I know it's Monday and its crappy outside, but I am unusually grumpy this morning. First, I saw the sobering 60 minutes piece on Wilmington, Ohio last night. Then this morning I saw this quote on the sidebar of The latest Architecture Billings Index:
This month, Work-on-the-Boards participants are saying:
"Many firms are in denial as to how bad the situation really is, or are not telling the truth about work and staffing so as to appear to their clients and to the public that things are okay."
I know that we're all trying to stay optimistic, but the longer this goes on, the more dire its becoming for some places. A recent example: talking with a former associate, we were discussing current business levels and he admitted that things were pretty shaky and that staffing has remained at skeletal levels since last year. Earlier in our chat, I had complemented him on their freshly revamped website, (filled with stories of a fully-staffed, vibrant studio culture, volunteerism, and oddly/incidently, including a few people who were no longer employed!). He shrugged, and said "That's our story and we're sticking to it".
I realize that its getting down to the point of survival, but doesn't professional pride come into play at some point. (not to mention ethics?)
I saw that episode last year when it first aired it nothing has gotten better, especially in the midwest. I dont expect all the coasters to understand what has been happening here for the better part of the last 20 years but they should take note: The shylocks have gutted the interior of the country from the family farms to the industrial muscle that built and maintained this country. The wholesale selling of the industrial sector to the lowest bidders overseas has produced fortunes for the money changers on the coasts but when theres nothing left to sell, auction or scrap do not expect the shylock to remain and spend his new found wealth among us, the shylock will move to the next place to plunder. The guy at the end of the video sums it up pretty well when He said, "its time for us to take back America, this isnt what we've died for". Im glad hes minting hunting knives, they will come in handy.
How about someone actually start admitting fault and apologizing?
Also, the word "shylock" is pretty offensive. But, yeah, how about something about actual architecture? Instead of, you know, vague sociopolitical ideas that have a piss poor correlation to the issues at hand.
"... family farms to the industrial muscle that built and maintained this country."
Outside of the Northeast, family farms in America are a purely 20th century idea and phenomenon. That's not to say that family farms didn't exist but they certainly weren't prevalent or had any of the impact that plantations and industrialized farms had.
And as for the Middle America industrialization thing, that segment of society shot itself in the foot by increasing its standard of living far too quickly for industry to keep up with demands.
It's hard to pay people shit when they own detached single-family homes and Cadillacs.
This is somewhat related to the idea of ringers, a discussion of which we had here back in February of this year.
I've said on the issue of ringers, and have the same attitude towards keeping your website looking nice, that I don't see it as an ethical violation. It is, to me, essentially the same as the phrase "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have". As long as you're not selling skills or abilities (or registration) you don't have, there's not a problem.
That's my opinion, and in all areas of actual work I'm about as ethical an architect as one could imagine. I frankly can't fathom the mindset of the business people net dude describes, who slash and burn in quest for the dollar with no concern about the related human/environmental costs. I just don't get it.
LB thanks the link to the past thread, great stuff.
In general I agree with you; There is nothing unethical about representing the true capabilities of you and your company. What I find interesting, and increasingly humorous, is the lengths some companies are going to still appear legitimate. I think its disingenuous to promote yourself as say "the preeminant firm in the southwest" or "we have grown steadlily and are now a firm of 100 strong", when in reality they lost their political and business connections 2 partners ago, and as a result have been shrinking since 1999. Overall, I think examples like that are funny, more than anything.
One that truly bugs me is when a firm's web pages, studio photos, and marketing materials present a diverse picture, but in reality, the remaining staff is white and male.
Another is when a company presents an award-winning design as their own, and fails to mention that XYZ was the Design architect. As a potential client/owner, I would be more impressed to see seamless collaboration.
It seems to be getting more sad and increasingly worse as this recession drags on.
Word gets around about companies like this. Hopefully potential clients pick up the phone and check out references!
At least the clients are hiring actual architecture firms regardless of their promotional literature, it seems in my area they rolling them all into other businesses like Commercial Real Estate management companies or CRE Build out / Finance companies. The firm I work at was offered a deal to be absorbed into a local CRE company as the "Architecture" division 2 years ago. The owners said no, and remain independent today, but all our jobs from the big CRE companies have dried up as they resorted to in house divisions for the architectural needs. In essence it seems everyone is trying to eliminate the position of Architect from the process, at least in my end of the profesion. But I dont work in a fancy big city gallery type firm.
the most important thing you can do for any of your clients is to survive. do whatever you need to do to make it happen. truth is that there are very few successful people who haven't engaged in something that they are not proud of at one point or another.
New England has lost its lions share of industry to either the South or to China. I have seen factory after factory close their doors over the past twenty-two years here in Connecticut. They are either moving to North Carolina or to the Southwest or to China. The companies who are buying up New England Industry are from Ohio or the old Rust Belt so go figure. When industry goes to China...it is not the people but the machines. I can tell you they let everyone go and crate up the machines in crates and ship them overseas. The company makes a nice profit cause they are no longer have the employees running the machines and the stockholders are happy as pigs in shit, but they don't see what is coming.
