Archinect
anchor

Consultancy

rroxxy27

Hello! 

I have recently read more about consultancy and what people do in this sphere. I found it extremely exciting and motivating, as well as a great field to build up connections, skills and qualities. 

Is there anyone who has transferred from architecture to the industry of consultancy? Can it work without having the business background or what should I do in order to switch?

Best regards.

 
Sep 4, 17 5:39 am
randomised

Consultancy is not an industry, it's just a method of sharing your expertise and knowledge.

Sep 4, 17 6:25 am  · 
 · 
citizen

... and making a living! If you're lucky, that is.

Sep 4, 17 4:05 pm  · 
 · 
randomised

Ah yes, the making a living part, always forget that one.

Sep 5, 17 4:21 am  · 
 · 
citizen

Yes, virtually all architects-- firms or sole practitioners-- act as consultants to clients in need of architectural services.

So the question really is: what do you mean by "consultancy"?

Sep 4, 17 4:07 pm  · 
 · 
JonathanLivingston

Ugh Consultants.... I hate that title. 

Say what you actually do. What do you consult on? What is your contribution? I swear every party / networking event I run into someone who when asked what they do goes "I'm a consultant" 

Well I'm not going to tell you what I do either then. 

Consultants.... 

Sep 5, 17 1:26 pm  · 
 · 
Wilma Buttfit

What are you offering? To whom? 


Sep 5, 17 7:30 pm  · 
 · 
Nats

If you are a consultant you need to have something that people will want to consult you about. So something specialist like planning law knowledge, sustainability experitise, architectural practice management knowledge, etc

Sep 7, 17 10:37 am  · 
 · 
kjdt

Architecture firms in general act are contracted as consultants.  On most projects they're the coordinator of many other consultants - i.e. the owner hires the architect, and sometimes directly hires some other consultants such as geotechnical engineers, and the architect hires a bunch more consultants.  So you need to expand on what you find exciting and motivating about consulting, so we can understand how what you're proposing would differ from a typical role in a firm.

If you mean you want to go out on your own as a consultant then that can work well if you're great at a specialty - i.e. you're a rendering wizard or an expert spec writer.  Some sole proprietorships work mainly as consultants to other firms, or in collaborative partnerships with other firms, formed around particular projects. 

For a relatively young, inexperienced person there are some pitfalls: firms that are excited to engage you as a consultant are sometimes doing that to avoid hiring employees, thus avoiding paying into worker's comp, unemployment insurance, and providing benefits.  When calculating whether you can really swing it on your own make sure to factor in the cost of benefits (everything from the costs of any licenses and certifications to how much you need to make to be able to afford to take off a few holidays and sick days per year), and the cost of building up a financial safety net to fall back on for 6 months to a year, because if you hit slow times as a consultant you won't have unemployment to fall back on.

Sep 7, 17 5:02 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: