Architect Comparison Tool - Waseelah Ansari Associates

A few details about you.

Full Name

Email

Mobile Number

Country

What is the nature of your project?

New construction

Renovation or addition

Interior fit-out only

What type of property is it?

Residential

Commercial

Mixed-use

Which architects are you comparing?

Add at least two — up to 5. Use whatever name you'll recognise: the firm, or the person you met.

Architect 1

Architect 2

Score each architect.

Score every item for each architect: 3 if they gave a clear, confident answer; 2 if the answer was mostly complete but missing some detail; 1 if the answer was vague; 0 if they couldn't answer or avoided the question.

If you didn't cover an item with an architect, leave it unscored. A 0 counts against the architect; an unscored item doesn't count at all — it's left out of that architect's total, so their percentage rests only on what you actually asked. That's why each architect shows their own "points possible" figure.

Tap a selected score again to clear it back to “Not rated”.

Item	Architect 1	Architect 2	Architect 3	Architect 4	Architect 5
Vet the Architect (Credibility)
Licensing verification PCATP registration confirmed (Pakistan) / local licensing-body registration confirmed (international).	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Portfolio review Ask to see completed projects similar in scale and type to yours — built work with photos from multiple stages, not just render images. A firm's best-looking renders don't tell you how their finished buildings actually turned out.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Talk to past clients Ask for two or three references and actually call them, not just look at testimonials on a website. Ask former clients specifically: did the project finish close to the original timeline and budget, and would they hire this architect again.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Professional liability insurance (design-only firms) Ask whether the architect carries professional liability insurance. It's what protects you if a design error causes a real problem after construction. Not yet universal among Pakistan-based design-only practices — a missing answer here is a fair question to raise, not automatically a dealbreaker.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Set Clear Terms (Engagement)
Fee-structure clarity Get the fee structure in writing before work starts — lump sum, percentage of construction cost, or hourly — and confirm what's included (site visits, revisions, approvals liaison) versus billed separately.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Communication process Ask how often you'll receive updates and through what channel. A defined cadence heads off the most common client complaint about architects: silence.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Timeline realism Ask for a stage-by-stage schedule (concept, design development, approvals, tender, construction drawings), not just a single end date.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Who actually does the work Larger firms often send a senior partner to the first meeting, but a junior team member ends up running your project day to day. Ask directly: 'Who will I actually be talking to once we start?'	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Firm capacity A busy firm isn't necessarily a bad sign — it can mean they're good. But ask anyway: 'How many other projects are you currently running, and who's assigned to mine?' A vague answer here often predicts slow responses later.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
BIM-based design & coordination Ask whether the architect works in BIM (Building Information Modeling), not just 2D drawings — it means structural, MEP, and architectural elements are coordinated before construction starts, catching clashes on screen instead of on site. Ask to see a 3D-coordinated render, not just a flat elevation.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Confirm Project-Specific Diligence Only the group matching your project type applies. Ask your architect — this is their work to do; you're confirming it's happening.
Site survey status Ask whether a topographic/boundary survey exists or is planned before design starts.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Zoning & FAR check Ask them to confirm your plot's zoning classification and Floor Area Ratio limit before design begins.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Soil report Ask whether a geotechnical/soil investigation is planned — skipping it is a common cause of budget overruns later.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Existing-structure assessment Ask whether they'll conduct or commission a structural condition survey before finalizing any load-bearing changes.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Non-conforming-elements disclosure Tell them about any unapproved existing additions, and ask how they'll handle it in the new permit application.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Occupancy-code compliance Ask them to confirm the design will meet fire-safety and occupancy requirements for your building's use.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Accessibility Ask how the design addresses accessible access.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Parking Ask whether they've checked the local parking-ratio requirement for your building's use.	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated	0 1 2 3 Not rated
Live score	—	—	—	—	—

— = Not rated. Left out of that architect's total possible points, not counted as 0.