by Joe Remling, AIA

How do you . . . position your firm to work beyond the normal scope of architectural services?

“How did you guys get that project?” I’m asked this question quite often lately as clients and peers review ai3’s portfolio of finished design projects. We have a distinctive reputation as a diverse practice, with projects ranging from architectural and interior design to graphics, textiles, and furniture. We pride ourselves in this approach, and now that many of our peers are searching for new ways to fight through the current recession, they seem to be taking a closer look.

The answer is simple enough: “We asked for it.”

The answer is simple enough: “We asked for it.” As designers, we’re challenged to think creatively every day. Yet, despite the obvious need to evolve continuously towards success, many of our peers have a hard time finding a way how. They’re entrenched in a traditional formula for practice that requires a narrow market focus. Often, this “focus” eliminates opportunities to attract a diverse client base and portfolio of work.

But don’t be fooled—coming to this conclusion took a bit of soul-searching. Since founding ai3 in 2004, we have faced many challenges to create a multi-disciplinary approach to the practice of architecture. These challenges could have easily caused us to retreat to a safer market position and accept the modern day definition of an architect.

The reason I say “modern day definition” is that the practice of architecture underwent an overhaul in the mid-1960s. While the architects we admired and regarded all practiced a multi-disciplinary architecture (or the “old way”), the current practice paradigm required us to abandon the idea of creating products, furniture, and art hand in hand with buildings and instead to embrace specialization. With technology advancing rapidly and the global market becoming more accessible, many architects felt there was just too much to know. The speed in which information, standards, and codes were evolving forced a silo practice model. Hence, the common exchange: “What does your firm do?” “We do healthcare, multi-family, and office.”

ai3 was founded to question convention from the very beginning. In our own way, we proposed to practice the old paradigm by weaving together product, graphics, interior, and architectural design for diversity. However, it required a major shift in mindset to ask for new challenges and opportunities.

We knew that the practice and process of designing architecture still had a place in furniture design, interior design, products, graphics, and art. We also knew that our process could cross the defined verticals of existing markets like education, hospitality, medical, and corporate. In essence, we defined our practice as horizontal thereby allowing us to cross-pollinate projects in different vertical markets within a single studio. It took almost three years for this mindset to pay off and for ai3 to shift from a silo approach to a diverse design practice.

So back to the question: “How did you guys get that project?” Well, you have to be willing to make “the ask” for new opportunities, take risk, and retain a commitment to practicing diversity.

First
Become aware that new opportunity is everywhere and surrounds everything we do as architects. The secret is the willingness to talk about your design ideas and concepts with everyone before things are fully baked. It requires a transparent design process that seeks criticism. If you share an idea early, you don’t have time to fall in love with it and can seek and receive criticism openly.

Then
Build a team that can develop your new opportunities using an established design process. It requires collaboration and a lot of humility. Your team needs to know that failure is allowed. It’s counterintuitive, but breakthroughs rarely happen when you are developing something you know will work.

Finally
Connect with people who can help you realize the potential of these new opportunities. Start with colleagues, clients, vendors, family, friends, etc. Be willing to give away your ideas to them and share your thoughts about diversity. Ask your client to expand your scope of work to include a new opportunity. In short, start with something simple and expand from there. You have to ask.

After sharing the desire to expand our product design practice with a vendor, ai3 was invited to participate in a closed call for submissions with an international furniture manufacturer. Despite not being known for furniture design, ai3 was the only architecture firm invited; the other firms were furniture and industrial designers. We gathered our entire studio together and challenged the brief presented. We spent a couple of weeks researching materials, diagramming structural systems, observing users, and developing three-dimensional models. Sound familiar? The process was no different that it was for a restaurant or office space. We allowed our experience as architects and interior designers to flood the design solution.

Through this process, we detailed a design that addressed the brief in spirit but challenged the idea of the collection based on where we thought the collection would be installed. We delivered the designs within a series of sketches and three dimensional models developed in the same CAD program we use for every architecture project. We didn’t try to compete with the industrial firms; we simply and unapologetically presented an architectural solution.

I am sure you would agree that architects have the ability to reach past traditional boundaries to realize new opportunities and revenue sources. But, many of us don’t allow ourselves the freedom to ask for new opportunities because of our restrictive practice models. Although there are benefits to being a niche practitioner, the truth of the matter is that—in any industry—the freshest ideas rarely come from an insider.