Design plus construction. Not just drawings.
When you're planning a home, you'll be offered drawings from a draftsperson, designs from a building designer, or architecture from a registered architect.
They are not the same thing — and the difference shapes your entire project.
What a registered architect actually does
A registered architect doesn't just produce drawings. They act as the lead consultant on your project — coordinating engineers, planners, and builders, resolving technical complexity, and making sure the design actually gets built the way it was intended.
Becoming a registered architect requires 6+ years of accredited university study, supervised professional experience, formal registration with the ARBV, and ongoing professional development. That training exists because the decisions made during design have significant financial and long-term consequences for the people who live in the homes.
How the three options compare
Different providers offer different levels of involvement. Here's what that typically means for your project.
Draftperson
Produces drawings to your brief
No design input
Builder interprets the detail
You manage coordination
Lower upfront cost, highly likely variations and surprises on site
Building Designer
Same Registration as Draftperson
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Design input and drawings
Limited construction coordination
Variable documentation quality
Mid-range cost, highly likely variations and surprises on site
Akasne Architects
Full design + construction coordination
Registered architect — ARBV
Climate-aware, passive solar design from day one
Comprehensive documentation — fewer builder questions
One architect, start to finish
Good design, when done properly, costs less than fixing bad design later.
How we manage your build
Getting you the right builder
We prepare a full tender package and issue it to pre-qualified builders — so you receive accurate, competitive quotes rather than ballpark figures.
We review every quote, flag discrepancies, and advise on selection. You go into contract with confidence, not uncertainty.
Keeping the build on track
Once construction starts, we manage your contract — approving progress milestones, overseeing quality, coordinating consultants, and handling variations.
When something changes on site, you have an advocate who understands both the design intent and the construction reality.
What Akasne brings to your project
We combine the full expertise of a registered architecture practice with hands-on construction experience and climate-aware design thinking.
In practice, that means your project gets resolved early — orientation, solar access, documentation, and buildability are addressed at the design stage, not discovered during construction. Your builder receives clear, coordinated drawings. You receive fewer surprises, fewer variations, and a home that performs the way it was designed to.