Theory — If Apple Practiced Architecture
The Architecture business model is an ancient model built on inquiry, whimsy, creativity and criteria. I’ve practiced architecture in six different offices, including my own, and there are certain axioms that pervade every corporate philosophy. I’ve often wondered if this old, tired profession could benefit from a fresh, hybrid business model from an unrelated industry.. read more →
Repeat Clients — Do It Again!
I remember this commercial when I first saw it. I thought it was about parent-child time together, but it was really about savoring a moment that is so good you want to do it again. That sentiment isn’t reserved for lifesavers and sunsets. It’s also relevant to architecture service because nine of my clients (and counting) enjoyed their first WishingRock project so thoroughly that they returned for a second. read more →
Project Could be a Dream — Sh Boom
Remember a time when music, people and life was light-hearted and pleasant. Ah, Life Could be a Dream, Sweetheart, but how about architectural projects? The dream project is the project that compensates the provider, in my case the architect, after design and construction completion and continues to pay dividends. Why would you need a project that pays and continues to pay? Because, architecture is a labor-task profession. A design firm exerts an amount of time/labor to finish tasks and receives compensation for design or consulting task completion. It’s a laborious trade similar to other Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) trades. Effort exerted = money received, but what if the initial architectural effort paid in perpetuity? read more →
That’s Experience — A Wise Investment
I bet I can guess what you did this weekend. My guess is you did something that millions of citizens worldwide also did this weekend. You purchased a product. People the world-over purchase products every day for a particular reason and a respective value. Maybe you purchased dinner and received a hearty meal. Maybe you.. read more →
Inspire — A Clover
Can something unassuming, like a clover be the inspiration for something substantial, like an architectural project? Yes and yes. In fact it has been, is and will be as long as there are architects who are inspired by the wonders around them. read more →
WWIT — Convenience Kills!
I didn’t need a crystal ball to see the end of the architecture profession. Technology and outsourcing routinely undermine “old” professions while sustaining others. What was I thinking (WWIT) when email communications killed the fax machine? I thought, “I like the convenience so I’ll gladly use email.” What was I thinking when website sales threatened traditional retail outlets? I thought, “I like the convenience so I’ll shop online.” What was I thinking when streaming technology obliterated video rental? I thought, “I like the convenience so I’ll stream media.” None of those transformations occurred suddenly. A consumer’s desire to control — On Demand as the industry calls it — slowly transplanted the antiquated technology. Likewise the consumer’s desire for convenience telegraphed the end of the architecture profession. What was I thinking as I watched architecture die? read more →
Talk, Write, Draw — A Com Hat Trick
Pick your challenge. You have to present information to either a) someone who is a blind, or b) someone who is deaf. These extreme conditions seem daunting at first. But every architect practices multiple communication skills to present complex concepts to different types of people every day. read more →
Renewal — Re-Ranch
renovate, remodel, restore, refresh, recondition, refurbish, renewal…re-Ranch. While the definition of most of those words are self-explanatory, the term “Re-Ranch” might make you wonder. Allow me a moment to share the Re-Ranch journey. It begins with a remodel idea that evolved to a rebuild and finally resolved as a different remodel. The Re-Ranch story starts in a small Texas town, with a man named Ray and his wife Becky. read more →
