With a career in architecture spanning over three decades, Anne Fletcher has played a significant role in shaping the architecture community, most notably as a senior principal at HOK. Drawing inspiration from her father, a civil engineer, she pursued architecture as a way to blend creativity with technical problem-solving.

Now, as she transitions into what she calls rewirement, Anne is not phasing out—she’s redefining what comes next. In this interview, she reflects on her journey, the dynamic relationship between architecture and the practice, and how she’s approaching this next chapter with the same curiosity and passion that have always guided her work.

Could you share a few words about your rewirement (or this new phase of life)? Many professionals find retirement opens doors to unexpected opportunities. Have you taken on any advisory roles, mentorship, or personal projects that excite you?

I believe that many very senior professionals, especially women, feel a shift in what they can offer with their high level of experience coupled with a personal desire to keep evolving. Initially, I intentionally didn’t lock myself into a singular direction, appreciating this as a period of strategic exploration. This allowed me to be open to unexpected opportunities and thoughtfully consider how to best leverage my experience. So I have been acquiring skills that I do know will serve me well, whatever is next.

I took an eye-opening class at Stanford Graduate School of Business “Harnessing AI for Innovation” with 50 other leaders of global industry to get a solid AI foundation, recognizing its increasing importance in complex decision-making and the future of the built environment. Then I’ve taken four hands-on courses on applying AI and I am currently building my own AI Agent! I’m also developing an app in stealth mode, serving as an expert advisor with GLG, and incubating a new business idea in architecture. Much more to come in different streams.

As someone who’s led diverse teams and contributed to large-scale projects, what advice would you give to younger architects about balancing design excellence with business growth?

Design excellence and business growth are completely intertwined, and I think it’s essential for young architects to recognize this connection early on. The best way to develop a strong foundation is to gain exposure to as many aspects of the industry as possible. Even if you’re primarily interested in design, it’s crucial to understand tectonics, detailing, and construction. You don’t have to take on a management or technical role, but having an awareness of the challenges managers face will strengthen your ability to navigate projects effectively.

“If you look at any renowned architect or iconic building, you’ll find that behind great design is a deep understanding of construction and the real-world implications of design choices.”

To push the boundaries of design, you first have to understand where those boundaries lie—and that means knowing how things are built. What I’ve learned is that business growth often comes down to communication. Clients tend to think in managerial and operational terms, and the ability to translate design concepts into a language they understand can be incredibly powerful. Even if you’re focused on design, developing this skill will enhance your ability to engage with clients and advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

What skills or mindsets should the next generation of architects cultivate to succeed in an industry rapidly evolving with new technologies?

I firmly believe that AI is coming, and we should embrace it—it’s going to work with us and for us. Architecture is an industry that’s due for transformation, from the design process to how we do business and document buildings. Automation will play a big role, especially in areas where firms traditionally generate fees. While that shift won’t happen overnight, in the next five years, we’ll see a real impact on how value is placed in our work.

For younger architects, you’ll be the most 1. This technology will be part of your toolkit from the start, but it’s crucial to always see it as just that—a tool. The key is to stay critical, look for gaps, and never take anything for granted. A creative eye will always see things differently, and that’s where architects will continue to make a difference.

Another piece of advice—always keep sight of the big picture. I don’t believe in rigid plans for the future, but I do believe in having a North Star. It’s easy to get lost in the details, especially in architecture, with new inputs, requests, and parameters constantly shifting.

“But staying focused on what a project is really about—its core purpose—brings clarity when things get complicated.”

No matter what’s happening around you, always come back to that.

Over 3 decades in architecture, what significant changes have you observed in the way architectural practice operates, particularly in terms of project delivery, collaboration, and client relations?

The biggest shift I’ve seen in architectural practice is in project delivery, largely driven by rising construction costs and increased risk—especially over the last five to seven years. Earlier in my career, clients, architects, and contractors could look at their past projects and fairly accurately predict cost, risk, and timeline. That’s no longer the case. Every new project requires a fresh look at expectations because market conditions fluctuate so much. And since large projects can take five to ten years to complete, past benchmarks quickly become obsolete.

One major outcome of this uncertainty has been the rise of the design-build model, particularly in larger projects. In this approach, architects and builders are contractually tied together as one entity, working collaboratively from the start.

“Instead of architects designing independently and then handing off drawings, they now develop documents alongside builders, constantly checking pricing and constructibility throughout the process.”

This fundamentally changes how we communicate and operate because they’re now integrated into the building process in a way they weren’t before. It’s an important evolution in the industry.

Sustainability has become a crucial part of architectural practice. How has your approach to sustainable design evolved, and what role do you think architects should play in addressing climate change and environmental concerns in the built environment?

“My approach to sustainable design has evolved to the point where I see sustainability as simply part of good architectural practice—it shouldn’t be an afterthought or a checkbox.”

It’s about understanding that everything is interconnected, like an ecosystem. Whether it’s a building or an infrastructure project, every decision has upstream and downstream impacts. Solar orientation, material choices, and other elements aren’t just steps in the process; they’re part of a larger system.

I also believe we need to move from just ‘doing less bad’—like aiming for net-zero—to regenerative design, where we actively give back and enhance the environment. For example, a building shouldn’t just minimize harm; it should improve the site, generate energy, or contribute positively. With the tools and technology we have today, we can analyze and predict performance to create designs that leave things better than we found them.

You’ve mentioned advocacy for diversity in the profession. How do you think the industry has progressed in promoting diversity and inclusion, and what more can be done to create truly equitable opportunities in architectural practice?

There’s been progress in promoting diversity and inclusion, and firms are genuinely trying, but the numbers still don’t reflect enough real change. Women make up 50% of the population but only 25% of architects, and Black architects—especially Black women—are still underrepresented, at less than 5% and 1%, respectively. This gap isn’t just about fairness in employment; it’s about missing diverse perspectives in design. When we don’t have those voices at the table, we lose out on innovation and solutions that reflect the world we live in.

The industry also needs to shift its mindset. Architecture is often seen as an all-or-nothing, ego-driven profession, where only the ‘star designer’ matters. But the reality is architecture is a group process.

“Architecture is not just about the designer—it’s about the entire team, from marketing to project controls.”

Every role is critical to designing and delivering a project, and we need to actively honor that. Right now, if people don’t see themselves in that top design role, they may feel like they don’t belong or aren’t adding value. That’s why so many leave the industry.

If we don’t address this, we’ll continue to lose talent. People need to know they’re valued, no matter their role. That’s how we’ll create a more inclusive and equitable industry.

As technology continues to reshape the architectural landscape, the role of architects has evolved from being sole visionaries to becoming facilitators of multidisciplinary collaboration. Instead of simply presenting a design for others to support, architects now guide a dynamic and complex mix of ideas, ensuring all moving parts align seamlessly. This shift represents not just a change in workflow but a broader expansion of how architects contribute—by leading processes, nurturing collaboration, and integrating diverse perspectives to achieve the best possible outcomes.

The post Architecture Unfolding: Anne Fletcher’s Rewirement Journey appeared first on Archipreneur.

The boom of AI-integrated apps has brought automation to architecture. It affects rendering, drafting, visualizing, and cost-estimating. It paves many ways to produce effortless and instant solutions while letting you focus on the design part. By simplifying laborious tasks, even outsiders can better understand the process behind designing and creating spaces. Taking advantage of these progressions, it is less challenging for architects to shift their focus on defining and solving clients’ requirements. 

Re-imagining content Marketing for Architects in 2024

It is hard to deny that using content marketing is an essential way of attracting leads for your architectural business. But that is also one of the most time-consuming parts of running a creative business, as it involves intensive planning and execution. And most importantly, staying consistent in marketing your valuable content. If you want to define a solid plan to gain more traction for your architectural practice, check out how you can attract clients with content marketing here.

Today, AI and other innovative tools make it easier than ever to create compelling content. Saving you a lot of time in searching the most asked queries to streamlining the SEO and brainstorming ideas. Here are the 3 best ways AI tools can better assist every architect’s content marketing strategy.

1. Strategising Keywords with AI – Semrush, Yoast SEO
2. Accelerating Content Creation – Grammarly, Notion AI, Lexica Art (for blog thumbnails), Adobe Firefly, Canva
3. Optimized Campaign Ideas – Zapier (for automating tasks), Headlime (for landing pages), Brand24 (for media monitoring)

Understanding AI in Content Marketing

The core value of understanding the application of AI can leverage your marketing strategies. It is necessary to understand the fine line between completely relying on AI and utilizing it intelligently. Using AI to create your marketing strategies and applying AI in your strategies are two different things. Balancing the scale to maintain the originality of your architectural services through your content marketing is the paramount aspect here. Additionally, it is almost impossible to avoid the use of AI in any task these days. AI is entangled with every other software or application that is in use by architects and designers. 

There is now an option to integrate AI into software, including the ones used for post-processing, designing, and drafting. While these are only somewhat reliable for some design processes, they can save time during the preliminary design phase.

Benefits of Integrating AI into Architectural Content Marketing

As an architect and a creative business owner, integrating AI in content marketing will save you plenty of time performing repetitive tasks, such as keyword research, content optimization, and social media scheduling. While all these are a major source of client interaction and require a sense of human touch, a few repetitive tasks can be automated with AI. 

• Another notable feature is gathering data-driven insights. This helps architects make informed decisions about content performance, audience behaviour, and industry trends. Paving a defined pathway for architects to produce content that best aligns with their design philosophy and resonates with their clients. Insight7 is an AI-powered tool that helps in extracting structured analysis of your client interviews, internal discussions, and expert calls.
• With the help of several AI-integrated visualization tools and apps, architects can produce instant design options for their client meeting presentations. As a result, architects can now provide multiple design options to their clients during client meetings, which have grown in popularity in recent years. This not only helps architects but also keeps clients interested and informed of their design decisions. LookX AI is one such platform that lets you produce instant renderings of your 3D model. By installing the plugin into your SketchUp model, you can apply and try various modifications.
• Content Performance Analytics – helps you to understand your client’s requirements and what they are looking for in an architectural service. Additionally, this tool will help architects to assess their strengths and weaknesses in content creation. 
• Enhancing user experience / Interactive Chatbots – Enhancing various interactive features in your website to make the user experience more organic and engaging. With the rise of mobile apps and AI, a client’s attention span has declined to a scale that they demand immediate attention. Integrating chatbots can engage users promptly and buying some extra time for owners/architects to understand their requirements. 

• Helps brainstorm ideas for content when stuck with a design block. Various AI prompt generators (Architect AI,archsynth, Swapp, etc) can be an eye-opener when you want to indulge in creative activities that can rekindle innovative ideas.

In Summary

Architects are exploring effective ways to balance marketing their business and developing their design philosophy by integrating a cohesive strategy. They aim to establish a strong brand identity that reflects their unique design approach and utilize a portfolio showcasing projects that embody their philosophy. 

Before getting your hands on AI tools, it is crucial to understand strategic marketing efforts, such as targeted campaigns, content marketing, and maintaining a presence on social media etc., that will help communicate your vision to potential clients. If you plan to take your marketing game to a higher level, Archipreneur Academy will pave the path to creating a balance between growing your design business and automating your marketing strategies.

The post Mastering Architectural Content Marketing with AI appeared first on Archipreneur.

“You have to start with your customer—not with your product, or your service, or what you think is right—and build everything around that.” – Robert Dekker, group marketing manager at Games Workshop

For architects, defining an audience is not just about reaching potential clients—it’s about infusing every design with purpose, relevance, and impact. It’s the key that unlocks the full creative potential of their craft, driving innovation, satisfaction, and enduring success.

As an architect, thriving in the business is all about understanding and satisfying the client’s needs, and that can be demanding. Here are 5 effective steps to keep in mind when defining your design audience:

Understanding Your Design Niche

On the pathway to establishing your architecture practice, you might get overwhelmed with various marketing strategies. Nonetheless, it is always better to pause and understand the very thing that differentiates your service from others. To make sure you achieve your goals, you should be able to identify your strengths that will make you stand out in the crowd – your niche. 

But what does the term ‘niche’ address here?

It is not a decorative element that you find on a wall; it is what you will master in your design path. Recognizing your niche will help you to:

• Stay focussed on your design vision
• Excel among the various competitors in the design field
• Be passionate about the service you provide and master it.

It is beneficial for any architecture firm to understand its niche to be successful. Which means filtering out your market and concentrating on one or some of the key services you provide. Such as concept design, feasibility studies, preparation of planning applications, creation of detailed construction drawings, sourcing and vetting contractors and consultants, and administration of the contract depending on the scale of your firm.

This will ensure your reputation within the design field and indicate a clear pathway to your success. Plus, it will prevent you from becoming too broad in your service offerings.

Creating Client Personas

Empathy is a crucial factor in defining your target audience because it allows you to understand and share others’ feelings. An architect’s core task begins with understanding clients’ likes and dislikes. 

You might wonder…

Is it possible to analyze each client’s needs?

Although it’s challenging to poll every single client, we could start by creating a target market followed by a niche group that will help us follow the hierarchy. A key element of a good client experience is understanding their particular needs. 

