We would like to associate with young architects to start an international brand as architecture group of firms.
The international branding is not an exclusive opportunity for Nike or Coca Cola, but even an Architecture Firm can use it.
We used marketing strategies and even we started the firm only a year ago, we became very well known in our country for the large public in the first place. We started a campaign of free advices for people who want to build. We participated at specialized exhibitions about constructions. We specialized in consulting for investors, being now quoted by national prestigious newspapers.
We invite any young architect that might be interested to build a group of architectural firms from any country and promote a common image as a group.
We can promote this way a larger portfolio, a great range of ideas about architecture, about own region or our beliefs in architecture practice. We would be able to advice investors to any part of the world, and be there.
The group name is TRILITICA and the etymology is from the prefix tri (3) and from the Greek lythos (stone) and refers to a trilith (triliton). Example of trilythic architecture is Stonehenge, maybe the first innovative, intuitive and meant to last architecture.
We would be able this way to start an idea sharing of what architecture practice is all about, in client-oriented marketing. We could have common catalogues, common websites, and regional websites. We could share international clients. We could advice people on how other countries construction and investments can be made.
We could be able to apply for partnerships with international companies involved in construction. We could be able to build a brand that open doors and globalize the recognition.
Gennerally, internationnal branding is a tool for big companies to get further. International branding means development. We could start a powerful brand by collaboration between small, regional companies.
Please be free to contact us and ask anything that you consider important.
Octavian Ungureanu,
architect
Trilitica srl
Bucharest, Romania www.trilitica.ro
ha ha... no.
Maybe more like a franchise. But not quite.
By marketing our firm online we've got unexpected good results. Our best aproach was to ofer valuable informations about construction to websurfers interested in:
- what are the permits needed for construction
- what is the best way to evoid unnecesarlly costs
- what are the steps in order to build a house or any other building
- how to choose a land
- how to find a contractor
- what are the architect services
- what benefits a client has if he use the architect's services
We wanted first to aply this strategy in order to get more clients from all over the world interested to invest in constructions in our country. Then we realised that this could be a powerfull tool for them if we could find afiliates from all over the world to do the same for the prospective clients that are willing to start a building in other areas than Romania.
So it is not an Amway, nothing pyramidal...... it is just a system of partners from different locations willing to start a new form of architectural services, adapted to a global market but keeping in touch with local conditions.
This form of cooperation does not have a name yet. But the same as an multinational corporate must let the local afiliates to develope strategies adapted to the local market, we could start a group based on diferent members, each adapted to local conditions who are act tocgheter to bring best informations for most active clients.
Almost any firm is developing slowlly. If you keep work locally you will build a name, slowlly, locally. You might develope in time and maybe you will be able to open in a decade or two one office in anothe rpart of the world.
All architectural firms have a huge quality. They can expand quickly. But this power to expand is limited to a particular area. Maybe an US firm can relatively easily to open another office in other US city. But all the architectural firms find obstacles in opening new offices in other country (local rules, local language, local seismic conditions and so on).
Due to the Internet, our voice is heard globally. Beside, if a group like the one I propose to you has internal rules regarding quality, client aproach all the members can benefit from the good name of all other members of the group.
Many investors act globaly. Those investors need partners that can offer services for them all over the world. They find now architectural partners from a few firms that are allready global.
Architects complain all over the world that their services are not known, that our profession is not apreciated as important as it is. Even that we don't like, people have to be informed about services that we offer. Believe it or not, they are hungry for informations that we consider them very well known. Those informations cost us nothing but are very important to our possible clients. The firm that is willing to ofer them guidance for the first steps is virtually the firm that they are going to contact when they are prepared to buy architect's services.
This is not socialism. This site ofer free membership for anybody. It is the site marketing strategy. If they would try to charge the visitors in order to get members, they would have only a 1/10 or even less members. We are their "clients" if you want. The same, our clients are our reason to exist as architectural firm.
