Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies

Your firm can’t deliver incredible projects without a great team working in the wings. Building and leading a team is an art form in and of itself. It requires transparency, setting clear milestones, and providing room for talent to grow. Adam Ruffin is doing just that with his two partners at ARCHITECTUREFIRM, a small design firm that is split between two locations and adeptly managing remote work. Adam shared how they are creating a unified vision while being physically separated, how he approaches leadership, and the steps they’re taking to develop a formative culture while growing the business.

Interview Takeaways

• Learn to do things at a small scale first
• Develop one office voice
• Save costs with tech tools
• Question iteration
• Let the sense of place shine
• Hire people you like and give them room to grow
• Work with a business director
• Spread company information however you can
• Form partnerships with vetting and teamwork
• Take initiative if you want to move up
• Create normal tiers for growth
• Explain the process to clients and use feedback

Show Links

• Check out ARCHITECTUREFIRM
• Follow ARCHITECTUREFIRM on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Adam Ruffin 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

Buildings are more than a design made real. They are a collection of data. Firms that leverage that data in their organization will be able to adapt and grow and thrive in the future. But the key to doing so doesn’t lie in the technology tools themselves; it lies in the people in your firm. Architect, author, and professor Randy Deutsch explained how becoming a data-driven company is important for survival. It all starts with building a culture that empowers people, lifts up “superusers,” and puts human needs before technology.

Interview Takeaways

• Welcome superusers
• Relieve anxiety with new org charts
• Become information intermediaries
• Create a new model for the profession
• Seek change in startups
• Shift culture during economic downturns
• Make things, don’t just design them
• Embrace automation
• Focus on the problem to solve, not the technology
• See people as humans, not tools
• Adapt by looking to the future and the past
• Put people before data

Show Links

• Check out Deutsch Insights
• Connect with Randy Deutsch 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

• Favor technical knowledge over soft skills
• Become more open-minded
• Accept embarrassment as part of the job
• Choose between good options
• Draw to communicate design intent
• Negate risk by understanding the technical stuff
• Embrace continued professional development
• Slowly expand your building science vocabulary
• Learn how projects are financed

Show Links

• Check out Building Science Fight Club
• Connect with Christine Williamson on Instagram
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph

Imagine your company’s operations working so smoothly that it’s like you’re a hive mind. Sharing data and knowledge. Anticipating next steps. Solving problems with surgical precision. As COO of Voyansi, a building intelligence firm, Libo Li helped create a data-centered operations program that looked a lot like that.

Interview Takeaways

• Make better decisions with building intelligence
• Use tech tools to free up time for connection
• Build data-centered operations
• Build a hive mind
• Evaluate and own your solutions
• Stick to small, surgical fixes
• Give people the right tools to fix a problem
• Capture reality in 3D
• Map unknown space
• 3 intuitive tools for redesigning operations
• Share knowledge across your company
• Give permission to fail through iteration

Show Links

• Check out Voyansi
• Follow Voyansi on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out Libo’s new company, Katalyst DI
• Connect with Libo Li 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

When you start your own architecture firm, you’re in for the ride of your life. You quickly need to learn how to put together a successful team, partner with the right clients, and save money for a rainy day. Idan Naor learned all of this through trial and error when he started Idan Naor Workshop. The passage of time has allowed him to appreciate good advice and follow his intuition.

Interview Takeaways

• Think of your career like riding a bike
• Orchestrate your team
• Seek out a mentor
• Get your team on the same page
• Let people excel
• Find the sweet spot between creative and technical
• Consider the client, the interest, and the fee
• Prepare for booms and busts
• Be selective with projects
• Follow your intuition
• Set up client onboarding
• Organize your business differently

Show Links

• Check out Idan Naor Workshop
• Follow Idan Naor Workshop on Instagram
• Connect with Idan Naor 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

There is a saying that you don’t become a good architect until you’re 60. But what if it doesn't have to take that long to acquire major skills and hit career milestones? There is a sizable learning gap in architecture. Marc Teer, CEO and founder of Black Spectacles, is on a quest to close that gap by delivering on-demand software education, test preparation, and career development resources that can push you to the next level.

