Becoming a Valued Architect is Something That Must be Earned

An Architect can be truly valued by two types of people:

1. People who understand what we do.
2. People who trust that we know what we are doing.

People capable of recognizing our talents are often familiar with design and construction because they are either in the business or immediate family.  They have a first hand understanding of our technical knowledge.  They can recant our perpetual efforts.  They have witnessed our genuine concern for the end product and user experience.  For most of us, Architecture is a selfless act to create spaces for the users that gets egoistically implemented because we know your needs and interpret your wants.

Earning people's trust allows them to appreciate us and value what we bring to the table without inhibitions.  Without this trust, we face an uphill battle for the duration of the project.

The person that doesn't fall into either of these categories is someone who thinks they understand the process and the Architect's expertise.  They have the potential for the least amount of appreciation for an Architect.  They can often make generalizations, assumptions, and think that all an Architect does is draw manipulate some computer software to print drawings.  Look at the deliverable that we give an Owner.  We give them a roll of drawings that can almost be discarded when the project is complete.  A contractor delivers something with resale value.  Our contribution to the project are the intangible such as organized ideas, project coordination, and quality control.  How do you put a price on that?

Vision and Skill

The value of an architect is their vision and skill.

Their vision of the past can bring ruins to life, their vision of of present can describe behaviors and environments that affect how we live today, and their vision of the future can imagine worlds that are yet to be realized.

Their skill allows these visions to become reality, to be described in technical detail, and to create economical and elegant solutions. In the end, the value of an architect is their ability to envision desire and to create space for those desires to live.

One of my favorite local projects that demonstrates this is the first stage of the renovations at the Cincinnati Art Museum where the creative vision of Jim Cheng at emersonDESIGN has helped bring new life to an old building. The project is just recently completed. This photo was taken several months ago during construction.

architects offer a fresh perspective

photo courtesy: backfirecptn via flickr

I love the concept of the “elevator pitch” and I am thankful to have been reminded in our last meeting of its importance. In January, we were asked to write an elevator pitch essentially about how an architect brings value to society. For me 30 seconds equals 75 words, so here it goes:

When you begin to craft a solution to your issue or problem, you will find solutions based on repetitive patterns from the past, others via linear thinking, and still others realized through innovation and creativity. While an architect may not always be the first person on your mind to ask for advice, I guarantee you that the solutions generated by an architect will offer you a fresh, creative perspective – and perhaps that is precisely what you need.

I love the idea of talking to people on an elevator. These “mighty wonders of the world” have allowed our society to become so much more sustainable and efficient. They have molded some or all of our great cities. When I think about the years I lived in New York City, I most certainly associate my time spent in that great city with elevators. 

Thoughts: Value of an Architect

Lack of Value of an Architect:

The lack of value placed on an architect began with our first days in architecture school.  I remember one of the first books I was required to read in Introduction to Architecture,  A Candid Guide to the Profession, by Roger K. Lewis, addressed some of the larger overall concerns with the profession:  the hours, lack of compensation, and all the testing required to actually be titled an "architect" .  As a freshman in college, already unsure of what my future would hold, reading this book did nothing to give me assurance in my dream job.  This is just the start to why it has become so difficult to attract young and bright students to embark on the journey of becoming an architect.  If we cannot bring people into the profession, how can we expect others on the outside to look at us as a valued profession and service?  

Value of an Architect:

The value of an architect goes beyond the “drawing board” and pretty pictures.  Architects are advocates for their clients, their community, and their built environment, just to name a few.  We are thoughtful problem-solvers and observers in all things we encounter.  Given the economic environment over the past several years, architects have shown their value in non-traditional ways.  We have become resourceful and marketed ourselves and our services to a broad range of jobs.  Who wouldn't want a well-rounded problem solver on their team?

The Value of an Architect… An Elevator Speech   

Architects facilitate the design and construction process, and among all disciplines we have the greatest influence upon the long-term costs of a facility.

Through keen listening and awareness of a plethora of factors, we gather the critical information about a client’s needs and goals.  With our unique aptitude and training, we then synthesize the information, in all its complexity, into a design that goes beyond what the client imagined. 

