Committee on Architecture for Education Spring 2002 Conference
C O N F E R E N C E P R O C E E D I N G S
by Sara Malone
This conference, sponsored by the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education, was held in Cambridge, MA, April 11-13, 2002.
Conference
Sessions
Lifelong Learning—What Do We Expect?
The Campus as Classroom: Issues and Opportunities
Sustaining and Promoting an Educational Facilities Design
Keynote: Lifelong Learning on a 21st-Century Campus
Technology: The Unifier in a Multidiscipline Educational Environment
Equity and Excellence-Making an Urban School System Work
Sustainability-Massachusetts Sustainable Schools Pilot Program
Tours at MIT
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
TEAL Room (Technology Enabled Active Learning)
Albert and Barrie Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center
Simmons Hall Undergraduate Dormitory
PIA Gateway Newsletter
Sustaining
and Promoting an Educational Facilities Design
George Metzger,
AIA, President, HMFH Architects, Inc.
David Soleau, AIA, President, Flansburgh Associates Inc.
David Finney, AIA President, The Design Partnership Cambridge
George Metzger, David Soleau, and David Finney all worked for small firms, which they favored for their friendly and open environments. Over the years, though, they came to realize the need to sustain the practice, and how this would require a more business-oriented approach.
Metzger's firm, HMFH Architects, Inc., has changed dramatically in the last 5 to 10 years. In the search for greater structure and organization, HMFH hired external expertise and spent four years focusing itself to better meet the change in clients' needs as well as the changes in design and construction technologies.
One of the key findings during this reorganization was the importance of leadership. "Leadership transition never stops at a firm," Metzger said. "There is a big difference between ownership and leadership."
Change is difficult, he noted, because it means breaking old habits. To make the necessary changes they focused on office organization and practice management.
Metzger's firm began in 1969. For 25 years the firm was a very loose, familial organization. As it grew, this loose structure became a strain. The time came to define the process and values and determine what could be transitioned. The ultimate aim was not only to have a more profitable business, but also to be able to articulate the firm's mission.
Today the firm holds an annual business retreat where employees review the business report and discuss the firm's culture, annual goals, and priorities. It conducts monthly financial meetings with every project manager and offers annual business classes. In addition, HMFH instituted peer reviews, communication about changes in the office, and a disciplined approach to marketing.
Reorganizing their business has given them terrifically improved profitability without changing the client base, said Metzger. Fees are better, the projects are more interesting, they are into new markets, they have more planning work, there are shorter collection periods, and they are better able to identify leaders within the firm.
David Soleau, president of Flansburgh Associates Inc., said his firm decided to take the practice and love of architecture and turn it into a business.
"Our greatest resource is the people," he said. He listed the three Rs that form his firm's vision: recruitment, retention, and reward.
Recruitment is handled in a variety of ways, including through internal references, rehiring people who had been there and left, hiring summer interns, and keeping an up-to-date Web site that sells the firm and lists all the job openings.
The rewards-salary and bonuses-are key factors in the other "R": employee retention. To retain staff members, Flansburgh Associates offers training and benefits, but more important, it communicates via the mission statement, retreats, and feedback to ensure that everyone knows what is going on and feels like they have a stake in the firm.
David Finney focused on the effects of technology on architecture, including what they do, how they practice, and what their clients need and expect.
The architecture profession is currently in an odd transition time. Many who are running the firms were trained to draw by hand, yet all of the new staff was trained to draw on the computer. It is disruptive, Finney noted, but it offers an opportunity to implement the old drawing values into today's culture.
"The design process is too often short circuited by the cut and paste of the computer, which means we're leaving out the thought process," he cautioned. "But on the other hand, computers offer us much more freedom and a quicker response time."
The range of communication media is also expanding. Email is quick, but it means there are a lot more messages to answer. So it really is not a time saver after all. It is also blurring the distinction between formal and informal communication.
Web sites are a great way to communicate. They can attract potential recruits and potential clients and can assist with project management by allowing all members of the design team to look at a project and work from a common database.
Technology in the business practice includes the costs of the operating system, licenses, training, and equipment. The continuity of the computer system is critical and is a very important investment. Plotting and printing costs are rolled into the overhead, or they can be reimbursable expenses to the clients.
Schools themselves are affected by technology. Many now require a tech infrastructure and the appropriate interiors and furnishings, especially for distance learning environments. Then there are the user expectations: How do teachers use computers in a classroom? Each is different, requiring a high degree of flexibility and ease of use.
Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.