Trilitica is a very new firm, it was established in 2004. Since then, it became one of the most well known firm between the large public. The firm's studies are quoted in prestigious national newspapers regarding construction industry, houses' constructions and so on. "Capital" (www.capital.ro) the most prestigious romanian economical newspaper qouted Trilitica 2 weeks in a row regarding both the houses construction trend and for the architectural causes of a series of flows that afected some parts of Romania last year. This is only an example. This way, when anybody call us for our services, they are allready trusting and apreciating our firm. It is only up to us to mentain the good image when we offer our services too.
I don't want to sell anything. I just need partners to grow together. We need partners to build a group of independent architectural firms that are willing to act smarter in the global market.
------- So what is the financial incentive?
The financial incentive is a larger base of clients atracted by the branding efforts of all the other members of the group.
Architectural firms build names of local importance. The group will establish a global brand name looking for clients that act globaly in locations that are not too familiar with.
--------- Show me sample business structure formulae and sheets?
Everything is only an idea. The main principle is that all the afiliates should be equal and independent each other. Basically there is no change in your busines or mine except a common marketing strategy aplied both globally and locally. The most important part of is to build a structure that should allow us to work properlly with global partners.
Let's say that an investor from your country is building something in mine. Then we must be prepared to make you as the coordinator of the financial operation and I should run the local project. The same situation should be consider in the oposite case.
Basically a global investor should be able to find trough the local afiliate basic conditions of investment in another country. Feasibility studies, reports of local permits rules and so on as a first step. AMny time even large investors neglect other some markets due to a lack of knowledge regarding local conditions.
For an example in my country, due to the recent economical growth, construction profits are tremendous. Only a few investors are able to start an investment here becouse they have no clue about this oportunity.
http://www.gensler.com/pdfs/WhitePaperSummary.pdf
If you follow the link above, you could download a study made by Gensler regarding the impact of offices design quality on the productivity. This is a valuable information for future clients. Gensler offered it for free and their multimillion revenue in the last few years doesn't qualify them as a socialist enterprise.
-----If I bought the name how would my life become easier, what parts of business would you figure out for me?
First of all it will be no charge, nothing is for sell.
As I said, we need asociates-afiliates-partners.... whatever you want to call them.
Your business will be to make your businessas more prosperous as is possible. Same for me
Beside, we are open to any new sugestions. This is an oportunity with no costs. I don't think anyone else tryed to do the same. Maybe it will be of no good. But most probably it will be a powerfull tool for the members in a very competitive market.
The way I see it you have two major obstacles ahead of you:
1) Create an interface that makes it easy for potential clients to find good, design-compatable architects
2) Create a network where regional architects are connected to the global world so that their designs can be built in another part of the world by using the local knowledge of an architect who lives in said part of the world.
These are not new ideas. However, I wish you luck in your implementation.
Also: Branding in architecture is very difficult. The very essence of architecture is that you don't want your design to look and feel like someone else's. Architects are constantly challenging conformity. But, once a design becomes branded (ie Gehry's style), it becomes a part of that conformity.
I guess what you are referring to is taking regional architecture and branding it to an international audience. Unfortunately, I think once architects realizes that their design is apart of the regionally branded architecture, they will try to break out of that image and design against the conformity.
man, i feel like a chump...octavian is such a great name for an architect, mine sucks. octavian maguire: architect, barber, harpsichordist for hire. that would be awesome.
the world is passing me by and i'm just waving and smiling. i like working on projects in my hometown, meeting with clients over coffee or lunch (or both), bringing paper drawings and real live models to presentations, being able to go at a moment's notice to take measurements at the site or just sit and stare and think about what should be there, not forcing my clients to make a long-distance call every time they want a different color of tile in their bathroom, being able to drive by the construction site every day, and having wine and cheese in the new house and hearing from the client how they have a friend in the next neighborhood who wants a new house, too. i can make enough money for a comfortable living -- and i can go swimming at 11 am on a tuesday morning in june if i so desire.
