Choosing an architect for construction or renovation involves balancing several measurable variables: type of degree, insurance coverage, regulatory expertise, and payment method. Rather than listing generic advice, this article compares the selection criteria that produce the most significant differences between two candidates, supported by recent data.
Insurance and registration with the Order of Architects: the gaps to check first
Registration with the Order is a necessary condition to practice, but it is not enough to guarantee coverage for the project. The professional insurance certificate, renewed each year, is the document to request before signing any contract.
Recent figures illustrate the scale of the problem. In 2025, the Regional Council of the Order of Architects of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur suspended 25 architects and removed 12 for lack of insurance. This type of control exists in every region, but the results are not always made public.
| Verification | What it covers | Risk if absent |
|---|---|---|
| Registration with the Order | Right to practice, use of the title | Illegal practice, no recourse to the Order |
| Ten-year insurance certificate | Structural damages for 10 years | No compensation in case of a claim |
| Professional liability insurance certificate | Design errors, delays, faults | Long and costly legal recourse |
An architect registered with the Order but whose insurance has expired puts the project owner in a worse situation than a lack of competence: in case of a defect, no insurer will intervene. The reflex to adopt is to request the certificate dated for the current year, not the one from the previous year.
Agencies like doucerain-architecte.fr display these guarantees right from the first contact, simplifying this initial verification step.
Carbon regulation and RE2020: a technical filter for new construction
Decree No. 2024-1258 of December 30, 2024, strengthened the carbon requirements applicable to building permits submitted from January 1, 2025. This tightening concretely changes the way to design a project from the sketch phase.
An architect who integrates the constraints of RE2020 from the first drawings balances structure, materials, orientation, and energy system simultaneously. In contrast, a professional who postpones the regulatory question until the permit submission stage exposes the project to costly revisions.
What this changes in choosing an architect
During the first meeting, the professional’s ability to explain the trade-offs between load-bearing structure, bio-sourced materials, and carbon balance provides a reliable indication of their mastery of the current framework. An architect who does not spontaneously mention RE2020 for a new construction project has probably not integrated the late 2024 decree into their current practice.
The date of permit submission has become a technical selection criterion, not just an administrative one. Each regulatory threshold crossed makes the requirements stricter, and the professional must anticipate these stages from the design phase.
Energy renovation: skills different from new construction
RE2020 does not apply to standard renovations. Renovation projects fall under distinct frameworks: MaPrimeRénov’, energy savings certificates, mandatory energy audit. Since January 1, 2025, the energy audit is mandatory for E-classified homes put up for sale, with a minimum two-step work process.
This distinction has a direct consequence on the choice of architect. A professional specialized in new construction masters the RE2020 calculations but may not necessarily understand the financial arrangements related to renovation aid or the specific constraints of existing buildings (structural diagnostics, presence of asbestos, outdated networks).
- For energy renovation, check if the architect is familiar with the current aid schemes and the audit obligations that apply to the energy class of the housing.
- For a building located within the perimeter of a historic monument, an Architect of the Buildings of France (ABF) must intervene. The project architect must know how to communicate with the ABF and adapt their proposals to heritage prescriptions.
- For an extension or elevation, hiring an architect is mandatory beyond a certain surface threshold, and mastery of local urban planning rules (PLU, ground footprint coefficient) is crucial.
Architect’s payment method: percentage, flat fee, or hourly rate
The billing method conditions the relationship throughout the duration of the project. Three formulas coexist, each producing different effects on project management.
| Method | Principle | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of the work amount | Fees proportional to the final cost | Projects with a stabilized budget in advance |
| Global flat fee | Fixed amount defined before starting | Well-defined missions (sketch, permit) |
| Hourly rate | Billing based on time spent | Occasional consultations, diagnostics |
The percentage on work aligns the architect’s interest with the project cost, which can encourage more ambitious choices. The flat fee secures the budget but requires a precise specification from the start. The hourly rate is suitable for short interventions.
Regardless of the chosen method, the contract must detail the included missions: sketch, preliminary project, final project, permit submission, consultation of companies, project monitoring. Each mission not contracted is a potential source of additional costs or misunderstanding.
The choice of an architect is measured against verifiable criteria: validity of insurance, mastery of the applicable regulatory framework for the type of project, and transparency of the payment method. These three filters, applied methodically during the initial exchanges, significantly reduce the risk of poor collaboration throughout the project duration.
