Disclaimer: We will do CAD work for minimum wage...
A Serious Discussion of Globalization in Architecture:
In this heavily politicized environment there is a groundswell of public opinion that has found its voice in attacking free trade (one of the guiding policies of the USA for the last 100 years). Call outs of companies that have global operations have become de rigeuer among both the political elite and main street.
We know that this is a difficult time economically for most middle class Americans (if there is anything left of the middle) but the facts are clear. Apple has 30,000 employees in the USA and FoxConn has 900,000 employees in China specifically tasked with producing Apple products. These facts are generally lost amid the confusion. Is Apple therefore the enemy of the American middle class? I hear or see that meme on cable TV.
For Architects the choices are much less clear. Some of our clients only give us work when they are swamped or cannot hire and train employees fast enough. Others use our services exclusively with perhaps a single project Architect doing presentations to clients.
Technology has made that opportunity a reality for the last 15 years but only in the last 2 years has it become truly possible for Architects to outsource the CAD and marketing design functions 24/7.
On the flip side, we work with home builders who are hurting so badly that in 10 years there will be no great builders left. What political nut-case is going to "inshore" builders? That is just not possible. Here we see a degradation in high quality builders whose contributions cannot be globalized.
So how is globalization helping or hindering your business? And do you think you are ready to compete or are you looking for Govt. to enact protectionist policies in your industry?
"And do you think you are ready to compete or are you looking for Govt. to enact protectionist policies in your industry?"
Unbiased (and well written) post until that part.
Yes, we are all looking for "Govt." to bail out our asses. In fact, that was the architectural industry's master plan: a bailout. The banks and automakers beat us to it.
"but only in the last 2 years has it become truly possible for Architects to outsource the CAD and marketing design functions 24/7."
I distinctly remember outsourcing CAD and 3D modeling services to our (at the time) office in China. Eleven years ago. Get with the times man.
I'm not sure what your issue is with trade regulations. They are as amazing or horrible as the policy-makers want them to be. Architects have generally been immune to them. It dates back to the age of freemasons jumping around medieval cities in times when noone else was allowed to easily travel.
I'm not quite sure what your complaint is about.
"...we work with home builders who are hurting so badly that in 10 years there will be no great builders left."
A lot of the builders in the past decade were only in it for the money. The recession has purged a number of them. I wish the remaining ones would have an easier path to a line of credit. Blame the banks.
To think that globalization is entirely harmful to either party is ridiculous.
Another ludicrous logical fallacy is that globalization is a new phenomenon.
'Modern' globalization has existed in some form for close to 300+ years-- France, Spain and Portugal have had extensive globalized economies for centuries. In fact, France has been and currently is the most globalized economy in the world.
Before this, just in Europe alone, there was the Hanseatic League (13th to 17th century North Sea alliance-- albiet this trading monopoly in the North Sea was the cause of a majority of poverty within the interior of Europe), Mare Nostrum (Our Sea-- LOL, Romans), the thalassocracy (500-1800), Phoenicians (although technically Levantine, they enjoyed Europe), Sogdians (Eastern Persia and later Persia-- controllers of the 'Silk Road'), Radhanites (Jewish traders and moneychangers 500-1000-- the primary concept behind wonderful conspiracies like the Zionist Occupation Government)...
And the list keeps going on.
Really, if it wasn't for the resistance between Europe and the Middle East during the Renaissance, the global economy would have been integrated far quicker.
Pretty much, the Arabian World refused to tell Europe where cinnamon, turmeric and other wonderful spices came from.
Europe said, "Fuck that." And then started sailing in random directions until they found Calcutta and Goa. But, sometime in between finding Calcutta... Europe found America and LOL'D all the way to the bank. Then it was all "BRB, Slavery, Ops, Sorry."
But, yeah... here we are today.
If there's anything to learn from history, India will enjoy a few decades of growing prospertiy. Then your standard of living will begin to increase.
And before you know it, you're like Detroit circa 1955. Once the local populations start spending their new found money on automobiles, highways to nowhere and single-family houses... your economic competitiveness will be in the hole. And then you'll be like Detroit circa 2005.
You're country has literally no excuse. Except the enormous amounts of crippling government corruption and lack of infrastructure. Although built infrastructure is not really necessary when you're a nation comprised of islands.
A Serious Discussion of Globalization in Architecture:
Disclaimer: We will do CAD work for minimum wage...