If you don't believe me about midwest industry buying up new england industry take a look at the Timken Company. It is a strange lesson in politics, industry, and the fricking good ole boy system. The layers of interplay of this company tells a story of greed and excess, and political appointment which can only be tied back the the Bush Administration.
What keeps New England ticking is beyond me. The cost of living is extremely high. There is a major shift occurring at this time which is beyond simple me. We hang in there on the edge, wondering what the next day might bring. The reasons for staying here are many but they might not appeal to many on of which is not to be involved in monster projects.
crossing the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', when in fact you have 10 people on the payroll and 40 'contractors' working for you.
skidding up to the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', when the last time you were actually at 50 was 6 months ago.
for me, not quite crossing the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', which you are at the moment, but you know you'll likely be a 30 person firm in 2 months because all your current work is winding up. it's not crossing the line because if you find the work, you'd still be a 50 person firm.
crossing the line is saying you're an expert on healthcare projects because you visited an emergency room with your sick child...
also, firms being in denial isn't unusual - most entrepreneurs have to, by definition, be somewhat optimistic. for example, we've had a great year and the work is finally slowing down. we're on two short lists that would give us about 4-6 months of work. if we get them, we're in good shape. if we don't.... well, it'll be interesting. am i supposed to brood over what happens if we don't and blow my chances of getting the projects? am i to go into each interview and tell them we need these projects to maintain our current office structure? i think not.
look, we all know the profession is in for some more hemorrhaging this year. as a lot of the commercial credit comes due, more developers, banks, and others are going to fall, making it even harder to finance projects in the private sector. you can weep for this or bust your arse trying to figure out which sectors seem likely to improve and focus your efforts on making the deepest inroads into them as possible. if you lose your ethical compass along the way, karma has a strange way of biting you when you least expect it...
What keeps New England ticking is beyond me. The cost of living is extremely high.
autodesk is based out of massachusetts - architects who buy into their yearly subscription scheme are single-handedly supporting the new england economy.
Survival vs Ethics?
I know it's Monday and its crappy outside, but I am unusually grumpy this morning. First, I saw the sobering 60 minutes piece on Wilmington, Ohio last night. Then this morning I saw this quote on the sidebar of The latest Architecture Billings Index:
This month, Work-on-the-Boards participants are saying:
"Many firms are in denial as to how bad the situation really is, or are not telling the truth about work and staffing so as to appear to their clients and to the public that things are okay."
I know that we're all trying to stay optimistic, but the longer this goes on, the more dire its becoming for some places. A recent example: talking with a former associate, we were discussing current business levels and he admitted that things were pretty shaky and that staffing has remained at skeletal levels since last year. Earlier in our chat, I had complemented him on their freshly revamped website, (filled with stories of a fully-staffed, vibrant studio culture, volunteerism, and oddly/incidently, including a few people who were no longer employed!). He shrugged, and said "That's our story and we're sticking to it".
I realize that its getting down to the point of survival, but doesn't professional pride come into play at some point. (not to mention ethics?)
I saw that episode last year when it first aired it nothing has gotten better, especially in the midwest. I dont expect all the coasters to understand what has been happening here for the better part of the last 20 years but they should take note: The shylocks have gutted the interior of the country from the family farms to the industrial muscle that built and maintained this country. The wholesale selling of the industrial sector to the lowest bidders overseas has produced fortunes for the money changers on the coasts but when theres nothing left to sell, auction or scrap do not expect the shylock to remain and spend his new found wealth among us, the shylock will move to the next place to plunder. The guy at the end of the video sums it up pretty well when He said, "its time for us to take back America, this isnt what we've died for". Im glad hes minting hunting knives, they will come in handy.
How about someone actually start admitting fault and apologizing?
Also, the word "shylock" is pretty offensive. But, yeah, how about something about actual architecture? Instead of, you know, vague sociopolitical ideas that have a piss poor correlation to the issues at hand.
"... family farms to the industrial muscle that built and maintained this country."
Outside of the Northeast, family farms in America are a purely 20th century idea and phenomenon. That's not to say that family farms didn't exist but they certainly weren't prevalent or had any of the impact that plantations and industrialized farms had.
And as for the Middle America industrialization thing, that segment of society shot itself in the foot by increasing its standard of living far too quickly for industry to keep up with demands.
It's hard to pay people shit when they own detached single-family homes and Cadillacs.
This is somewhat related to the idea of ringers, a discussion of which we had here back in February of this year.
I've said on the issue of ringers, and have the same attitude towards keeping your website looking nice, that I don't see it as an ethical violation. It is, to me, essentially the same as the phrase "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have". As long as you're not selling skills or abilities (or registration) you don't have, there's not a problem.
