Joe Architect

Cruise their website and you’ll see some creative designs, usually specialized in dental offices.  Nice stuff…and they’re doing something right because they’re growing.

What do I like most?  The name…

This is an article in today’s Denver Post.

…and wouldn’t you know it, I was inspired to implement all kinds of good things in the coming weeks.

Bring on 2009…

What is the peril in complacency? To continue to be at the top and effective, you must constantly change pace, direction, and focus. The formula for success is ever changing.

Cruise control works great on a cross country drive….but not in business.

Centre Sky Architecture

There is so much attention to detail, such a unique perspective. The design reveals and respects craftsmanship. True architecture in that the buildings belong TO (not just on) the site.

I could look at it all day…

We are meeting with a selected group of neighbors, business owners, and city employees. We’ve also brought in the local recreation district and community college. The advisory committee provides a wonderful cross section of the community with practical goals for the community. They have a vested interest in the future and health of the city they love. The committee also has some terrific ideas for planning and uses.

Our goals, as the planner, are to create an economically viable neighborhood solution that will add value to the city. Too often, suburban communities want to try to force an urban design into their communities, thinking that its an automatic home run. Its not that simple. How do you accomplish creating a new neighborhood that will remain alive and viable? By creating a sense of place.

Basically, memorable destinations generate an emotional reaction in the visitor. Think about your favorite places to visit – why do you love them? Uses, architecture, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, organization, and imagery all contribute to creating a great place. If you create an area that generates a positive emotional connection with visitors, they will return again and again. They will also tell their friends…

We are in the early stages of the project and have essentially completed the information gathering, or programming, phase. At the last meeting, we presented six conceptual schemes which loosely addressed the traffic concerns and the uses within the planning area. The next meeting, we will present two schemes which begin to pin down building areas, public spaces and traffic circulation.

The process of creating a new place or neighborhood is a long and complicated process. There are so many factors to balance and weigh. One thing affects another, sometimes in detriment. That’s where the challenge lies – how best to create our place with the pieces and parts we have?

I cannot post images at this point since we’re not officially public with our design intentions. That will come in the next couple of months. I will then post some of the early planning images so you can see how the process has evolved.

One thing about change; there is always something to be learned and applied as time goes on. For instance, there have been a lot of changes in my office this year. I had a staff of 25 at the beginning of 2008….I now have five. I have been fretting over the dramatic changes and what it means to the future of my business. How can I send all these people home? Am I failing?

Of course, with each round of layoffs, it gets harder. You start getting to the muscle and bone of the company. Eventually, you get to the vital organs. I think we’re there… However, I think we’ve rounded the corner and we’re on to new things.

What once was a bucket full of stress has turned into an energetic view to the future. There have been a whole pile of lessons for me to absorb and use for the future. I have discovered new ways to make projections, to track budgets, to produce better plans, to pick better clients. We’ll get to organizing and more efficient production in the near future. I have also learned a lot about the people who once staffed the office. People that gave me the impression that they were producing quality work (several of them were not!). In the end….what once was a panic about a troubled business has shed light on many opportunities for vast improvements.

So, in short, change is what you make of it…good or bad…it’s up to you. And, you can always change how you view it.

Group one – the idealists and Fountainhead types who beleive that architects are underappreciated and disrespected. The feeling is that we must change the world to show how worthy we are of high fees and thus high pay. We are geniuses and artists and we should be worshipped as a god….otherwise, be damned.

Group two – the architects that have realized that our industry has changed and we are no longer “master builders.” We provide a professional, practical service as a lawyer or an accountant does. We draw assembly instructions for a building.

Award worthy projects and clients are extremely rare. Get used to it. Buildings serve a pupose and that purpose is either to live or work. Yes it is that simple… People need shelter, businesses need a place to operate and generate revenue (the lower the operating costs, the more profit).

Now, how do you create worth and value with your role as an architect? Client service. Anticipate the client’s needs. Understand their goals and what sacrifices they are willing to make. Be the expert that knows the pros and cons of materials and methods. Understand cost and the impact on the client’s bottom line. Speak their language and understand how they define project success. If you do these things, you become valuable and clients will pay for the value.

My philosophy as a architect can be wrapped up in these words, client service. I have been in the architecture industry for over 21 years. I don’t have dreams of being a world famous designer, nor the cheapest guy out there. I provide a good product, smart design, with an ear to what makes my client tick. I want long term clients that recoginize I can make their job easier. I can help make them look good to those they answer to. I want them to beleive…”call Dave, it’ll get taken care of.”

So, back to the question… I run a business and the business should be profitable. If I have too much staff and not enough work, I am not profitable. When supply is high and demand is low, companies and stores have sales and discounts. Why shouldn’t an architect? I raised my fees when work was plentiful… I don’t see disounts as being a bad thing. I see it as being competitive and smart. I see it as an opportunity to reach out to more clients to show them that they have found the only architect they need.

So, I will get more of the few projects out there. I will be the one hiring and growing long before my Howard Roark competition (language alert).

Please note, I will absolutely hold to these underlying principles with clients: I am a professional and expect to be treated as such – I will respect you and you should respect me. I am a human being and I expect to be given latitude when I make a mistake – you are not perfect, neither am I. I am in bussiness to generate a profit and expect to be compensated fairly – just as you do with your business. If a client does not live up to these basic principles, then they are no longer my client.

The problem is not the fees we charge…. the problem is the client we accept.

I read something the other day that really caught my attention. Its called the 10-20-30 Rule. Basically, it is suggesting ways to improve your clients, staff, and your product.

Right of the bat, I am most interested in the 10. These are clients that suck the life out of your day, your staff, and your inspiration. These people need to go. They keep you from the success you want and deserve. I have one or two that needs to hit the road…

For the 20 part …unfortunately (fortunately in several cases) a down turn in work load and new projects has required me to layoff 18 of 25 staff this year. While obviously a significant blow, and I lost some very good people, I think we will be much healhtier for it. The folks remaining are “go to” folks whom I trust. They will lead the charge when growth returns.

For the 30 part, without knowing this concept, I have begun to focus on changes with my team. How we do things, how we respond to issues, how we go about our business. There is work to do to make us the best group in town…but this is the group to do it with.

In short, this concept will become part of my business management toolkit.