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half-mast theory on design in big-time architecture

0L0ID

I think I have a theory:

 

It seems that today’s architects do significantly less design work than their unlicensed and less experienced counterparts way down the ladder. In other words by the time you’re licensed, the amount of actual architectural design work you do is very small compared to other duties.

 

This is entirely about the process of becoming an architect rather than the process of building design itself. Let’s assume a textbook case for a success story from undergraduate degree to licensure: a man graduates and lands an intern job at a firm. Let’s also assume that this is a big-time firm – and a good one at that, the kind that could offer him employee benefits, modest but steady beginner pay to help him with his loans, health insurance (our intern is still young, energetic, a bit wreckless, who knows he could get injured snowboarding, or wrap his Skyline around a pole) and promotes licensure. For whatever it’s worth, he spends 5 days a week at a desk behind a plaque with his name and a word ‘DESIGNER’ embossed on it. These are of course not your 8 hour days with a lunch in between. Our intern is passionate, curious, and perhaps a bit naiive – 50 hour weeks are a norm, sometime 70! Which is fine, he finds a certain degree of romanticism in being one of the few left in the office at midnight with rhino and 3ds max reflecting in his glasses. Plus: he is hourly so he gets paid overtime!

 

His higher ups are decent people and give credit when it’s due: after a couple years of work, he gets promoted to the next position up the ladder, assumes a few more responsibilities, gets a raise. He is doing IDP work. He fills his design hours in a matter of months. Then spends at least a year doing the Construction Document portion (the biggest in the set). On and off of course, but he eventually develops a name in the office as the go-to guy for details, plans, putting together drawing sets, even submittals. He becomes a well-rounded professional. He starts studying for ARE’s and (let’s be realistic here) after 5 years he is a Licensed Architect. By this time he has been promoted to project architect, changed from hourly wages to salary, and has minions doing busy work for him. He is meeting clients, dealing with consultants, and writing proposals. One thing that he is not doing very much of anymore is Design. Besides sketching on trace during brainstorming sessions with client committees, all the work is done by new dedicated interns who enjoy the screen glowing on their face at 2 am as much as he did years ago.

 

In a nutshell, it seems that a modern architect’s track record in schematic design burns out at the beginning of his career before he can even call himself an architect – much like a booster in the beginning of space flight. Not by coincidence it’s also analogous to how the first completed category of IDP hours is almost always Schematic Design.

Hypothesis: In a large firm, the higher you are up the ladder the less design you do.

I know this isn’t universal. But I deliberately ignored the more desirable case of working in small firms where even principals are found burning the midnight oil over piles of sketches, study models, and grasshopper scripts. Reason why is twofold: A – prospects of finding work of this kind early on in your career. B – getting paid a decent wage to do it (remember, our intern has LOANS. …not to mention a Skyline with a few dents to maintain).

What does everyone think? Do you agree / disagree, and why.

Even though this is coming from my many years of working in architecture, and lately nearing the threshold I'm describing here, I'm genuinely curious to hear your opinions, personal experiences from working in field, and of course rebuttals to this idea.

cheers!

 
Feb 19, 15 8:36 pm
Carrera

I suppose in your mega-firm scenario that can happen but for most not. I can't think of anyone I know that had to give it up but most have some ownership. If design is a goal then some ownership is key where you can call your own shots. I was managing partner at a decent size firm, hell I had to manage payroll & billing but still designed, its a component of ownership... owners at any percentage get that position from being Rainmakers and bringing in the work and clients expect them to be the designers. Had a lot pulling at me but when I designed I just stayed at home and cranked all night.

Feb 19, 15 11:07 pm  · 
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I think also your theory premise takes a classic (and I would argue incorrect) supposition that everyone wants to be a designer.  Especially in large mega firms, one benefit is that people can find their strengths and then probably have enough work in just that area to keep them busy (and happy).  If every architect in the firm was 'the designer' then perhaps very little would get done. 

I've seen teams where a lot of design detailing was done by more junior staff but the overall concept design and approvals were done by senior team members.  So who would you say is designing in that case?  I experienced this myself, having also managed junior staff, I was happy to entrust them to further develop concepts I put forward, but I also got to accept, reject, or tweak them as I saw fit.  I didn't feel 'cheated' of being the designer and felt like 'the designer' even though I didn't do a lot of the 'grunt work'.

Feb 20, 15 5:12 am  · 
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awaiting_deletion

If you are dealing directly with the client and then delegating the work, unless you have absolutely no interest in design, you still pretty much have complete control over the design (see posters above)......I did work for a large firm once and one of the partners I worked under not only did awesome hand sketch drawings he did the main 3dsmax work and sometimes into the wee hours with us at his side ready to do post production or finish his 3dsmax models printing at 5am right before he got on a plane to meet client. One time he arrived 2 hours late in another city while the other partner sat there trying to buy time with client. He walked in,showed the work, client approved. He by all means was one of the better designers between the partners, so I think as pointed out above its really up the individual............to some degree more people want to be designers than not, this obviously explains the low salaries for that type of work, until of course you 'make it' and then your salary dwarfs the average licensed professional, but these are the very rare all-stars and since in the USA we all think we have this same opportunity like winning the lottery - some take low pay and long hours to become a designer....who later in career will have to hire professionals,etc...

Feb 20, 15 7:31 am  · 
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Stupid theory. Different firms run differently and different people have different skills. Good management utilizes those skills in the most effective manner.

Increased size (big time) necessitates organization into groups according to some kind of system as much for management as for production. This can be task or project based or both, e.g. a team is given responsibility for a project and then compartmentalizes itself based on tasks. 

One way tends to maintain a rigid hierarchy and status quo while the other provides broad experience, personal growth and upward mobility within the profession.

Feb 20, 15 8:59 am  · 
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Is it half-mast or half-assed? Asking seriously. I've never heard the term half-mast applied to theoretical conjecture.

You know what they say: don't get to be good at doing something you don't like doing, because you'll find that you end up always doing it.

I know a founding partner of a major firm who specifically makes sure he spends 40% of his time on design. He very smartly structured his firm to allow him to do the thing he wants to do while assembling a team of strong people to do the other work he doesn't want to focus on.

Feb 20, 15 9:20 am  · 
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++ Donna half-assed

Would that be one cheek?

Feb 20, 15 7:05 pm  · 
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