Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies

Latest Episodes:

Kontextur, Subtilitas: How To Share Architectural Knowledge (w/ Katharina Benjamin, Jeff Kaplon) Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Social media has allowed us to share our ideas on just about every subject. But free-flowing discourse on architecture styles and design careers hasn’t always been available. Katharina Benjamin of Kontextur and Jeff Kaplon of Subtilitas have each carved out online spaces for criticism, conversation, and inspiration while spotlighting topics and architecture offices that don’t get enough attention. On Best Practice, they talked to us about why sharing architectural knowledge is the key to a thriving professional life.

Interview Takeaways

Create a space to collect projects
Give a voice to young designers
Keep it visually simple
Talk about money
Resurface older works
Fuel the creative fire
Get value from the unseen messages
Find where your images fit into the discourse
Index the information you’ve gathered
Make money but stay true to your mission
Separate aesthetic influence from your design practice
Keep an eye on the new generation

Show Links

Check out Kontextur and follow them on Instagram or Twitter
Check out Subtilitas and follow them on Instagram
Connect with Katharina Benjamin on LinkedIn
Connect with Jeff Kaplon on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture: How To Grow From 17 To 71 In 7 Years (w/ Michael Hsu, Maija Kreishman) Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Growing a firm by a dozen employees each year can sound daunting. But the truth is that when you look at growth as a puzzle rooted in organizational structure, you can begin to make steady progress. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture did just that when the growth rate of Austin, Texas caused them to grow the firm from 21 to 78 people in just seven years. By doing things like doubling down on culture, working with diverse clients, and fostering employee growth, they have created a firm that is making an impressive mark.

Interview Takeaways

Grow with your city
Hire for talent, not projects
Retain your best clients
Don’t cave to imposter syndrome
Use metrics to select projects
Cultivate self-awareness
Find a financial consultant
Recognize firm inflection points
Should you hire a COO
Employee growth isn’t one-size-fits-all
Pick clients with the same goals
Mitigate growing pains with organizational structure

Show Links

Check out Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Connect with Michael Hsu on LinkedIn
Connect with Maija Kreishman on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Talentstar: How To Empower Talent In Architecture (w/ Marjanne Pearson) Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

How do you achieve successful growth as an architecture firm? It all comes down to having the right people on your team. Today, there are small 20-person firms that are making incredible revenue and ranking on lists alongside much larger counterparts. There are firms that have been acquired by larger firms, only to see their original talent leave. There is no magic formula for hiring and retaining the best people. But according to Marjanne Pearson, an industry force and the Chief Strategy Officer of Talentstar, there are ways to empower your strategic agenda and fill the roles you need.

Interview Takeaways

Architecture is more than design craft
The birth of strategy and specialization
The four levels of leadership
Think beyond full-time employees
Grow slowly and steadily
Make change as easy as possible
Learn how to become a change manager
Evaluate hires for cultural fit
Perfect the art of the interview
The dangers of acquisition
Help clients understand what they’re missing
Design firms are not a hierarchy

Show Links

Check out Talentstar
Connect with Marjanne Pearson on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Madame Architect: How To Inspire A Generation Of Architects (w/ Julia Gamolina) Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

What do business strategists and editor-in-chiefs have in common? They both require you to build relationships. Lots of them. As the director of strategy and partnerships at Trahan Architects, founder and editor-in-chief of Madame Architect, and a lifelong collector of mentors, Julia Gamolina is an expert relationship builder. In this episode, she shares how her roles overlap, how she approaches business strategy, and the steps she recommends to follow in her career footsteps.

Interview Takeaways

Find the common threads among women architects
Grow from media site to community resource
Produce content, not just buildings
Connect with people
Let business strategy take you to the next level
Develop a central message and use it everywhere
Keep developing new ideas
Use social media to find collaborative partners
Growth can only happen with a strong culture
Get experience in as many roles as possible
Explore your career, don’t plan
Find mentors by approaching people you admire

Show Links

Check out Trahan Architects and follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Julia Gamolina on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

KPF: How to Manage a BIM Practice (w/ Veronica Quintero and Alex Wilson) Sep 10, 2021

Show notes

Most architecture firms are grappling with the question of how technology and data fit into their practice. For many firms, the solution is a self-contained design technology team, similar to an IT department. But at KPF, they’re championing the idea of a digital practice, where technology is a means to deliver their projects in the best way possible. It’s not just support, it’s a way of operating. In this episode, BIM Practice Manager Veronica Quintero and Senior BIM Specialist Alex Wilson explain how their team is integrated into the practice, how they help solve problems for every department, and how they stay on top of training so that everyone knows how to use relevant tools.