A Serious Discussion of Globalization in Architecture:
In this heavily politicized environment there is a groundswell of public opinion that has found its voice in attacking free trade (one of the guiding policies of the USA for the last 100 years). Call outs of companies that have global operations have become de rigeuer among both the political elite and main street.
We know that this is a difficult time economically for most middle class Americans (if there is anything left of the middle) but the facts are clear. Apple has 30,000 employees in the USA and FoxConn has 900,000 employees in China specifically tasked with producing Apple products. These facts are generally lost amid the confusion. Is Apple therefore the enemy of the American middle class? I hear or see that meme on cable TV.
For Architects the choices are much less clear. Some of our clients only give us work when they are swamped or cannot hire and train employees fast enough. Others use our services exclusively with perhaps a single project Architect doing presentations to clients.
Technology has made that opportunity a reality for the last 15 years but only in the last 2 years has it become truly possible for Architects to outsource the CAD and marketing design functions 24/7.
On the flip side, we work with home builders who are hurting so badly that in 10 years there will be no great builders left. What political nut-case is going to "inshore" builders? That is just not possible. Here we see a degradation in high quality builders whose contributions cannot be globalized.
So how is globalization helping or hindering your business? And do you think you are ready to compete or are you looking for Govt. to enact protectionist policies in your industry?
Unbiased (and well written) post until that part.
Yes, we are all looking for "Govt." to bail out our asses. In fact, that was the architectural industry's master plan: a bailout. The banks and automakers beat us to it.
"but only in the last 2 years has it become truly possible for Architects to outsource the CAD and marketing design functions 24/7."
I distinctly remember outsourcing CAD and 3D modeling services to our (at the time) office in China. Eleven years ago. Get with the times man.
I'm not sure what your issue is with trade regulations. They are as amazing or horrible as the policy-makers want them to be. Architects have generally been immune to them. It dates back to the age of freemasons jumping around medieval cities in times when noone else was allowed to easily travel.
I'm not quite sure what your complaint is about.
"...we work with home builders who are hurting so badly that in 10 years there will be no great builders left."
A lot of the builders in the past decade were only in it for the money. The recession has purged a number of them. I wish the remaining ones would have an easier path to a line of credit. Blame the banks.
To think that globalization is entirely harmful to either party is ridiculous.
Another ludicrous logical fallacy is that globalization is a new phenomenon.
'Modern' globalization has existed in some form for close to 300+ years-- France, Spain and Portugal have had extensive globalized economies for centuries. In fact, France has been and currently is the most globalized economy in the world.
Before this, just in Europe alone, there was the Hanseatic League (13th to 17th century North Sea alliance-- albiet this trading monopoly in the North Sea was the cause of a majority of poverty within the interior of Europe), Mare Nostrum (Our Sea-- LOL, Romans), the thalassocracy (500-1800), Phoenicians (although technically Levantine, they enjoyed Europe), Sogdians (Eastern Persia and later Persia-- controllers of the 'Silk Road'), Radhanites (Jewish traders and moneychangers 500-1000-- the primary concept behind wonderful conspiracies like the Zionist Occupation Government)...
And the list keeps going on.
Really, if it wasn't for the resistance between Europe and the Middle East during the Renaissance, the global economy would have been integrated far quicker.
Pretty much, the Arabian World refused to tell Europe where cinnamon, turmeric and other wonderful spices came from.
Europe said, "Fuck that." And then started sailing in random directions until they found Calcutta and Goa. But, sometime in between finding Calcutta... Europe found America and LOL'D all the way to the bank. Then it was all "BRB, Slavery, Ops, Sorry."
But, yeah... here we are today.
If there's anything to learn from history, India will enjoy a few decades of growing prospertiy. Then your standard of living will begin to increase.
And before you know it, you're like Detroit circa 1955. Once the local populations start spending their new found money on automobiles, highways to nowhere and single-family houses... your economic competitiveness will be in the hole. And then you'll be like Detroit circa 2005.
Oh wait, you're from Indonesia.
You're country has literally no excuse. Except the enormous amounts of crippling government corruption and lack of infrastructure. Although built infrastructure is not really necessary when you're a nation comprised of islands.
This audience/venue/avenue isn't global. It's merely American. I'm not surprised you got only American sass. [To be honest, you kind of deserve it.]
Globalization helps global firms, and doesn't effect [at all] local firms [at least not yet. in tangible ways. to my shitty knowledge.]
And there is no such thing as the 'glocal' architecture firm. Name one.
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