Interview with David Crowell, MD of rmc international, USA

In what ways do you feel that architecture, engineering and design firms create the most value for owners and users? Most people in the building industry assume what they do is about a building. But the building is only a physical tool to accomplish goals, implement change, or attract attention. They often don’t understand what the client is trying to accomplish with the building — what the client’s goals and objectives are. A couple of examples. If the client is a corporation, they might be trying to attract and retain talent, improve speed to market, or a host of other things. A commercial building is focused on ROI (return on investment) but most architecture and design firms don’t understand what drives that return. Sometimes they don’t understand the difference between the (geographic) markets they work in. There are differences in size of market, overseas regions versus the U.S., and other differences that change economic returns which may affect design solutions. Institutions such as higher education might be trying to attract students, which is very different than if they are than trying to attract research dollars. It’s important to understand the real objectives of the client. What are the most important factors that an owner should consider in choosing an architecture or design firm? The client should consider how the design team will help them achieve their goals and the relationship they will have along the way. Best-of-class design firms position themselves by demonstrating how their work helped prior clients meet goals and objectives. This is something I rarely see but it makes a big difference. Often a client who does not build on a regular basis — like someone who is building a new corporate headquarters — is not an educated buyer and generally can’t put their finger on why one firm is more attractive than another. If a corporate client like this is the object of a pursuit, tell them how you helped other clients attract top talent, improve space utilization, or promote change. In other words, what were your client’s goals and objectives; and how did you help solve them? Is creating value measurable? Yes, but time scale varies. A short term measurement may be selling or leasing a new commercial building. If it sells or leases quickly at a premium to the market you can measure that success immediately. You could design a new corporate office space where people enjoy working more and as a result productivity goes up and lost time goes down. Ultimately these things may be measurable over multiple years, but in the short term the value is intangible, like creating pride or a place that people want to be. As a longer term or larger framework example, a university might want to create a new residence hall that matches lifestyle of those who will occupy it. So the firm needs to understand lifestyle of Millennials and how they’ll occupy the building. Will it help attract students? Yes. Help retain students? Perhaps. Is it measurable? Maybe not as directly because it is part of a larger ecosystem. But it still adds a type of value that is different than measuring the cost per square foot and efficiency of a commercial building. What is the best way firms can communicate qualitative value? The best way to do that is to demonstrate it through an in-person experience of the completed work — show them in person. Get them in the space when it is occupied. It’s the same for an office building, museum, university or public building. It will demonstrate in person what many try unsuccessfully to describe in words about the quality of space and the environment and how occupants are productive and enjoying the space. Source: Design Intelligence