In February, the AIA began the public awareness campaign âI Look Up,â which highlights architects as problem solvers and visionaries who offer unique perspectives in solving global issues. âWe look up to see limits, and ways around them, to pursue possibility,â says the narrator in the campaignâs television commercial. But in your own daily practice, you need to use a combination of marketing, technological advantages, partnerships, and continual learning to get the recognition you deserve.
Being an architect isnât just a matter of producing designs or erecting buildings, but rather of making connections. âOur research shows a majority of the public appreciates architects but doesnât engage them,â says Sandra Coyle, the AIAâs managing director of public relations and outreach. âEveryone admires an architect, but theyâre not top of mind.â She believes that simple, even informal conversation can change that. âIt may be at a meeting or a reception,â she says, âbut itâs about having more of that outreach in the community.â
For clients to value architectsâ work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign associate professor Randy Deutsch, AIA, suggests Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), which involves the entire team, from owner to contractor to subcontractors, early in the design process. âWe often say in the industry, âCost, time, quality: Pick any two.â With IPD, owners can have all three,â Deutsch says. âOwners gain the most from collaborative work. Architects need to make that clear that we are willing to put in the extra effort IPD requires.â Deutsch also disputes that IPD takes decision-making power from the designer, a common concern. âThe architect on an integrated team is still the orchestrator, who can recognize and welcome the input from members of the team,â he says.
Get Technical
Technology doesn’t change the architectâs role, says Deutsch, who is also the author of Data-Driven Design and Construction (Wiley, 2015). âBut data may challenge architects to be better at it,â he says. âIf a client comes to you for an addition, and the data says the client doesn’t need to extend the property after all, [you can share that] with the client, even if the expansion is put on ice.â Owners will appreciate the transparency. Deutsch adds that using BIM as a database for designs may be especially key in the future, as an archive tool. âIt will not only provide a documentation tool but will also empower architects in terms of how they’re perceived,â he says. âThatâs a game changer.â
Form a Partnership
Portland, Ore.âs GBD Architects has designed more than 20 buildings for developer Gerding Edlen, but donât use the word âclientâ with GBD president Phil Beyl, AIA. âIâd go for the term âpartnerâ right off the bat,â he says. The idea of a partnership could be a literal one, Beyl says, as in the case of performance-based contracts that legally tie architect compensation to energy-efficiency goals. Or it could be a partnership in spirit, as in the research trips GBD and Gerding Edlen have taken to seek new design ideas. The important thing, Beyl says, is that the clientâerr ⊠partnerâknows your firm will invest time or money necessary to forge a lasting collaboration.
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