I don't sell the land becouse I am not in the Real Estate business.
I am in the architecture busines. People are interesting for me only after they buy a land. That is why I help them choose a land from a realtor. This way he will have a beter land for construction and allready apreciating my help. His next step is to make a design and he is allready in business relationship with me.
Let's say someone wants to build a block of flat apartments and he has to choose between 3 different locations. He come to me and I can tell him at no charge how tall the building could be, what are the areas that he could build, an estimation of costs etc.
Bucharest has awsome oportunities in real estate. For an apartment the costs to build 1 sqm are about 600-900 Euros (including the land), and the selling price for a new apartment is between 1200-1500 EURO/sqm (sqm= squared meter). (1 EURO=1.2 $). The taxes for the profits are only about 16%. The prices for old apartments (that need an extra investition of about 10.000 EURO) are starting from 800-900 EUROs/sqm and are going up till 1200-1500. (very trendy locations).
For good locations where the building could be a litle bit larger (more stories, good percentage of land where is permited to build) the profits could be around 70-80%.
The name of the group COULD BE Trilitica, mainly becouse we allready had a good marketing locally. The asociations could be in various other forms as Metamechanic - Trilitica or Metamechenic - Group of Trilitica. I am aware that other members might want to mentain their old names. The afiliates names could be composite names as PriceWaterhouseCooper is. the main idea is that we are OPEN.
We will keep the existing webpage www.proiectare.net (that is our major surse for clients right now, and dedicate it only for small projects- individual houses). (proiectare=project in Romanian).
Well ochona, thanks for the nice words about my name.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR YOUNG ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS
We would like to associate with young architects to start an international brand as architecture group of firms.
The international branding is not an exclusive opportunity for Nike or Coca Cola, but even an Architecture Firm can use it.
We used marketing strategies and even we started the firm only a year ago, we became very well known in our country for the large public in the first place. We started a campaign of free advices for people who want to build. We participated at specialized exhibitions about constructions. We specialized in consulting for investors, being now quoted by national prestigious newspapers.
We invite any young architect that might be interested to build a group of architectural firms from any country and promote a common image as a group.
We can promote this way a larger portfolio, a great range of ideas about architecture, about own region or our beliefs in architecture practice. We would be able to advice investors to any part of the world, and be there.
The group name is TRILITICA and the etymology is from the prefix tri (3) and from the Greek lythos (stone) and refers to a trilith (triliton). Example of trilythic architecture is Stonehenge, maybe the first innovative, intuitive and meant to last architecture.
We would be able this way to start an idea sharing of what architecture practice is all about, in client-oriented marketing. We could have common catalogues, common websites, and regional websites. We could share international clients. We could advice people on how other countries construction and investments can be made.
We could be able to apply for partnerships with international companies involved in construction. We could be able to build a brand that open doors and globalize the recognition.
Gennerally, internationnal branding is a tool for big companies to get further. International branding means development. We could start a powerful brand by collaboration between small, regional companies.
Please be free to contact us and ask anything that you consider important.
Octavian Ungureanu,
architect
Trilitica srl
Bucharest, Romania
www.trilitica.ro
is this like Amway for Architects?
ha ha... no.
Maybe more like a franchise. But not quite.
By marketing our firm online we've got unexpected good results. Our best aproach was to ofer valuable informations about construction to websurfers interested in:
- what are the permits needed for construction
- what is the best way to evoid unnecesarlly costs
- what are the steps in order to build a house or any other building
- how to choose a land
- how to find a contractor
- what are the architect services
- what benefits a client has if he use the architect's services
We wanted first to aply this strategy in order to get more clients from all over the world interested to invest in constructions in our country. Then we realised that this could be a powerfull tool for them if we could find afiliates from all over the world to do the same for the prospective clients that are willing to start a building in other areas than Romania.
So it is not an Amway, nothing pyramidal...... it is just a system of partners from different locations willing to start a new form of architectural services, adapted to a global market but keeping in touch with local conditions.