Architects improve the quality of life for building occupants, improve efficiency, and strengthen the community through designs that exude craft, style, and beauty.

Skimping on design, you get what you pay for… you get a mess.

Through quality architectural design, you get a quality product… you get architecture. 

Value with a Capital V

The topic of Architect Value came up quite often during our last Vision session focused on Advocacy.  In trying to sell our Value to a client for a building project, I have often compared architectural training to that of a doctor.  Both have more schooling, both have to train as (poorly paid) interns for years.  Architects have to take multiple tests to become licensed and then we have to maintain our knowledge through continuing education credits.  Doctors certainly have to put a lot more effort, time, and investment to become an M.D., yet they are compensated quite well during the long term, six figure incomes certainly can be an extrinsic motivator.  Either profession is not easy to practice, both carry a huge amount of training, knowledge, and liability.  Ultimately, both professions host a plethora of technical knowledge and comprehend the complexities of our respective professions.  Doctors save lives, Architects add to the quality of life.

From my perspective, Architects aren’t in it just for the money (although it certainly helps), many are intrinsically motivated to make the built environment better because we entered this profession for the opportunity to do so.  We are the wearer of many hats, understand the big picture, and inevitably bring Value to our clients through our collective understanding and integration of the many elements / systems to put together a successful project.  Through doing so we bring efficiency, economy, quality, and importance to our projects that inevitably result in Value that good clients understand are critical to a successful project.  It is our job to sell this Value to clients for them to understand our impact on the final result, because without us, the void of our involvement can be quite obvious.     

Chris

The Value of Architecture

Sadly, architecture is grossly undervalued in our society today.  This stems from a misunderstanding about what architecture really is.  It is seen as a luxury; as a profession that emphasizes aesthetics and disregards pragmatics.  Good architecture, however, masterfully balances the artistic and scientific elements of a building's design.  It handles the technical, economic and aesthetic aspects of a project in such a skillful manner that the user's or visitor's experience moves to the foreground and becomes the focus.  Architecture not only supports the users' activities within it, but it strives to improve the quality of their lives.  Architecture is not only important, it's indispensable.

Why Hire an Architect?

A couple years ago I was a newly licensed architect learning to manage a project on my own. I very vividly remember a day when I presented preliminary design drawings of a new school renovations to a client who waited until I was done and then simply looked at me and said "well, I could have drawn that."

I've told this story quite a few times over the years. At first, I was just shocked (and perhaps a little annoyed) by the comment, but since then, through extensive analysis of the event and growth as a professional, this has become a bit of a moment of enlightenment for me. Of course, my client didn't mean that she could have literally drawn what I showed her. She did mean, I think, that what I had shown her was expected. I had not yet lived up to the added value she expected me to bring to the project as an Architect.

The ability to use our training and gift for envisioning spacial relationships in a way that exceeds client expectations is the value I believe an architect brings to a project. We are able to be good listeners to fully understand client needs and then we are able to use or education and passion for design to create something that meets those needs but exceeds their wildest expectations and vision for the project. We create spaces that are inspiring in addition to being functional.

My biggest fear these days is for a client to walk into their new space and reflect that it is what they expected or that it meets their needs. Conversely, I absolutely love the moment when a client walks into a space and exclaims that it is so much more than they could have ever imagined. 

Advocacy For the Profession

Since I was absent the last session, I wanted to share what would have been my presentation on advocacy.

What am I doing to advocate, here’s the 4 things I feel best describes this… Mentoring, Community Involvement, Client Interaction, Interpreting Codes/Laws

Mentoring

Mentor Program – The main goal of this program is to assist new associates in becoming a part of Hixson more quickly, by helping them get off to a faster, more productive start. I personally have 2 mentees and it’s been a humbling experience. We go out to lunch, partake in happy hour, and this gives them an open platform in which to ask me questions about the organization, work life, policies, and anything else that may be on their mind at the time.

