Monday, October 6, 2008

searching for answers, how to vet and communicate with clients

PROBLEMS

1) Most people don’t know what architects do or how they work.
2) It takes a lot of time to understand an owners values and how those values determine their needs.
3) Trust breaks down when architects don’t know their client’s values and clients don’t understand how architects work.

HOW ARCHITECTS WORK

Design is not arbitrary. It’s subjective, and subjects exist within a context. The context is a kind of environment in which the design develops. The architect and the client are the strongest elements in this environment. Therefore the client-architect relationship is the most important factor affecting the success of a design.

Design is not the product of single person’s imagination. A good architect is not Howard Roark, the solitary genius of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, who pursued his own agenda without regard to the wants and needs of others. The example of Roark is a one which creates dystopian disasters. This approach to architecture is responsible for disasters such as the Pruitt-Igo housing complex. Pruitt-Igo is the poster child for architectural ideals executed without an understanding of the full range of issues that surround a building.

CASE STUDY

Pruitt-Igo was an award winning public housing complex erected in St. Louis in 1954. The building quickly became a den of crime, and remained empty for large periods of time. It was demolished in 1972.



Instead of pursuing a megalomaniacal vision, design is a process of discovery from which innovative solutions emerge. When done correctly the process is fun and surprising for both the architect and the client. It begins with the architect developing an understanding of the elements that make up the client’s values and needs, and understanding how different elements relate to each other. Often values and needs seem to contradict each other in unexpected ways. Design is the process of reconciling these contradictions. This process often creates innovative solutions. For example clients will often ask for large open spaces, but confess a preference for traditional design. Traditional designs are based on masonry or stick-frame construction. These two structural systems do not allow for large openings. The desire for open spaces and traditional design are contradictory elements, but they can coexist. The design that reconciles these contradictions may end up incorporating traditional elements, such as wood trim and floors, with other elements, such as a steel structure, that allow for open spaces. The process creates something unique for the client.

GOAL

The goal is two fold. The first goal is to develop an understanding of the client’s values. The second goal is to educate the client about the full range of possibilities architecture affords them.

PROGRESSION

The first step is to discover who the client is and what the client’s values are. The next step is to help the client to think about the abstract characteristics they want in their space and how the characteristics relate to the values discussed earlier in the session. The final step is to develop the projects needs based on the clients values and the characteristics they want.

PRE-MEETING

Each session is custom designed for the client. 8 to 12 blank boards are prepared before hand. The boards can be large scale post it notes. At the top of each board is a title. The titles cover a range of subjects. For discovering the clients values say things like “who are you”, “what do you want to do”, “what’s important to you”, “what are your wishes”, etc. Sheets that focus on characteristics may be titled “tools to create space”, “elements”, “mood”, “texture”, “associations” etc. Sheets that deal with specifics say stuff like “program”, “spaces”, “specials”, “Things we’ve learned”, etc.

These sheets are put on the walls of the conference room along with images, material samples, oddities, and curiosities designed to suggest the range of possibilities. The idea is to spark conversation.

THE MEETING

The meeting is part meet-and-greet, and part brain storming session. The tone is relaxed and spontaneous. Everyone is there to learn about each other and to share ideas. People should really revel in the possibilities. The beginning of a project is an exciting time.

It takes at least two people to run the meeting. One person leads the meeting and keeps it on task. That person directs the client’s attention to each panel, prods them for more information, and writes notes on the sheets. The other person takes notes. Many of the key points will be written down on the boards, so it is important for the note taker to listen for subtle gestures and expressions the owner uses. Does the owner repeat certain requests? Does he or her have a special term or joke to describe something? If so, they’ve probably thought a lot about that point. Is anything said with particular emphasis or emotion? If there are multiple clients, note where they agree or disagree. When are they unsure? etc.

It’s very important to listen closely to the client, as clients aren’t always forth coming with information. This happens for many reasons. Sometimes they are embarrassed to talk about something. Sometimes they are intimidated by talking to an expert. Others may not know how to explain what they want. Clients sometimes tell the architect what they think the architect wants to here because they don’t want to look ignorant or naive. In any event the note taker and meeting leader must be sensitive to the client’s more subtle messages.

THE PRODUCT

After the session the architect turns the raw data into a booklet that summarizes the client’s values. The booklet is not just a list of client’s values and needs. The design of the booklet incorporates the client’s values and demonstrates how those values can be expressed in a visual medium. In many ways the booklet is a predecessor to the final design.

WHY THE CLIENT LIKES IT

1) It gives the client a chance to express him or herself to the architect and know that the architect really cares.
2) The client gets to learn about architecture. Understanding allows the client to play a bigger role in the project.
3) The client can use the booklet to explain their ideas to any other people that may be involved in the process. This could include bankers, investors, contractors, potential customers, friends, partners, etc.
4) It jumpstarts the relationship between the client and the architect.

WHY THE ARCHITECT LIKES IT

1) It jumpstarts the relationship between the client and the architect.
2) It allows the architect to earn the clients trust.
3) It gets the owner to take partial ownership of the design.
4) It gives the architect an opportunity to learn why the client wants to build.
5) The architect gets insight into what it will be like to work with the client. Is the client rigid or flexible? Are they assertive or timid?
6) The architect can learn exactly how much service the client wants. Do they just want a permit, or do they really want to develop a special design?
7) It allows the architect to screen potential clients. Is the client serious? Do they have the means to complete the project?
8) The architect can use it as a marketing tool.
9) It shortens the design process by getting a maximum amount of information out on the table early in the design process.

THE BUSINESS MODEL

The architect will charge a fee for this session. The fee serves several purposes
1) The architect is paid for work that he or she wouldn’t be even though it is a key part of the design process.
2) The fee will cause less serious clients to back out before they waste the architect’s time.
3) The fee can be waived as a favor to clients the architect has worked with before or that the architect already knows is a serious client. The cost of this season can then be taken as a loss against the books as it has a value assigned to it (check tax laws).
4) For clients that have already committed to work with the architect, such as when the architect earns a government contract, the Vision Conference can be incorporated into Standard Design services and include the cost in the design fees.

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