This form of cooperation does not have a name yet. But the same as an multinational corporate must let the local afiliates to develope strategies adapted to the local market, we could start a group based on diferent members, each adapted to local conditions who are act tocgheter to bring best informations for most active clients.
PLEASE STOP YELLING AT ME!
There is nothing to sell....
Almost any firm is developing slowlly. If you keep work locally you will build a name, slowlly, locally. You might develope in time and maybe you will be able to open in a decade or two one office in anothe rpart of the world.
All architectural firms have a huge quality. They can expand quickly. But this power to expand is limited to a particular area. Maybe an US firm can relatively easily to open another office in other US city. But all the architectural firms find obstacles in opening new offices in other country (local rules, local language, local seismic conditions and so on).
Due to the Internet, our voice is heard globally. Beside, if a group like the one I propose to you has internal rules regarding quality, client aproach all the members can benefit from the good name of all other members of the group.
Many investors act globaly. Those investors need partners that can offer services for them all over the world. They find now architectural partners from a few firms that are allready global.
Architects complain all over the world that their services are not known, that our profession is not apreciated as important as it is. Even that we don't like, people have to be informed about services that we offer. Believe it or not, they are hungry for informations that we consider them very well known. Those informations cost us nothing but are very important to our possible clients. The firm that is willing to ofer them guidance for the first steps is virtually the firm that they are going to contact when they are prepared to buy architect's services.
This is not socialism. This site ofer free membership for anybody. It is the site marketing strategy. If they would try to charge the visitors in order to get members, they would have only a 1/10 or even less members. We are their "clients" if you want. The same, our clients are our reason to exist as architectural firm.
Trilitica is a very new firm, it was established in 2004. Since then, it became one of the most well known firm between the large public. The firm's studies are quoted in prestigious national newspapers regarding construction industry, houses' constructions and so on. "Capital" (www.capital.ro) the most prestigious romanian economical newspaper qouted Trilitica 2 weeks in a row regarding both the houses construction trend and for the architectural causes of a series of flows that afected some parts of Romania last year. This is only an example. This way, when anybody call us for our services, they are allready trusting and apreciating our firm. It is only up to us to mentain the good image when we offer our services too.
I don't want to sell anything. I just need partners to grow together. We need partners to build a group of independent architectural firms that are willing to act smarter in the global market.
------- So what is the financial incentive?
The financial incentive is a larger base of clients atracted by the branding efforts of all the other members of the group.
Architectural firms build names of local importance. The group will establish a global brand name looking for clients that act globaly in locations that are not too familiar with.
--------- Show me sample business structure formulae and sheets?
Everything is only an idea. The main principle is that all the afiliates should be equal and independent each other. Basically there is no change in your busines or mine except a common marketing strategy aplied both globally and locally. The most important part of is to build a structure that should allow us to work properlly with global partners.
Let's say that an investor from your country is building something in mine. Then we must be prepared to make you as the coordinator of the financial operation and I should run the local project. The same situation should be consider in the oposite case.
Basically a global investor should be able to find trough the local afiliate basic conditions of investment in another country. Feasibility studies, reports of local permits rules and so on as a first step. AMny time even large investors neglect other some markets due to a lack of knowledge regarding local conditions.
For an example in my country, due to the recent economical growth, construction profits are tremendous. Only a few investors are able to start an investment here becouse they have no clue about this oportunity.
http://www.gensler.com/pdfs/WhitePaperSummary.pdf
If you follow the link above, you could download a study made by Gensler regarding the impact of offices design quality on the productivity. This is a valuable information for future clients. Gensler offered it for free and their multimillion revenue in the last few years doesn't qualify them as a socialist enterprise.
-----If I bought the name how would my life become easier, what parts of business would you figure out for me?
First of all it will be no charge, nothing is for sell.
As I said, we need asociates-afiliates-partners.... whatever you want to call them.
