david arkin, aia, leed ap, and anni tilt, aia
arkin tilt architects, berkeley, calif.
www.arkintilt.com age of firm: 12 years
firm specialty: Energy- and resource-efficient architecture; public, commercial, and residential (new homes and remodels)
staff: 7 (2005); 8 (2008); 8 (2009); 9 (2010, projected)
total revenue: $574,000 (2005); $778,000 (2008); $700,000 (2009); $700,000 (2010 projected)
completed projects: 6 (2005); 4 (2008); 7 (2009); 7 (2010 projected)
Early in 2008, principal David Arkin, AIA, LEED AP, saw the economic crash coming and did the prudent thing. As the year progressed he signed far more contracts than the firm could handle, anticipating half would go on hold, and they did. “We fared reasonably well in 2009,” he says. Anni Tilt, his wife and business partner, agrees. “We definitely had some dead weeks trying to keep everyone busy. But on balance we’re doing well—gratefully well. No employees were laid off, and we hired a temporary employee for six months.”
While most commercial projects are postponed, a school and a park building are going out to bid. A broad range of residential projects also is in progress, along with a sizable winery renovation. “We had to shrink the project scope, but it got better as a result, as projects often do,” Arkin says. Pro bono work has always been part of Arkin Tilt’s company culture, and the lighter workload frees up time for such projects. The biofuel station the architects worked on last year is open, and a building for Heifer International (a world hunger organization) is under construction.
Meanwhile, planning codes and project budgets are on a collision course. Tilt laments that California’s fire rules, in particular, are getting more restrictive, and smaller budgets make it harder to meet code in an elegant way. The couple’s founding principle of designing buildings that approach carbon neutrality also is being severely tested these days. “Net-zero energy use is an important factor, but it’s not free,” Arkin says. “It’s harder to achieve when budgets are tight.” Though the center holds, Arkin and Tilt describe themselves as in survival mode. “Last month work picked up a bit, so that’s encouraging,” Arkin says. “But there are no guarantees it will continue.