Industry insights
De-facto bans are not necessarily formal or written down, and suppliers often will never know if they have been ‘banned’. Architects also will frequently use their own broad community to seek past experiences from other architects.
What all of this means is that suppliers need to have a strategy in place that will avoid their products being banned in the first place. This should include being open and comprehensive in providing product information, communicating effectively, and making sure you over deliver on your promises.
If you need help in strategizing to avoid a de-facto ban, Spec Up can provide specific advice.
Michael Smith is the consulting architect for Built Environment Channel and lead consultant of Spec Up.
De-facto Product Bans
Did you know that architects often instigate unofficial bans on building products?
These bans can be product specific or category wide, they might be across a whole practice or just the project architect leading the team.
The reasons architects ban products include:
Deemed to be an unacceptable risk
Compliance is not certain
Product information is not clear
Product or category has an apparent flaw that does not appear to have been properly addressed
Architect’s insurance company has banned the product
Company, product, or category cannot be trusted
Previous occurrence of an unacceptable outcome such as
Difficulty getting the product approved by building surveyor or certifier
Excessive management time required by architect
Product lead time delays that result in project delay
Client or architect dissatisfaction with end result, and product endurance
Poor alignment of values
Product does not carry environmental credentials
Category is not seen as the most environmentally friendly way to build
Company (or representative) values do not align with the ethos of the architects