ARE – Even though the days and nights of hardcore studying are behind me, I have made myself a resource for the interns in my office. It is not uncommon that a fellow associate will ask me to discern one of the many convoluted ARE practice questions or assist in training on the cumbersome vignette software. I enjoy doing this because I’ve been there and I know it helps to have additional support.

Community Involvement

Fundraising - Is a great way to contribute to our community. Not always does it need to be a monetary donation. Sacrificing time in some cases can be just as valuable.

Repair Affair - Is an example of time donation in which we partner with People working Cooperatively and pick a homeowner who’s disabled or elderly and give their home some much needed maintenance and repair assistance. Last year we built a new porch and stairs for a neighbor in our community. Past year’s project included a ramp for a disabled and elderly gentleman.

CANstruction – This is something near and dear to me because it’s a way to raise awareness about hunger in our community in a creative and innovative way. I have captained a team of Hixson associates for 7 years running and it has been a very gratifying experience. I know I have some fellow competitors in the audience so I’m not going to leak any info about this upcoming year’s entry, but I have to say it will defy gravity.

Client Interaction
It is our role as architects to provide a valuable service to maintain client relations. It is by this avenue we become advocates for our profession. Some people think helping clients achieve their goals is just a job, well there’s much more to it than that.
Since we sell nothing but our time, it is my job to deliver completely unbiased advice based on what is in the client’s best interest. Now I’m going to sound a bit like our CEO Wick here and say “It is our job to be advocates for our clients and help lead them in making decisions, this is how the impenetrable client loyalty bond is formed.”
A majority of our clients are inquiring about how we can make their project more sustainable or interested in obtaining LEED certification. As architects it is our job to be on the forefront of these practices and have the knowledge and skill to back up these types of decisions.

Interpreting Codes and Laws
It is my job to make sure I am informed of laws impacting our practice and doing comprehensive code reviews on each project. This can really come back and bite you if you’re not careful. I recently had a job go out in which the building official was threatening to halt construction because we did not take into consideration the flight path of a nearby airport. The issue stemmed from a tank silo, 60’ tall and within a certain distance to the airstrip which did not adhere to the FAA guidelines. I performed my standard building code summary but failed to take into consideration the small airstrip nearby and its impact. We were able to remedy this situation by placing some lights atop the silo. I got lucky.
 
When speaking with clients I often use the phrase, “In the spirit of the code….” which is my way of safeguarding certain aspects of the code that can be confusing to clients. Plus it sounds like I know what I’m talking about, and who would ever question the code.

Architects are the only design professionals who are educated, trained, and tested in integrating all essential systems that go into creating the built environment for human use and occupancy. Unfortunately, however, our elected officials don't always think along these same lines. Legislators don't necessarily need to understand the importance of architectural training — that's why it's our job to know what bills are being considered and how they are likely to affect the architectural profession.

citizen architect

At the recent Vision session dedicated to the topic of advocacy the group was provided with multiple avenues to advocate for the profession at the local, state and national levels.  The conversation was enlightening to the lobbying efforts of ArchiPAC, and clearly laid out the goals and agenda for the upcoming year.  The red button topics at the state level were identified and the AIA Cincinnati advocacy group introduced itself.  All certainly eye opening and noted.

Still, I believe the strongest venue for advocacy for the profession is as citizen architect, grounded in the local issues through community groups, school boards and local and city planning groups. What better way to advertise the architect as problem solver, as ethical, as a facilitator, with the ability to think outside the box and to the see the big picture. (Note: Andrew Goldberg highlighted these qualities as the architects’ strengths as recognized by the broader public).

Unfortunately, it seems that the academic education of the architect is heavily dedicated to theory over practice and to designing unconceivable high rises rather than community centers (at least these were the trends in my school days).  While this offers a military like training in remolding the mind of the architect to think critically I believe it is important for students to dig themselves out of the studio, on occasion.  Lead by the success and publicity of the Rural Studio many architecture schools have added programs that address local and community issues.  So I do think that academia has evolved.

Anyways, local involvement and activity outside the office in my mind plays the strongest advocate for the profession.  This involvement promotes the strengths of the architect to the community and legitimizes the necessity of the profession.