Interview Takeaways

Foster digital expertise
Keep the focus on the practice of architecture
Work with other departments to improve efficiency
Create a flow of data
Build a project dashboard
Collaborate as an industry
Train with accountability
Incentivize training by tying it to career progress
Uplevel skills
Harvest journals to understand what problems are recurring
Value soft skills in leaders
Create opportunities for advocacy

Show Links

Check out KPF and follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Veronica Quintero on LinkedIn
Connect with Alex Wilson on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Bjarke Ingels Group: How to Project-Manage Architecture (w/ Flora Bao) Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

In the past decade, the number of small architecture firms has been shrinking while the number of large firms has increased. The reason? A steep rise in the complexity of the projects firms are working on. As buildings get taller and more advanced, firms need bigger teams to handle the scope. And those teams would be lost without a good project manager to organize it all. Flora Bao, project manager at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), shared what it takes to be an excellent project manager, from soft skills to design knowledge to balancing internal and external goals.

Interview Takeaways

Meet demands of large projects with larger firms
Balance design experience with communication
Change the PM role based on firm size
Use simple tools
Figure out org charts
Cut up large projects into chunks
Develop soft skills
Clarify internal and external goals
Work with each team member individually
Embrace generalist teams
Gather experience
Succeed by making everyone happy

Show Links

Check out BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
Follow BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Flora Bao on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Snow Kreilich Architects: How to Run Operations at a Mid-size Firm (w/ Trevor Bullen and Sarah Hughes) Sep 03, 2021

Show notes

Life at a busy firm can be a mad scramble. When partners and owners start to wear too many hats, key information can slip through the cracks. Over time, the value of that missed information and haphazard staffing plans can add up. That’s why mid-size firms with a healthy budget should consider investing in a new hire: a financial operations role. When Snow Kreilich Architects hired bookkeeper and architect Sarah Hughes as Director Of Finance + Operations, they quickly felt the benefits.

Interview Takeaways

Do the math when hiring for operations
Connect the dots on staffing and financials
Prepare to navigate paused projects
Engage in cash flow forecasting
Find ways to absorb downtime
Educate clients on the ramifications of paused projects
Monitor staff hours to prevent burnout
Use project data to make better decisions
Create new proposals based on past projects
An operations role lets you track data consistently
Every firm can benefit from an operations role
Improve operations through collaboration

Show Links

Check out Snow Kreilich Architects
Connect with Trevor Bullen on LinkedIn
Connect with Sarah Hughes on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Trahan Architects: How to Collaborate Across Fields (w/ Brad McWhirter and Margaret Jankowsky) Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

If you want your firm to become known for a clear ethos, aesthetic, and vision, then you need to fold that identity into everything you do. From the clients and contractors you choose to work with to your office culture and the computers you buy, every action—large or small—should contribute to that overarching vision. This is the case at Trahan Architects. Partner Brad McWhirter and Director of Urban Design Margaret Jankowsky joined us to share how Trahan has forged a unique identity.

Interview Takeaways

Define urban design
Maintain the ethos of a single firm
Hone your virtual client skills
Foster office-wide communication
Start the design process from square one
Foster collaborative partnerships
Blur the line between disciplines
The solution isn’t always a building
Bring the client along for the design ride
Bring the best idea forward
Embed your firm’s ethos in everything you do
Align with the right clients

Show Links

Check out Trahan Architects
Connect with Brad McWhirter on LinkedIn
Connect with Margaret Jankowsky on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Studio NYL: How to Build Your Technical Team (w/ Amy Baker of Amy Baker Architect and Chris O'Hara) Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

The world of architecture is getting more interesting—and complicated—by the day. Sometimes the best way to tackle your projects is to loop in specialists and consultants who have both the skill and network needed to get the job done. Amy Baker is a spec writing consultant and freelance architect who loves digging deep into the “nerdy” side of projects. Chris O’Hara is a founding Principal of Studio NYL, a group of structural engineers and facade designers. Amy and Chris teamed up to walk us through what specialists do, and how they can work to help firms like yours.

Interview Takeaways

Assign someone to capture big decisions
Expect consultants to interview you
Don’t wait until the last minute to involve consultants
Rethink the project bidding process
Let consultants act as translators
Consultants can help lock in specific products and vendors
Benefit from consultants who are doing constant research & development
Let consultants speak their own language
Prioritize a holistic project view
Don’t be intimidated by consultants
Navigate the complexity of today’s construction industry
Understand how consultant and manufacturer spec-writing compares

Show Links

Check out Amy Baker Architect and connect with Amy Baker on LinkedIn
Check out Studio NYL and connect with Chris O’Hara on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

NS Builders: How to Learn From Construction (w/ Nick Schiffer) Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

To design and construct the best building possible, you need to be intentional every step of the way. From honing your toolkit of best practices to creating SOPs to collaborating with other professionals, excellence is the name of the game. That’s the philosophy of Nick Schiffer, owner & CEO of NS Builders. In this interview, Nick shares his process and explains why the best results happen when builders and architects work side-by-side.

Interview Takeaways