Office Organization

Firm Identity and Experties Clients in all markets seek value from their

architects. A firm's distinctive expertise should match what its ideal clients value most.

Large or small, experts build value. In what field will a firm build its expertise? How will the firm lead its market?

A commitment to a clear, well-crafted identity, a consciously conceived business design, and a profit model that works can rivet your attention on making the firm the best it can be.

Possible Business Models to Choose From

Styles of expertise adapted to six archetypes for the design professions:

• Innovators• Project-type specialists• Full-service client partners• Community contributors• Project management experts• Cost and quality leaders

Innovators Generate original ideas and new technologies. In architecture, they are the high-profile design

firms with original styles or philosophies. In engineering, they're the Ph.D.-owned firms

with a strong commitment to research and development.

This type of firm often receives research grants or endowments, and its staff members love to experiment as well as to teach and publish.

Sainsbury Centre Its revolutionary

design features an innovative, prefabricated modular structure that is cleverly designed to allow for subsequent extension.

SAMPLE:Norman Foster – in 1970 gained recognition as a

key architect in the high-tech movement.

Project-Type Specialists Dedicated to specific type of project or service

within a broader market. They watch the experiments of the innovators

and adapt them to create state-of-the-art work. They frequently team with a network of other

firms to provide full services for a given project and are often national or international in scope

Innovator and Project-type experts invest less effort in cultivating traditional, long-term client relationships.

Full-Service Client Partners This firm lead in one or a few major markets,

such as health care, higher education, the food and beverage industry, or airports.

Client partners are strong advocates for their clients and their clients' industries- creating a base of personal frienship.

Client partner characteristically incorporate former client-side staff members into the firm.

Recruiting such seasoned veterans represents a real commitment to the market of choice on the part of the architecture firm.

Community Contributors Aim for leadership role in their geographic area

– set deep roots in community(social & political).

They seek premier local projects including public buildings, police and fire stations, recreattion centers, schools, shelters, public works, and other municipal facilities.

For projects requiring significant technical knowledge, they team with a network of project-type specialist around the country.

Project Management Experts Focus on outstanding project management,

bringing their skills to bear on large, complex projects, including the best design-build jobs.

Emphasis is on speed and coordination control.

Many of these firms are know for their excellent internal management systems and construction management expertise.

Cost and Quality Leaders These firms have a real cost advantage,

focusing on prototypes, site adaptations, and multisite project rollouts for retail stores, health maintenance organizations, branch banks, service stations, and large government office projects.

Office Location One of the first questions that arises in starting any

type of business In this chapter we will consider the major reasons

involved but since in every case, and every location has advantages or disadvantages the owner must evaluate himself. What will be acceptable or satisfactory in one case, may not be in another.

Size of the office, type of work done, convenience of access, parking, services, as well as rent and utility costs, all contribute to consideration of any location.

Office Location1. Before

2. The “at home” Office

3. Space Requirements

4. Your Office

5. The City Location

6. The Suburban Location

7. The Small Town Office

8. The Rural Office

9. Comparison

10. Personal Preference

11. The Other City

12. Your Own Building

1. Before Most every architect or engineer, ready to open his

own office has work in another office before feeling the urge to be on his own.

In addition, the budding architect probably has visited other offices on one occasion or another and can mentally note items that he thinks are advantageous or disadvantageous.

Obtain “feedback” or “gripe” from people in their office conditions like; the layout of drafting tables, amount of drawer or shelf space desired, lighting conditions, convenience of various office services, and the desirability of conference rooms, library, print room, and clerical area.

2. The “At Home” Office Many young architects “moonlight” after office

hours, using a space room as an office. This may be a temporary expendiency to make a little extra money, but as a starting point for a full-blown business it is not very good.

There may be some clients who will not object to coming to the “office” in the rear bedroom at a residence, but a great many more will probably not be enthusiastic about it.

And even if all of these reasons may not be sufficient, city regulations and business licenses rules may prevent this type of operation.

3. Space Requirements First, we should try to determine floor space

desirably. Depending upon the physical arrangement of

drafting table and layout board, the average space is 2 x 3 meters (6 m²).

Additional space for circulation, conference, storage, and other desirable areas brings this up to approximately 15m²/ person.

A recent survey indicated that about ½ of total floor area is devoted to administration: about 20% to production, 12% to storage, and 10% to service.

55-60 m² are minimum for one-man office and about 100 m² for average office of 7/8 persons.