That's my opinion, and in all areas of actual work I'm about as ethical an architect as one could imagine. I frankly can't fathom the mindset of the business people net dude describes, who slash and burn in quest for the dollar with no concern about the related human/environmental costs. I just don't get it.
LB thanks the link to the past thread, great stuff.
In general I agree with you; There is nothing unethical about representing the true capabilities of you and your company. What I find interesting, and increasingly humorous, is the lengths some companies are going to still appear legitimate. I think its disingenuous to promote yourself as say "the preeminant firm in the southwest" or "we have grown steadlily and are now a firm of 100 strong", when in reality they lost their political and business connections 2 partners ago, and as a result have been shrinking since 1999. Overall, I think examples like that are funny, more than anything.
One that truly bugs me is when a firm's web pages, studio photos, and marketing materials present a diverse picture, but in reality, the remaining staff is white and male.
Another is when a company presents an award-winning design as their own, and fails to mention that XYZ was the Design architect. As a potential client/owner, I would be more impressed to see seamless collaboration.
It seems to be getting more sad and increasingly worse as this recession drags on.
Word gets around about companies like this. Hopefully potential clients pick up the phone and check out references!
At least the clients are hiring actual architecture firms regardless of their promotional literature, it seems in my area they rolling them all into other businesses like Commercial Real Estate management companies or CRE Build out / Finance companies. The firm I work at was offered a deal to be absorbed into a local CRE company as the "Architecture" division 2 years ago. The owners said no, and remain independent today, but all our jobs from the big CRE companies have dried up as they resorted to in house divisions for the architectural needs. In essence it seems everyone is trying to eliminate the position of Architect from the process, at least in my end of the profesion. But I dont work in a fancy big city gallery type firm.
the most important thing you can do for any of your clients is to survive. do whatever you need to do to make it happen. truth is that there are very few successful people who haven't engaged in something that they are not proud of at one point or another.
New England has lost its lions share of industry to either the South or to China. I have seen factory after factory close their doors over the past twenty-two years here in Connecticut. They are either moving to North Carolina or to the Southwest or to China. The companies who are buying up New England Industry are from Ohio or the old Rust Belt so go figure. When industry goes to China...it is not the people but the machines. I can tell you they let everyone go and crate up the machines in crates and ship them overseas. The company makes a nice profit cause they are no longer have the employees running the machines and the stockholders are happy as pigs in shit, but they don't see what is coming.
If you don't believe me about midwest industry buying up new england industry take a look at the Timken Company. It is a strange lesson in politics, industry, and the fricking good ole boy system. The layers of interplay of this company tells a story of greed and excess, and political appointment which can only be tied back the the Bush Administration.
What keeps New England ticking is beyond me. The cost of living is extremely high. There is a major shift occurring at this time which is beyond simple me. We hang in there on the edge, wondering what the next day might bring. The reasons for staying here are many but they might not appeal to many on of which is not to be involved in monster projects.
and, uh, this whole, uh shylock? business . . .
you wanna clear that up for everbody?
Snook, I believe those factories you are referring to left the South thirty years ago. Only thing we process down here are chicken parts....
crossing the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', when in fact you have 10 people on the payroll and 40 'contractors' working for you.
skidding up to the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', when the last time you were actually at 50 was 6 months ago.
for me, not quite crossing the line is saying 'we're a 50 person firm', which you are at the moment, but you know you'll likely be a 30 person firm in 2 months because all your current work is winding up. it's not crossing the line because if you find the work, you'd still be a 50 person firm.
crossing the line is saying you're an expert on healthcare projects because you visited an emergency room with your sick child...
also, firms being in denial isn't unusual - most entrepreneurs have to, by definition, be somewhat optimistic. for example, we've had a great year and the work is finally slowing down. we're on two short lists that would give us about 4-6 months of work. if we get them, we're in good shape. if we don't.... well, it'll be interesting. am i supposed to brood over what happens if we don't and blow my chances of getting the projects? am i to go into each interview and tell them we need these projects to maintain our current office structure? i think not.
look, we all know the profession is in for some more hemorrhaging this year. as a lot of the commercial credit comes due, more developers, banks, and others are going to fall, making it even harder to finance projects in the private sector. you can weep for this or bust your arse trying to figure out which sectors seem likely to improve and focus your efforts on making the deepest inroads into them as possible. if you lose your ethical compass along the way, karma has a strange way of biting you when you least expect it...
outed, you are very wise. Smart too.
Read his posts, recent grads, and learn! This is like doing internship in your pajamas!
autodesk is based out of massachusetts - architects who buy into their yearly subscription scheme are single-handedly supporting the new england economy.
metaphysics.....
stay creative and put positive energy into the universe... it will come back...
Oh, zug I'm trying, I really am. And to hear you of all people say how important it is to stay positive just makes me want to try all the more.
since the universe is believed to be 72% dark energy you're probably fighting an inevitable losing battle.
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