The Congress of Residential Architecture (CORA) has updated their recent position paper addressed to state governing bodies and the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
I did not endorse the original document distributed last month, but the changes released today have improved the document enough to where I am comfortable supporting its basic premise.
I do not support the entire document.
As a small business owner, my top concerns are over-regulation and over-taxation. I will be a much more active supporter of the paper when its authors add an item or two referencing the issues that every American small business (residential architects included) is struggling with. I am not interested in supporting any document, or organization, that promotes more regulation, more professional requirements or advocates installing more barriers to the practice of architecture.
Credibility is earned, not granted by the state or a professional organization. Architects, individually, need to take their profession back from the contractors, construction managers, owners reps, kitchen designers, interior designers, etc. In fear of liability and/or resistance to change with the times, we have given it all away.
I personally refuse to accept the status quo.
At Fivecat Studio, we are working to give our clients not only what they want, but more importantly, what they expect. We are no longer trying to change the perception of our clients or educate them to the process of design. We have learned to understand their expectations, built systems to address their concerns and provide services that result in well design architecture and very happy clients. I am not looking to the state, the AIA or CORA to make us more successful. I welcome the changes CORA is advocating, but I am not waiting for changes to occur before we strive for excellence and make the changes required for Fivecat Studio to become a successful business.
Read the latest version of CORA’s document and let me know what you think. If you agree with its basic concept, send Duo Dickenson an email, requesting that your name be added to the document. I did.
Then, take a look at your own firm and start making some changes. Discover and meet your clients’ expectations. Take risks. Do it differently. Be an entrepreneur and succeed… all by yourself.
Its definitely a work in progress, thanks so much for your support. As a co-volunteer, we are debating constructive tweaks by the week. It is our hope, that we all might meet one day soon, in Miami perhaps, and really flush through these items for continued clarification.
On the point of designing for the client rather than for our own egos, and for the acceptance and praise of our colleagues, that really was one of the major points of the document. Somehow our effort to “educate in public” gets confused with us teaching the public they “need” our services. Well, kind of, but really, like educating the public on the importance of not smoking, we are trying to educate the public on the importance of GOOD architecture vs McMansion schlock, or as you mentioned, the importance of striving for “well designed architecture.”
To me, we are saying the same thing.
I though you might enjoy how much the same we are. here is a quote from my website “We are a firm that respects our clients enough to listen and deliver a vision of what they want, not what we can jam down their throats for an award and then hope that the unproven technology and details work later.”
Thanks again Mark