Interview Takeaways

• Solve the software learning problem
• Improve test prep
• Help architects throughout their career
• Follow your passion
• Narrow your options through your purpose
• Use values to evaluate candidates
• Keep everyone swimming in the same direction
• Give people a tool for making decisions
• Go remote to clear hiring roadblocks
• Learn from the master/apprentice model
• Democratize learning
• Make skills attainable earlier

Show Links

• Check out Black Spectacles
• Follow Black Spectacles on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Marc Teer 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

Do you want to be a JEDI? At HKS Architects, the acronym stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. From defining shared vocabulary to setting benchmarks for success, it can be a long process to get such programs off the ground. JEDI Director Yiselle Santos explained why it’s well worth it, and how you can start.

Interview Takeaways

• Get buy-in at every level
• Define the JEDI framework
• Anchor your program with a mission and vision
• Focus on business outcomes
• Solidify common language
• Empower high-performing diverse teams
• Set metrics for social justice
• Delve into the data
• Bridge the gap between technical and experiential
• Look at the long game
• Set your scope for social justice
• Start your JEDI journey

Show Links

• Check out HKS
• Follow HKS on LinkedIn
• Connect with Yiselle Santos 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

Architecture and engineering are careers that offer a lot of autonomy and entrepreneurial spirit. But these industries also breed chaotic organizations and burnout. Rens Hayes, founder of H+O Structural Engineering, has set out to do things differently. He shared with us how he’s built a people-first business that’s all about value-driven growth.

Interview Takeaways

• Help good people find you
• Define your mission, vision, and values
• Fight back against burnout culture
• Use your core values to create results
• Integrate your values into every decision and message
• Attract the right people by sharing your story
• Create a triangle-shaped framework for success
• Incentivize great performance
• Develop leaders who want to stay
• Reward continual improvement
• Weigh value alignment over local availability
• Balance the eight core areas of business

Show Links

• Check out H+O Structural Engineering
• Follow H+O Structural Engineering on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Rens Hayes 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

How can architects benefit from a collaborative platform like Airtable? If you’re interested in getting organized, it’s a no-brainer. Airtable’s own Jackie Park joined Monograph to explain how Airtable features can help hone your firm’s operations, from FF&E to recruitment. Whether you use Airtable or something else, the best part is that digital tools can free up more time for the creative work architects love.

Interview Takeaways

• Use digital tools to organize information
• Airtable is a digital tool kit
• Jackie Park’s journey from architecture to sales
• Hone your digital customer pipeline
• Use Airtable for FF&E tasks
• Leverage a customizable database
• Use Airtable to organize the approval process
• The value of a shared workbench
• Organize and automate recruiting tasks
• Use Airtable to streamline operations
• Free up time for design
• Choose a digital platform based on your needs

Show Links

• Check out Airtable
• Follow Airtable on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Jackie Park 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

Common is the nation’s leading co-living brand operator. That means it’s two things at once: a housing company and a tech startup. It's a company where designers bridge the gap between software developer and property developer clients. It’s a unique role for an architect, and no one knows that better than Jenn Chang. Jenn started out as Common’s very first architect. Today, she serves as the company’s Vice President of Studio, Common's in-house design and construction team. Both Common and Jenn’s success has hinged on adaptability - and the ability to learn from lessons along the way.

Interview Takeaways

• At Common, tech meets residential
• Jenn Chang charted new territory as Common's first architect
• Find the balance of creative ideas
• Create new opportunities with a proactive approach
• The brand operator model
• Offer flexible services based on client needs
• Analyze building performance data
• Hire for internal aptitude
• Foster an autonomous work environment
• Advocate for yourself and your team
• Shift your company concept

Show Links

• Check out Common
• Follow Common on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Jenn Chang 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