Here are a few applications to better understand your client personas:

1. Client Interviews and Surveys: Gives you a focused pathway on steering your design project as per the client’s exact requirements. Such as a preferred interior theme, or a retrofit project with certain restrictions.
2. Understanding the context: This includes developing a design that truly aligns with the site. When one understands their site better, one can craft a space that creates a memorable experience.
3. Program Development: Depending on the project’s scope, whether it is a new build or renovation – this allows us to optimize the building’s layout, spatial organization, and functionality.
4. Use Case Scenario: Creating personas representing the different types of clients, along with use case scenarios illustrating how they will interact with the space, helps in designing for specific user needs and experiences.
5. Feedback Sessions: Working on a design project is a two-way communication. By remaining open to feedback, architects can adapt and refine their designs to better meet the evolving needs and preferences of the client.

By employing these methods, architects can gain a comprehensive understanding of their client’s needs and requirements, which forms the foundation for strong client relationships.

Defining Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A well-defined USP helps a firm stand out by highlighting what makes it unique. Whether it’s a particular design philosophy, specialization in a certain type of project, or a unique approach to sustainability, a strong USP can differentiate an architecture practice in the minds of potential clients.

Defining your value proposition will help your clients better understand why they should choose your firm over others, and they will be more likely to feel confident in your expertise.

This can include providing customized services, a client-centric approach, or something that is hardly identified in any other design services. Take a look at the key lessons learned and insights from the founding partner’s 40+ years of practicing architecture.

“We turn nothing into something or take something and make it even better.” 

Source: Barbara Flammang, KFA Architecture

Similarly, tailoring your architectural services to address your target audience’s specific needs and preferences will help you in defining your USP. 

Crafting Tailored Marketing Messages

Many architectural firms prioritize their technical expertise and the quality of their designs over marketing efforts. They can, however, elevate and boost their architectural practice by maintaining a strong online presence. Through social media, websites, and online directories, it has become easier than ever before to increase visibility and brand awareness. Tailoring your portfolio and website to better suit your niche clients will help you get easily identified. 

Digital marketing can be one part of tailoring your services for your client base. There are various other ways to make your service exclusive. The following are some unconventional marketing methods:

1. Organizing workshops or webinars on topics related to architecture, design trends, sustainable building practices, or DIY home improvement, as it provides value to potential clients.
2. Developing content that educates, inspires and entertains your audience. This could include blog posts, case studies, videos, or social media content that highlight your firm’s projects, design process, and insights into architecture.
3. Utilizing the latest technologies to make your website more interactive and fun to browse through.

Engaging with Your Audience

With every successful project, you build a meaningful relationship with your clients. Nurturing and establishing long-term relationships with clients and strategic partners will lead to repeat business and loyal clients for your architecture practice.

Using online resources, industry conferences, and networking events, cultivate contacts among various target groups. Building an effective network might result in prospects for new clients and referrals. This also includes monitoring and reflecting on ideas that you executed in your design process. 

Ask for feedback from your customers regularly to find out what they appreciate most about your architectural practice and your areas for improvement. Over time, this will enable you to enhance your target audience service and product offerings. This is an iterative process, as it needs to be reworked whenever you execute or complete a project.

Get to know your audience. Now!

Remember, defining your target audience is just the beginning of your journey towards building a successful design business. To achieve continuous interaction, your target audience strategy must be refined and adapted. Despite these 5 practical steps, there are many other factors to consider when analyzing your design business. 

With an emphasis on developing efficient marketing strategies, drawing in ideal customers, and encouraging long-term expansion, the Archipreneur Academy gives you the skills and facts you need to succeed in the intense field of design. To help you set your voice and inspire your audience, check out the free Architect Marketing Checklist from Archipreneur Academy which will provide a better vision of helping you reach your goal.

The post 5 Ideas to Successfully Reach your Architectural Clients appeared first on Archipreneur.

Bec and Ray describe how doing good architecture does not automatically translate into doing good business. They believe it’s key for architects to understand the difference between being a technician and being a leader, which require completely different skillsets. Creating a clearly defined corporate structure is one step towards having a stable and sustainable architectural business foundation, primed for growth.

Could you please tell us about your background?

Ray: I was an entrepreneur in Scotland. I ran a variety of businesses and then decided to relocate with my family to Australia in 2005. I became a business coach and I’ve since built a business coaching practice in Melbourne. About 50% of my clients today are architects, which encouraged me to move into Archibiz, with Bec’s assistance.

Bec: My background is mainly in brand and digital strategy, both with agencies, on the client side and more recently consulting. I also run the Churchill Club which promotes emerging technologies for the advancement of industry in wider society.

How did you become business coaches for architects?

