Have you ever been afraid of growing your family and how it would impact your professional life? Many women are afraid that motherhood would force them to pause – or stop entirely – their architectural careers. We all know that architecture and motherhood both are high-pressure jobs, and the lack of flexibility that accompanies our […]
The Rise of the Entrepreneur Architect
From CORArchitecture.org: In October 2011, a request went out to architects and designers all across the country to submit no more than 60 words on the future of residential architecture in America. When you click on the link, you will see submissions by 65 people from dozens of states. The submitters include architects, writers, unlicensed […]
Do You Over-Deliver?
Under-promise. Over-deliver. We’ve all heard this old adage, but how many of us follow its simple lesson? We recently recommended one of our consultants to a client. We’ve been very happy with this consultant’s performance and were confident they would perform well. As expected, they jumped right on the project and completed the first task […]
Speak to Them in a Language That They Will Better Understand
Residential Architect magazine sent me an email today introducing a new video series, Value of Residential Architecture. Each video will feature an architect discussing his/her thoughts on why residential architecture is important and where residential architecture is headed in the future. If you subscribe to Residential Architect, you may have received the link in your […]
How does one get it all done?
As an Entrepreneur Architect I wear many hats. I’m a designer, a draftsman, a project manager, a construction manager, a book keeper, a marketing director, a salesman, a customer service representative, an IT manager, a boss, a partner, a CEO, a COO, a CFO… the list goes on and on. It can be very stressful. […]
BIM and Integrated Design: Strategies for Architectural Practice
For a long time in my office, BIM was something out there that wasn’t acted upon. We sat on nineteen seats of Revit for nearly two years, stored away in a closet unused – shelfware. Waiting for the right opportunity. Becoming obsolete. Doing no one any good. Taking up valuable storage space. Not earning its […]
Edit and Amplify
This month’s Fast Company magazine cover story… A very interesting article about Nike CEO (and former star designer) Mark Parker. Certainly worth reading.
It Pays to be Nice
Tonight I met with a couple to discuss plans for their home’s renovation. Following a warm welcome and a quick introduction, I was told that I was called to this meeting because of my mother. If you are a regular reader of my Living Well in Westchester blog, you know that my Mom and Dad […]
BUILD LLC
I been following the BUILD blog for about a year. BUILD LLC is a small design/build firm located in Seattle, specializing in modern residential and small commercial projects. They maintain a very nice website and post to their blog on a regular basis. Their most recent post, Thank You Sir May I Have Another, is […]
What’s Your Brand?
When a potential client hears your firm’s name, what do they feel? When they see your logo, what do they think? Your designs? Your studio? Your vehicle? Even the clothes you wear? What do they represent in the marketplace of architectural design? All these things, together, are your brand. In his book, Blink: The Power […]
Non-Traditional Architecture Firms
A member of our Linkedin group, Entrepreneur Architect, posted a response to my discussion, “Learning From Other Industries: Could an architecture firm be successfully structured to run like a high-end salon?”. Amy Burke, NCARB is a member of a design group named Hyperform Design Co-op located just outside Denver, Colorado. Hyperform is an informal collaborative […]
Are You Loving the Low End?
Scott Anthony, author of the new book, The Silver Lining, contributed a recent HarvardBusiness blog post about “loving the low end”. Few architects are seeking the “low end”, but maybe there is something we can learn here. Is there a way we can restructure our basic architectural service and provide an alternative “stripped down” version […]