Architects don’t have the visibility of contractors and construction workers, but they have been hit equally hard by the recession. When houses and office buildings aren’t sprouting, architects’ phones aren’t ringing.

Locally, a dozen architects have banded together to share tips and promote their profession. With work scarce, members of the Napa Valley Architects Exchange wish people with projects would hire locally.

“We want to try to harness the work in the valley and keep it in the valley,” John Ward of Ward Architects Inc. said during a recent luncheon meeting at Compadres Rio Grille in Napa.

“If I lose a job, I’d rather lose it to someone at this table than out of town,” said Paul Kelley, a Napa native.

Architects often view themselves as competitors, exchange members said. But with a reduced number of projects to work on, camaraderie has come to the fore.

“We talk about the state of the city, the state of the county,” Ward said.

“And which one is the bad one this week,” added Clifford Simpkins, an architect who has been practicing in Napa for a third of a century.

Architects knew boom times until a year or two ago, when development of all kinds — hotels, condos, retail complexes, fancy houses and home additions — took a dive.

Architect Jay Jacobson said he had been working on two small winery projects that were now in a state of “suspended animation.”

Simpkins spoke of a client who was able to pay cash to build a new home, but pulled back because of the gloomy outlook. “There are a lot of people who could do projects out of pocket, but people are saying this isn’t the time to do it,” he said.

When the recession hit, Chris Craiker of Craiker Associates had several multi-family projects on First Street ready to go with city approvals. In this economic climate, they haven’t proceeded to construction.

“A lot of my work is part of the speculative process,” Craiker said. An architect invests time in a project, but isn’t fully compensated unless it is built, he said.

Looking around the table where eight of his peers sat, Craiker estimated that as a group they had unpaid accounts of $1 million.

“More,” Ward said.

Local architects lose out on commissions for many large commercial projects and expensive homes, particularly those by out-of-county developers and people relocating to Napa from the Bay Area, members of the exchange said.

“When big developers come to Napa, it seems to be out-of-town, maybe out-of-state, architects, contractors, even subcontractors,” Kelley said.

“I think there’s enough talent that a government agency or most clients could find the talent right here in the Napa Valley,” Simpkins said.

Simpkins, whose resume includes the Yountville Elementary School, has seen many other school designs go to outside firms. At the same time, he was hired to design a school in Pittsburg.

“I was the out-of-town expert in Pittsburg,” Simpkins said. “But I couldn’t get the local job.”

Because they work here full time, local architects have special expertise and relationships with government officials that benefit their clients, exchange members said.

Whether it’s fire, water, wind or political sensitivities, a local designer knows the local landscape, Jacobson said.

“We can walk into the city and say ‘hi’ to the people at the counter. There’s a relationship,” said David Horobin of Estudio Verde.

“I think there is a Napa style here that we understand,” Craiker said. “Like grapes that grow well here, local architects know the terroir.”

To promote their businesses, the architects exchange tried to get the city of Napa’s Community Development Department to distribute a list of members’ names with a consumer affairs pamphlet on how to avoid construction fraud.

The city rejected their request, saying the exchange did not represent all local architects. This left bruised feelings. The city should be trying to help local professionals in these tough times, Craiker said.

There are signs that the economy may be improving, members said. “It’s been real slow this past year, but the phone is beginning to ring again,” Kelley said. “I’m putting out proposals.”

“I was ready to slow down and grow grapes,” Simpkins said, but he too is seeing more inquiries.

The next building cycle will feature more environmentally friendly buildings, Horobin said. “I think clients will want sustainable designs. I don’t think we’ll come back (to the old) status quo,” he said.

Local architects have a Web site, www.nvae.net, where they plan to present information on how to hire an architect and answer consumer questions. The group may sponsor consumer seminars.