Trust between an architecture firm and its clients is as important as it is difficult to foster. As the founders of Fleetwood Fernandez Architects can attest, one method of establishing trust is to keep their firm small, allowing their relationships with select clients to become familiar and consistent during the arduous process of building a piece of architecture together. Through their strong partnership, they have achieved some of the most striking buildings and interiors in the Los Angeles area, including a Santa Monica home for a construction magnate and an upscale donut shop in Del Mar.
For this week's Studio Snapshot, we spoke with Hunter Fleetwood and Mariapaz Fernandez of Fleetwood Fernandez Architects. We discussed the difficulties of the first year of running the office, imagining an ideal client as well as the pleasures and setbacks of remaining a small firm.
How many people are in your practice?
We have 6 people working for the office. There are five architectural staff members – two of them licensed architects, and one administrative staff member.
How long has your firm been in operation?
We officially opened the office eleven years ago though my partner, Mariapaz Fernandez, and I have been collaborating on projects together for almost twenty years.
What was the first year of operation like?
In a word, frenetic. We had been building toward opening the office for a while, but obtaining enough work is always challenging. Once you get the ball rolling, there is momentum, but the ancillary tasks associated with managing a studio and a business do pile up. A lot of energy is expended trying to learn what everyone else already knows, stuff like legal structure, insurance requirements, accounting, etc.
However, an even bigger challenge comes in the formulation of your creative agenda with the office. As architects, we are accustomed to articulating an ethos towards design, especially within the context of other designers. But describing how that ethos relates to what you hope the studio might explore or accomplish, and how to distill that into a message to which clients would relate can be complicated.
What originally motivated you to start your own practice?
My partner and I have been collaborating on projects for a while, and have always shared a similar sensibility towards ideas about space and materiality. It always seemed like a natural extension of that synergy.
What is it like co-directing your firm?
Working together is an integral part of our process. It’s not for everyone, but we find it rewarding. For us, the iterative process that is born from partnering yields a composite product that we always feel to be more in alignment with our original ideas for the project than if one of us had been working alone. Moreover, we find that it provides structure and support for the direction of the office that would otherwise be absent if it were a single voice at the principal level.
What are the most typical hurdles you come across when working with clients?
As creative professionals, we would say that the biggest hurdle we face is that of trying to convince clients to continue to support the design direction of the project from start to finish. In many ways, the idea of initiating a creative expression while working to provide a service is at odds with one another, which can be an unpopular thing to say in our industry. Project durations are long.
it is much better to work harder to establish your voice and attract clients who share your vision than to be at odds with a team that isn’t fully committed to the ideas your studio brings to the table
The work is often expensive, there is a lot of regulation involved in what we do, and the teams we assemble all pull the project in different directions. One thing we have learned is that it is much better to work harder to establish your voice and attract clients who share your vision than to be at odds with a team that isn’t fully committed to the ideas your studio brings to the table.
What are the benefits of having your own practice and staying small?
The main benefit of having your own office really is that you set the agenda. However, that means you have to figure out how to implement it as well. Seeking out work, or self-initiated projects that will position the studio for advancement is a strategic endeavor that can span years and often contains setbacks. After all, as architects, we have little control over a project’s trajectory. Many projects are on hold or are steered in a different direction than we would like, so it is important to have a bit of fun along the way because you never really know where the path is going to lead. As far as studio size, staying smaller allows us to be nimble and pursue the projects we really want to work on.
Is scaling up a goal or would you like to maintain the size of your practice?
Growing the office is one goal, for sure. We love the addition of new personalities, talent and energy to the studio. However, we have learned it is just as important to know when to say 'no' to new work when it isn’t the right fit for the office. So, we are much more focused on building interesting work than increasing staff count.
Do you have a favorite project (completed or in progress)?
The Taslimi house will always have a special place in our hearts. We are very proud of it. The client put a lot of trust in us and asked us to direct every aspect of the project right down to the furniture selection so we were able to explore a lot of ideas that we have always been interested in. Residential projects like that have this amazing capacity to open a window into someone’s everyday life; their rituals, memories and hopes for the future.
If there is a synergy between client and architect for the design of a house like that, the project becomes an expression of who the client is...
If there is a synergy between client and architect for the design of a house like that, the project becomes an expression of who the client is in a way that could never happen on a commercial project. We are also very excited about a residential project on the boards right now in Silver Lake. We’ve been exploring ways to carve out exterior space in the hillside and it’s been a fun process working with an amazing couple (also our great friends!) who love to push the envelope.
What would be your ideal project? Your ideal client?
Our ideal project is one where there is trust. It’s a strange negotiation designing a building or space for someone else to live, work or eat in. After all, the memories made in that space will not be ours. In order for the process to yield something special, there has to be a sincere belief in working together that flows between architect and client. Also, ideally, we hope clients will be open to communicating their ideas for the project in conceptual terms. In a world where everyone has a Pinterest board, we try to keep the possibilities open and without references. We often say to clients, if we can’t find an image of what we’re talking about to show you an example, that’s a good thing.
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