I'm referring to the familiar situation of a small architectural office, starving for work, willing to slash their proposal price at the request of the client because it's either work for a truncated fee, or don't work at all. We're working for less money because we're little bitches and are afraid to say no or stand or ground.
The architect/owner marketing for his small firm, calling everyone he knows to say hi and of course slip in "by the way we're looking for work, so if you know anyone with a job give us a call." When they hang up the phone they're thinking, "What a little bitch, indirectly begging his whole network for work."
The 2 hour long calls with the client value-engineering out every single design feature and aesthetically pleasing material on a project. At the end you're left with a monotone box. I showed you my portfolio of attractive projects for what reason?? Fuckhead!!
We'll accept a job doing CD's/working drawings for a project that's already had the schematic design finished by someone else. The owner is obviously shopping around for the cheapest architect (read: draftsman) to complete it, and by accepting we've categorized ourselves as the 'little' bitch' in the situation. We need the money and the work so we'll do it.
A client will come to us with a catalog-bought house plan and ask us how cheap it will be to get a permit to build this house. IT has no details, wall sections, framing plans, finishes, nothing. This house has been built hundreds or thousands of times! This isn't a custom house you cheap fucking bastard!! It's like going to Target and buying Micheal Graves' shit and calling your bathroom designer.
We go to school for fucking 5 years, get what's labeled as a 'professional degree' and then make 30 thousand dollars a year after that while engineers with 4 year degrees are in the $50 thousands. I spent 72 hours straight in the arch lab during school for what? FUCK YOU pay me!! BARTENDERS make more than us!!
I had to vent. But seriously, this is a very common situation in our practice. Let's start developing our own work and becoming our own clients. Let's finally have the balls to take a shot at designing a project, then BUILDING it, then selling or leasing what we've put together. Let's stop pointing the finger at our structural or MEP subs or contractor because of a fuckup, and start taking responsibility and putting this whole thing together ourselves.
Fuck a client. Do it yourself. We can drive past a site that's dilapidated or not used as it could be an envision a better building. Buy it, draw it, build it, lease/sell it.
-Can't afford it? Find investors you little whiny shit. If it's worth it in the first place and will be profitable, you'll find people with money. Learn how to put together an accurate proforma. Don't know what that is? Google it and buy some Donald Trump/Real Estate books. Learn about construction loans, cap rates, tax shelters, etc. Become educated.
-Don't want to build it? Get on the bluebook and find subs for each trade, maybe do some drywall and painting or flooring and guess what, you just cut out 20%+ of the construction cost, making it profitable sooner and you wealthier. Stop being lazy. We knew how this building goes together because we drew it, why can't we build it in the field? Become confident and empowered.
-Afraid it won't sell or lease? Do your damn market research beforehand. Know an area like the back of your hand. Talk to realtors. Visit open houses. Study sales, comps, lease rates. Pretend you're a business looking to lease a place and ask the property managers the costs. Become educated.
Some guys who are doing this. Study, learn, imitate:
Jonathan Segal
Sebastian Mariscal
Onion Flats
Build LLC
Pb Elemental
Ayr Hill Homes (local to me in Vienna, VA)
Reigo & Bauer
Skylab Design Group
(any others comment/email me I''ll add you)
Otherwise, this is what we become!!
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7 comments:
Everybody wants their firm to survive, but in reality they cut their own throats. If you refuse to cut your fee, that means the next guy gets more than he expected, and eventually that comes round to you. If you loose some valuable staff becuase of the slow down, that hurts, but the work you refused to cut your fee on will land somewhere else and your people will find work. That does not help you keep your people, but if you hold out fees will be higher when work returns and you will be in a better position to hire them back and be more prosperous. When you are under pressure like this its hard to think long term, its hard to remember that you are in this with every other architect, you are in it together, and holding your fees helps everybody.
I love it! This post is spot on the money. Most brutal and honestly engaging post I've read in a long time.
The other thing to note is this condition occurs everywhere Architects exist. Architects exist in a state of constant denial. I believe Architecture is a philosophy behind good building practice. Some cultures value this, most don't. Somewhere along the way it has tried to be packaged and sold as a consumable item. ...anyway. If Architecture is to be a philosophy, then we are going to have to seek out more education to conceive ways of making what we do profitable, i.e. Building ticket, trade, background in development.
A small list of guys in Australia that take on this methodology;
Brian Klopper, Drew Heath, Michael Bradshaw, Richard Sklarz. All builders as well as Architects.
"Less talk, more rock"
My firm HyBrid Architects (www.hybridseattle.com), a firm of 5, has recently taken the plunge by becoming our own clients.
It is really not that hard to get something built if you are willing to spend the time to learn the construction industry. Besides, the construction field is where all of the money in our industry lies anyways. We are now branching out and taking over the construction for general contractors on our jobs who are incapable of accomplishing our details.....and taking on clients where we will not only be designing, but building their projects. It allows us to execute the quality we stay up all night to draw!
But I digress, we are currently under construction on a 4 unit rowhome project just outside of downtown Seattle....We are the developers/architects/builders.
We have just installed our siding, are preparing for drywall....dealing with inspectors, lagging subs, plumbers who need to be babysat, getting our porta-potty repossessed because we forgot to pay the bill.....all the fun that comes with running a construction project. We are excited to be installing Henrybuilt kitchens soon!
I would much rather be on a jobsite than in our office behind a computer! I spend 90% of my time on site as a result, and am learning new things each day.
Here are some photos (cut and paste):
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/
coolguynick1/PA280044.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/
coolguynick1/PA280045.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/
coolguynick1/PA280052.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/
coolguynick1/PA280048.jpg
lavardera, i have to straight out disagree with you that i am in this with every other architect. i am not going to rely on some clown 2 degrees of separation away to hold out and perhaps make my practice stronger by chance. adam is talking about business here and that is not good business. nor could i care less about some kind of fraternity of architects, because there are few that i wish to be associated with. you either present yourself as the best product on the market, charging whatever suits you and your business, or you do as adam suggests and do something else (become a developer). this isn't the time for touchy feely. this is the time to piss or get off the pot. i intend to make a sweet crap-load out of this profession and then bugger off because i have far bigger plans for my life than drawing other peoples' buildings.
great blog by the way, adam.
David, if you think I'm talking about anything other than looking out for yourself you need to reread or rethink what I'm saying. Whether you like it or not you are in it with every other architect, and its no fraternity. If your reaction to tough times is self imposed deflation then you are going to cut your own throat before you cut anybody elses.
This post is right on the money if you are interested in doing prepackaged Dwell magazine shitty modernism. Every firm you listed as examples has the exact tonal value to their work. The lesson I am learning is if you develop and construct your own work you must be conceptually lazy so you can make money. I am still waiting on an intense design project that is not client driven. If anyone could post one I would much appreciate it. As a young architect it's hard to see the people making money in the field doing entirely stagnant work.
You can have great content, but it must be promoted.
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