Are architects agents of the owner by default?

• A. Architects are always agents of the owner
• B. Architects ARE agents of the owner in CM as Agent projects
• C. Architects are NOT agents of the owner (unless formal agreement)
• D. Architects act as the owner's agent in all circumstances

Answer: (C)

The important idea here is that being an agent is something a party becomes only when a formal agreement gives them that authority. Architects aren’t automatically agents of the owner just by performing design work; they are typically hired to provide professional services—design, documentation, and contract administration—but that doesn’t by itself grant the authority to bind the owner to contracts or decisions.

In practice, the owner remains the party who signs construction contracts and makes binding decisions, unless the contract explicitly designates someone (which could be the architect, a construction manager, or another representative) as the owner’s agent with defined powers. So, without a formal agreement granting agency, the architect is not considered the owner’s agent.

That’s why the correct view is that architects are not agents of the owner unless there is a formal agreement assigning that role. The other statements imply universal or automatic agency or swap the agent role to the architect in special delivery models, which isn’t accurate without a specific contract setting.