reconsideration conference. There are many more interests that I have involved have been published in numbers of other media. Thus, please take a look at that information as well.

text: Tatsu MATSUDA