Your business will be to make your businessas more prosperous as is possible. Same for me
Beside, we are open to any new sugestions. This is an oportunity with no costs. I don't think anyone else tryed to do the same. Maybe it will be of no good. But most probably it will be a powerfull tool for the members in a very competitive market.
Octavian Ungureanu,
architect
Trilitica srl
Bucharest, Romania
www.trilitica.ro
octavian.ungureanu@proiectare.net
english please
The way I see it you have two major obstacles ahead of you:
1) Create an interface that makes it easy for potential clients to find good, design-compatable architects
2) Create a network where regional architects are connected to the global world so that their designs can be built in another part of the world by using the local knowledge of an architect who lives in said part of the world.
These are not new ideas. However, I wish you luck in your implementation.
Also: Branding in architecture is very difficult. The very essence of architecture is that you don't want your design to look and feel like someone else's. Architects are constantly challenging conformity. But, once a design becomes branded (ie Gehry's style), it becomes a part of that conformity.
I guess what you are referring to is taking regional architecture and branding it to an international audience. Unfortunately, I think once architects realizes that their design is apart of the regionally branded architecture, they will try to break out of that image and design against the conformity.
A difficult problem. Just my 2 cents, though.
man, i feel like a chump...octavian is such a great name for an architect, mine sucks. octavian maguire: architect, barber, harpsichordist for hire. that would be awesome.
the world is passing me by and i'm just waving and smiling. i like working on projects in my hometown, meeting with clients over coffee or lunch (or both), bringing paper drawings and real live models to presentations, being able to go at a moment's notice to take measurements at the site or just sit and stare and think about what should be there, not forcing my clients to make a long-distance call every time they want a different color of tile in their bathroom, being able to drive by the construction site every day, and having wine and cheese in the new house and hearing from the client how they have a friend in the next neighborhood who wants a new house, too. i can make enough money for a comfortable living -- and i can go swimming at 11 am on a tuesday morning in june if i so desire.
Was thinking the same damned thing, Ochona...
So now are we getting free Amway products, or what???
I don't sell the land becouse I am not in the Real Estate business.
I am in the architecture busines. People are interesting for me only after they buy a land. That is why I help them choose a land from a realtor. This way he will have a beter land for construction and allready apreciating my help. His next step is to make a design and he is allready in business relationship with me.
Let's say someone wants to build a block of flat apartments and he has to choose between 3 different locations. He come to me and I can tell him at no charge how tall the building could be, what are the areas that he could build, an estimation of costs etc.
Bucharest has awsome oportunities in real estate. For an apartment the costs to build 1 sqm are about 600-900 Euros (including the land), and the selling price for a new apartment is between 1200-1500 EURO/sqm (sqm= squared meter). (1 EURO=1.2 $). The taxes for the profits are only about 16%. The prices for old apartments (that need an extra investition of about 10.000 EURO) are starting from 800-900 EUROs/sqm and are going up till 1200-1500. (very trendy locations).
For good locations where the building could be a litle bit larger (more stories, good percentage of land where is permited to build) the profits could be around 70-80%.
The name of the group COULD BE Trilitica, mainly becouse we allready had a good marketing locally. The asociations could be in various other forms as Metamechanic - Trilitica or Metamechenic - Group of Trilitica. I am aware that other members might want to mentain their old names. The afiliates names could be composite names as PriceWaterhouseCooper is. the main idea is that we are OPEN.
Our idea is to build as a start a network of websites dedicated to each country as www.trilitica.ro is for Romania. We allready have www.trilitica.com (for international or for USA) We could get www.trilitica.org, www.trilitica.net for the main website, but continuing to develop local websites as www.trilitica.co.uk for England, let's say.
We will keep the existing webpage www.proiectare.net (that is our major surse for clients right now, and dedicate it only for small projects- individual houses). (proiectare=project in Romanian).
Well ochona, thanks for the nice words about my name.
Ok now. If you are interested in talking about the idea, please email me at octavian.ungureanu@proiectare.net or office@trilitica.ro
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