Engineer or Architect to Build: Why You Don't Have to Choose

Updated on 07/06/2026 by EZA Engenharia

Anyone planning to build a high-end house in Criciúma sooner or later runs into the same question: hire an engineer or an architect to build, as if you had to choose a side. In practice, the two professionals do different jobs and complement each other, and the project that turns out right is precisely the one in which the two talk from the first line to the last coat of paint. After more than 35 years handling made-to-measure residences in the region, EZA Engenharia sees this doubt arrive almost every week, and the answer is always the same: the problem is not choosing, it is ensuring that design and execution go together.

What the architect does and what the civil engineer does

The doubt about whether to build with an engineer or an architect stems from a common misunderstanding: thinking the two compete with each other, when in fact each one handles a different front of the same project. The architect is the one who conceives the design, distributes the spaces, thinks about the façade, the relationship of the house with the lot and with natural light, and the day-to-day experience of whoever is going to live there.

The civil engineer, on the other hand, is technically responsible for the structure, the installations, the load calculation, the choice of materials and the safe execution of everything that was designed. It is the engineer who takes the plan and turns it into a house that stands, that lasts over time and meets the technical standards that a high-end building requires.

• Architect: concept, room layout, aesthetics, integration with the land and landscaping
• Civil engineer: structure, foundation, building systems, technical calculations, execution management and site safety
• Both need a registered ART or RRT for each stage they sign off on
• The final quality depends on the constant dialogue between the two, not on each one working in isolation

Why having in-house engineering makes a difference in execution

An architectural design that looks beautiful on paper can become a headache if the execution doesn't have in-house engineering following each stage. That's where many high-end projects lose quality, schedule or budget: when whoever designs isn't whoever builds, and every phase change requires aligning teams that had never worked together before.

Having in-house engineering means that the same technical team involved in the design follows the project from the first brick to the last finish. This reduces rework, avoids that classic divergence between what was drawn and what can be executed with quality, and leaves the client with a single point of technical responsibility, with no doubt about who answers for a course adjustment.

In Criciúma and the region, with the high-end market growing in cities like Içara, Forquilhinha, Nova Veneza, Cocal do Sul and Balneário Rincão, this integration has become a real differentiator when choosing who to build with.

How EZA integrates design and execution into a single process

EZA Engenharia is a construction company founded in 1991, with more than 35 years of continuous activity in Criciúma and the surrounding region, and it has always worked with design and execution within the same technical structure. This means that, when signing with EZA, the client does not hire an architecture firm on one side and an execution company on the other. They hire a single process, from the preliminary study of the made-to-measure residence to the handover of the keys.

This integration shows up in real projects from the company's portfolio, such as the Residence V.S in Criciúma, the Residence A.F in Balneário Rincão and the expansion of the Hotel Centenário, projects in which the design and engineering decisions were made together, avoiding the friction that is common when architecture and execution run on separate tracks.

In everyday terms, this turns into fewer budget surprises in the middle of the project, a more realistic timeline from the start, and a premium finish that respects both the aesthetic idea of the design and what is feasible to execute in each chosen solution.

A construction company is not a real-estate developer: understand the difference before hiring

Another common confusion is treating a construction company and a real-estate developer as if they were the same thing. They are quite different business models. The real-estate developer develops a project, usually with several units, and sells those units to buyers before or during construction, with a commercial focus on the sale.

The construction company, as with EZA, is hired directly by the landowner to design and build their house, individually, with full attention to that specific project. There are no standardized units to sell; there is a made-to-measure project being built for a family that has already chosen where they will live.

Understanding this difference helps to align expectations. Anyone looking for a personalized residence, with in-house engineering following every stage and a direct relationship with whoever executes the project, is looking for exactly the construction company model that EZA has practiced for more than three decades.

What to evaluate before hiring an engineer and architect for your home

Before deciding between hiring separate professionals or a construction company that already integrates both, it is worth weighing a few practical points that directly affect the final result of the project.

The price of a high-end house in Criciúma and the surrounding region varies considerably depending on the lot, the chosen finishing standard, the complexity of the architectural design, and the defined execution timeline. For this reason, any number thrown out without considering these factors tends to be unreliable, and the safest path remains a personalized technical assessment, done upon request.

• Check that an ART or RRT has been issued for both the design and the execution
• Ask who oversees the project day to day and whether it is the same team that signed off on the design
• Ask to visit projects in progress or already delivered, not just look at portfolio images
• Assess the company's experience in the specific region where you will build
• Confirm how communication between architecture and engineering works throughout the project

Choosing between an engineer or an architect to build need not become a deadlock when the two work together, with the same technical responsibility from the first draft to the last coat. For more than 35 years, EZA Engenharia has integrated design and execution in Criciúma, Içara, Forquilhinha, Nova Veneza, Cocal do Sul and Balneário Rincão, delivering high-end homes with a single point of contact and a single technical responsibility from start to finish. If you are planning to build or expand your residence, reach out to EZA on WhatsApp (48) 99191-2018 or send an email to [email protected] and receive technical guidance with no obligation.