The area requirements may vary but their functions may be divided into the following groups:

Administration Reception area and waiting room Principal's office Conference room. (room for at least a 6 person) Secretarial space, bookkeeping

Production Area Drafting space, project managers Office space for specifications, engineers Model making space (optional) Library and sample room Estimating (optional)

Storage area. Dead project storage Correspondence storage Vault (optional)

Service Toilet area Janitor Staff lounge (optional)

In trying to layout the office, however, it may be necessary to fully consider separation of noise sources in order to have best operation.

Physical space may be such that the addition of the client's body prevents desired circulation or interfers with other draftsmen.

A majority of offices prefer that the client does not circulate in the drafting room but instead all reviews of documents are made in an office or conference room.

4. Your Office Most influential public relations devices- reflects

his interest and feeling toward certain types of architecture or materials.

Employees react to this- warm atmosphere reflects interest in a project.

In most cases the architect will have generated a particular channel or design concept that he likes, and this should be a major factor in selection of new office location.

5. The City Location The best location for new office but a number of

disadvantages to be considered: Square meter cost higher than other areas Availability and cost of parking (personnel &

clients) Access to nearby suppliers and blueprinting firms.

Offices in the central business district are expected to somehow have better offices, knowledge, employees, projects, and jobe overall.

These accumulated factors do not in themselves make better office but location just may be a help.

6. The Suburban Location Suburban location doesn't mean that the

office is “out in the sticks” Advantages:

Fair-sized office buildings Lower rental rates More spaces available More, less expensive and convenient parking Accessible office related stores

May relate better to residential work and clients may be less reluctant to come into a less busy area.

7. The Small Town OfficeDue to crowing, higher costs, ecological problems,

and inconveniences of the city, a great mny people, including architects, are leaving the urban sprawl for the smaller towns.

Architects If the architect is fairly confident of success in his

move, he may want to design and build perhaps even with a rental space of two.

ADVANTAGES His residence will be nearer the office Parking nearby is usually readily available at a

low cost/free

DISADVANTAGESSupplies may be a bit of a problem, particularly

reproduction of work.Additional expense for duplicating equipment may be

necessary and supply may have to be oredered in larger quantities.

CLIENTSA move to a smaller town most often means that any

earlier contacts probably are lost.Local clientele will develop as the architect takes part

in the communit activities and demonstrate is ability in the design of his office/building.

Practice may include considerable residential work, some smal commercial work, a bit of government work, and considerable promotional work.

Promotiona work includes reworking of run-down areas, new or remodeling work, retail stores, and occasional school bond-determined work.

Chances to be selected for a multi-million dollar project will be very remote as this work will go to the city firm nearest the owner.

8. The Rural OfficeNot very practical for a full-time architectural office and

even less so far an engineer's office.

Office spaces as such may be nonexistent, so remodeled barns or addition to residences may be the answer.

Parking will usually be plentiful and free.

Supplies must be carefully purchased in quantity, and duplicating equipment must be part of office furnishings.

Work comint to the office will be small and probably infrequent.

Rural office must be considered as part-time operation in most cases.

9. Comparison

City office has all advantage for large office Suburban-type location is more desirable for

beginning small office Some very succesful operations are carried on in

small town situation and even a few in rural areas.

10. Personal Preference

The location of an office depends a great deal upon the individual.

After working in a city office, many young architects want to get away from the hustle and bustle when they get on their own. This means they will migrate to the suburbs or smaller towns. On the other hand, some people like the feeling of being in the manstream of city business or have some initial project which is best processed in a downtown location. A similar preference seems to be prevalent in suburban and small town offices.

11. The Other City

Relocation to a new city is a big step, since, in most cases, It means practically starting over. The architect loses all previous contacts, both with prospective clients and with contractors, suppliers and even manufacturers' representatives.

Survey of the proposed new area should be made and if possible congenial contacts formed with some of the firms operating in the area.

Search for proper housing, markets, schools, and other living facilities.

12. Your Own Building

If the general location is right, the next question is to buy and remodel an existing building, or to design and build a new building from scratch.

Remodeling work on old houses can be risky but if a good result, it can also be one of the best advertisments of public relations items possible.

A new building is really a challenge. It must be within the budget and must function 100% for its intended operation.

Must be aesthetically pleasing to the public.

If this appearance is pleasing to the general public, it is likely that business may be a bit easier to obtain, if the building is outstanding either as a great building or as a monstrosity, the public will also know about it and will have varied opinions.

Under these circumstances, it is probably good to keep in mind the possibility of future expansion.

Your own building is a major investment and a visible advertisment that should be carefully considered from all angles.