A4 Spotlight: The Value of Experience

by | Oct 8, 2025 | Architectural Design, Articles, Newport Spotlight, Project Spotlight

Andrea Palladio / Villa Rotunda (1571 Vicenza, Italy)
What qualities should you look for in an architect? The decision to embark on a building project, whether for a home or a commercial space, is a significant undertaking filled with countless choices and potential challenges. While it may be tempting to select an architect based solely on cost, the wisdom of choosing an individual with significant experience is an investment that generally yields substantial returns. An experienced architect brings a deep well of knowledge, allowing them to anticipate and circumvent costly mistakes while applying years of acquired expertise to the project’s benefit.

Le Corbusier / Villa Savoye (1931 Poissy, France)

One of the most valuable assets an experienced architect possesses is the ability to preemptively avoid errors. A seasoned professional has encountered a wide range of problems, from navigating complex zoning laws and building codes to addressing unforeseen structural issues. This foresight enables them to design with efficiency and compliance in mind from the very beginning, thereby preventing costly mid-project redesigns, material waste, and construction delays. By identifying potential pitfalls before they become tangible problems, they safeguard the project’s budget and timeline, ensuring a smoother, less stressful experience for the client.

Frank Lloyd Wright / The Fallingwater ( 1936, Millrun, PA)

Furthermore, an architect with many years of practice has a rich portfolio of solutions and insights. They have learned from previous successes and failures, accumulating a wealth of practical knowledge on everything from sustainable materials to effective spatial planning. This experience enables them to draw on a vast mental library of case studies, applying proven design principles to new challenges. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they can offer innovative yet reliable solutions that enhance the building’s functionality, aesthetics, and long-term value. This is not just about avoiding mistakes but actively building upon a foundation of proven success, resulting in a more refined and enduring final product.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe / Barcelona Pavilion (1929 Barcelona, Spain)

An experienced architect is far more than a designer; they are a strategic partner and a risk manager. Their value is not just in the beautiful plans they create, but in the extensive knowledge they use to guide a project from conception to completion. By leveraging their ability to foresee problems and apply a lifetime of learned wisdom, clients can ensure their projects are not only completed successfully but also elevated by the insight and expertise that only true experience can provide.

I.M Pei / Louvre Pyramid (1989 Paris, France)

If one looks back in history, very frequently, most architects do some of their best work later in life. Both Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson continued to practice architecture past their 100th birthdays. Noted architects like Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe, Andea Palladio and I.M. Pei only achieved real notoriety later in life, after long and intense careers producing architecture at a relatively small scale.
Architectural services are not a commodity any more than open-heart surgery. The better trained and more experienced an architect you engage, the more likely your project will be a success. If you have a New England building project in mind and would like to benefit from engaging an architect with more than three decades of professional experience, we hope you will reach out to A4 Architecture to assist you in completing it to the highest quality possible at your respective budget.

Ross Cann / Private Residence

Ross Sinclair Cann, AIA, LEED AP, is a historian, educator, author, and practicing architect living and working in Newport for A4 Architecture and is Founding Chairman of the Newport Architectural Forum. He holds honors degrees in Architecture and Architectural History from Yale, Cambridge, and Columbia Universities, teaches in the Circle of Scholars program at Salve Regina, and has been a licensed architect since 1992, bringing more than thirty years of professional experience to every project.