Archive by Author
Re-structuring Your Design Firm During a Recession
“In this prolonged recession, we have two choices, it seems: We can hibernate for a number of years, like Rip Van Winkle, waking conveniently to a new world. Or we can make the time to consider new business development strategies that highlight our firm’s value and that put us closer to new projects. Concurrently, we can consider ways to improve our ability to stay abreast of trends in technology and practice.
The reality of global outsourcing is likely to change the nature of firms of every size. Our day-to-day tasks may shift from directing in-house staff to one where we review outsourced documents for design and code compliance. Can you fit in, and if so, how?”
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Jill Pilaroscia: Give Color a Chance
“Color isn’t just about surface decoration. There’s a cellular response to color that we have as human beings, and it’s that response which we are addressing when we work with color. Sometimes colorizing a space costs more to do and to maintain. But our environment shapes behavior. It’s WORTH spending time on.
Few architectural institutions offer a formal program addressing color in the built environment. Any exposure they have to color theory is frequently through studio courses that focus solely on two-dimensional color applications. Architects aren’t taught about bio-responses to color. They’re not taught how they can move volumes around in space through the application of color, or how they can use color to shape experience and behavior. I’d like to tell them not to be afraid of color. Give color a chance!”
– Jill Pilaroscia
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Talk to an Architect on September 11-12
Have you ever wanted a chance to ask an architect about your home? Maybe you’ve got some new idea and want to know what’s involved in making it happen, or maybe there’s just one thing you’d like to change but you don’t know how. Well, if you live near San Francisco and you’re planning on doing the San Francisco Living: Home Tours, then you can also bring your photos, idea books, sketches, and questions to the “Talk to an Architect” booth at the Home Tours headquarters.
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Anne Fougeron: Architectural Edge in the 21st Century
“Architecture is a tough profession, and it’s not kind to women. It’s not kind to anyone, really. But you’ve got to claw yourself out of that hole. You have to fight the fight. You can’t stay in the back, because nobody’s going to fight that fight for you. NUMBERS MATTER.
With the Planned Parenthood clinics, I didn’t want clinics that look like a prison. There’s already so much victimization of women… why punish them further by making them come to a jail for basic care? Ninety percent of Planned Parenthood’s business is providing basic gyn care – exams, pap smears – for women who can’t afford it any other way. These women already going through enough in their lives. Some of them already have other traumas to work through. The clinics should make them feel wanted and safe.”
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Greg Warner on the Importance of Place
“The importance of place means respect for what is actually there – including its history. If clients come to us requesting a specific regional or historical style, we respond by asking them what they like about the style they have selected and try to elicit the underlying qualities that attracted them to it in the first place. Then, ideally, we can embody those qualities in a design that’s actually the best fit for the project and its context.
The early design stages are a sort of courtship between architect and client. We’re really interviewing each other to see if there’s a mutual alignment. Just as we listen to their desires, we also educate them on what our values are, and they ideally buy into that early on in order for the project to be mutually successful.
We design homes with the client’s full life cycle in mind, and beyond. The home has to be versatile enough to accommodate generational life changes without requiring a renovation every 10 years. Sometimes this freaks out the clients a little bit! They’re not used to thinking this far ahead. We’re creating their home as an heirloom and a legacy to future generations.”
[Cover photo by Cesar Rubio]
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Billing and Client Communication
“We need to increase our value with our clients as service providers, and part of providing good service is to show a clear-headed understanding of money,” advises Michael Bernard. “Use the contract to convey established billing practice,” advises Bernard. “The contract is the memory of the project, with all parties signatory.”
What should be shown on the invoice? “Sometimes the owner gives us an invoice template,” says Bernard. “I attach this invoice to the sub-consultant agreement so that the sub-consultants can see how the information they provide to me is in turn provided to the client.”
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Matarozzi/Pelsinger: Contemporary Builders and Craftsmen
“We like contemporary architecture. The buildings are refined designs that minimize fluff. Their lack of ornament actually increases their attraction for us as builders. There’s an organic feel to a well-thought-out modern building. We believe in the adage that form follows function.
“The best workers bring a dedication to craft to every job. You can tell who has it by watching how someone works on the job site. Watch how he or she goes about problem solving. Can he solve the problem and keep working? Can he apply what he learned yesterday to solve a new problem today? Some people need to be shown every single time. I look for other things, too. Does he keep his tools organized? Does he know how to work in rhythm? Does she anticipate what’s coming next? It’s having an intuitive feel for the job. I’m always watching out of the corner of my eye, to be part of the rhythm and flow of the team.”
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Collections Strategies for Design Firms
How do you handle it when your clients get behind?
“Call them up!” says Michael Bernard. Don’t push this task off onto your bookkeeper. If the client writes the checks, the principal should make the call. “Keep your voice neutral and unemotional. Rehearse beforehand if you need to. The message is that, as a small business, cash flow is vital to your operations, and you’d appreciate them sending an immediate payment.”
“One former client felt so guilty about a tardy payment that he paid up even to his current charges that hadn’t been billed yet!”
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
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Michelle Kaufmann: Phoenix Rising
“My husband and I were looking for a place to live and all we could find was crap! We couldn’t afford anything well-designed, well-made, and energy-efficient. After seeing the thoughtless crap that was filling the landscape, we painfully decided to do something about it.
“We got a bit of property and built a little “green” house on it. Then we thought about the possibilities for mass production, and said, YES! Now, there’s no “if” when it comes to green, healthy, efficient homes. And they can be well-designed and affordable. It’s in how you make spaces, views, and light. The space should feel big, but you don’t have to build it big.”
(Photo: Sunset Breezehouse, designed and photographed by Michelle Kaufmann)
by Rebecca Firestone with Mark English AIA
