For professionals · Developers

Architects for developers: from feasibility to handing over the keys

We study what can be built, draw up the project, obtain the planning permission and manage the works through to first occupation.

What we solve

An architecture team for the whole development

From the first figures to the last certificate, with registered architects who sign and are accountable for the project.

Feasibility studies

Before you buy a plot or a building, we analyse the buildable area, the permitted uses and the possible number of homes, with an estimate of the construction cost.

New build and extensions

New buildings, additional storeys and extensions that make use of unused buildable area, with planning permission and site management.

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Change of use of a building

Projects to change the main use of an entire building, for example from offices or industrial to residential.

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Major rehabilitations

Full rehabilitation of existing buildings for sale or rent, including energy and structural upgrades.

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Horizontal division

Survey drawings, floor areas and ownership shares, plus the technical documentation to divide the building into independent units.

Completion and first occupation

Final completion certificate, first-occupation certificates and energy certificates for each home, so they can be handed over and sold.

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How we work

In phases, so you decide with full information

You can commission just the feasibility study and decide afterwards whether we continue with the project.

1. Feasibility

What can be built, how many homes fit and an initial estimate of the construction cost.

2. Basic design

To apply for planning permission and define the product: floor areas, layout and number of units.

3. Construction design

With drawings and quantity measurements to request quotes from several contractors.

4. Site management

We supervise the works and coordinate with the site manager until completion.

5. Handover

Final completion certificate, horizontal division, first-occupation certificates and energy certificates.

From the first figures

Architects for developers from the feasibility study onwards

The outcome of a development is decided before the plot is bought. Working with architects for developers from the feasibility study tells you how many homes fit, how much floor area you will be able to sell and what construction cost to plan for, before you commit the investment.

Afterwards, the same team draws up the project, obtains the planning permission and manages the works. Decisions taken at the start carry through intact to handover, and you avoid changes of approach between phases, one of the most common causes of delays and cost overruns.

The image shows our study for eco terraced houses in Mollet del Vallès: courtyard houses built dry with cross-laminated timber.

Eco terraced houses with a larch timber façade, a Kaitek project, architects for developers
Study for eco terraced houses in Mollet del Vallès: larch timber façade and courtyards enclosed by concrete walls.

Projects

New build, extension and rehabilitation: reference projects

Three projects that show how we work as architects for developers: buildings that grow upwards, industrialised housing and the rehabilitation of entire blocks.

Duplex penthouse with a planted terrace in the extension of an apartment building in Solsona

Extension of an apartment building in Solsona

Full rehabilitation of an apartment building with a new lift and a duplex penthouse with a lightweight CLT timber structure: a 321 m² project. See project →

Two-storey precast concrete house prototype in Creixell

Precast concrete house prototype in Creixell

A minimal, industrialised two-storey single-family home: a 6 × 6 × 6 metre precast concrete cube on a sloping plot. See project →

Public housing blocks in Can Vilardell, Terrassa, during the energy retrofit

Energy retrofit in Can Vilardell, Terrassa

Design and site management of the energy retrofit of three public housing blocks, commissioned by the Catalan Housing Agency (Agència de l’Habitatge de Catalunya) and awarded through a public tender. See project →

Where we work

Projects throughout Catalonia

As architects for developers, we take on projects throughout Catalonia from our practice in Barcelona: new builds, extensions, changes of use and the rehabilitation of entire buildings.

Why Kaitek

Experience in design and construction

  • More than 20 years of experience in design and site management.
  • Registered architects in charge: Sergio Sanz (COAC registration no. 63,249) and Pau Martínez (registration no. 55,403 with the COAC) sign the projects.
  • Large-scale work: design and site management of the energy retrofit of three public housing blocks in Can Vilardell (Terrassa), awarded through a public tender.
  • Innovation in housing: precast concrete house prototype in Creixell.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about architects for developers

Yes. You can commission it separately before buying and decide afterwards whether we continue with the project.

Yes. We take on projects throughout Catalonia.

No: we are architects, not a building contractor. With the project in hand we request quotes from several contractors for you to choose from, and we manage the works.

Yes. We prepare the technical documentation for the horizontal division and, when the works are finished, the final completion certificate and the certificates for each home.

We review the planning rules in force, the buildable area and the permitted uses, calculate how many homes fit and how much floor area can be sold, and make an initial estimate of the construction cost. With that information you can decide whether the purchase fits your operation.

Because the architect works for the developer: they define the product, draw up a project with quantity measurements so you can compare quotes from several contractors and, during the works, check that what was contracted is what gets built.

Yes. We review the study you have and, if necessary, complete it before drawing up the basic design and applying for planning permission.

We can start with the address or the cadastral reference. If you have the land registry extract, a topographical survey or drawings of the existing building, they help us refine the study from day one.

We work as architects for developers of every size: from someone buying a building to rehabilitate it and divide it into homes to multi-phase new-build developments.

Related

Find out more

Are you looking at a plot or a building?

Send us the address or the cadastral reference and we will tell you how we would approach it. If you would like to send us documents, email them to info@kaitekarquitectura.com.