Ray: We were looking for a business, particularly in a niche that suited our offering and realized the answer was very close to home, in terms of the clients we were already working with. I had five architectural clients in Melbourne. It became obvious very quickly that there was a need, and also a propensity for architects to start their own business. Typically, architects were also nice, intelligent, easy-to-work with people who were receptive. With Bec’s encouragement, we decided to focus on architects and build an online business that leverages what we’ve learned from the architects we’ve been working with face-to-face.

Bec: It really came out of working together. Ray had vast knowledge and experience coaching and mentoring business leaders who needed help along the journey of business growth. We were writing a book to share all all of Ray’s knowledge on a wider scale.

What services do you offer and how can you help architects to create better businesses?

Ray: The needs of architects are really the same as many other tech-based businesses that are being run by technicians who typically don’t have substantial business knowledge. I help CEOs who have said, “I feel like a well-meaning amateur, and I feel like I don’t even know what I don’t know.” That’s a horrible feeling for people running a business. The business may be quite successful, but it can still be very stressful.

We found that the one-on-one operation is just not scalable, and we want make a bigger impact. We also want to encourage architects to learn from one another. Architecture is a very collegiate type of profession and we think that the best format could be group coaching, groups of 10 architects who will speak about a range of topics. There will be a bit of learning from one another in workshop form too. The coaching will teach the basics of business knowledge, sales, marketing, finance, operations. That’s the initial product. We will also provide some specialist self-study courses for topics like finance, and standalone products for marketing, since Bec is very good at marketing.

Traditionally architectural education is focusing mainly on design. Do you think that there’s a business knowledge gap in architecture education?

Ray: There’s absolutely a huge gap, and architects acknowledge this. Business knowledge is lacking in architectural training, in an almost inverse relationship to the quality of the design education: design education is good, business is bad, architecture is good, money is bad.

I think a lot of it is self-inflicted, because the industry doesn’t help architects to become solid business people. The model should be strong business first, and to do architecture on the back of that, rather than assuming good architecture will automatically lead to good business. I just don’t think that happens.

What is your opinion on the value proposition of architects? How should they communicate it and what marketing instruments could they use?

Ray: What is the value of architecture? This is fundamental. I haven’t been able to answer that question satisfactorily yet.

Bec: The industry needs to do a lot of work collectively on that. Here in Australia, for example, we have the Institute, and they need to be pushing more focus on this. We have things like Good Design Week, but there needs to be a lot more conversation about it and in the universities. Particularly when you look at the rise of the designer/builder, which is really eating into the architect’s bread and butter. It’s important to be clear, not only about the value of architecture, but also about the value of what I bring to architecture, or what my practice brings to architecture.
For example, Ray has a client that focuses on car parks; that’s their core area of specialty. They look at trends in that space. You shouldn’t be ashamed to specialize in an area, which comes back to that core marketing ideal that you can’t be everything to everyone, and you shouldn’t try to be. What is it that you’re good at and that you like doing? Focus on that. If you’re good at what you’re doing, and you’re good at communicating what you do, there are certainly enough clients.

Architects also need to build a client list. Who have you worked with in the past? Who have you met at marketing events or networking events? Who have you met at awards? Who are your neighbors? Who are those people in your personal network as well? You never know who knows someone else. Who are you sitting next to at dinner? Build that list and communicate with them at least quarterly. If they’re a previous client, you probably spent at least a year working with them designing and executing their vision. You should at least touch base with them. Also, people want to know what you’re doing as well. If you’ve won an award, let them know. Shout out to the rooftops– people will be really happy for you. You never know what referrals that will trigger down the track as well. Learn to leverage that opportunity to get referrals.

The website is probably the other key area in marketing. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of showing a whole bunch of pretty pictures of what you’ve designed, with industry-centric terminology that isn’t really relevant for clients. Instead, it’s important to tell us who you are. Who are the people in your team? What else do you like doing outside of the practice? What’s your process? How are you going take me as a client along the journey? At the end of the day, it’s just about creating trust.

Do you guys feel architects could and should improve their websites and online presence to better build their brands?

Ray: Yeah, I think my impression of that is the standard architect website is buildings, buildings, buildings, photographs of buildings, interior of buildings, exterior of buildings. And the one thing I say to my clients is, “Where are the smiling faces?” People resonate with a smiling face because that’s the feeling they want to have. The building on its own is not enough, the words on their own are not enough. Photographs of buildings will appeal to other architects, and I think this is the big issue, that architects want to impress their peers and forget the clients.

For me, a website should quickly describe the things we do that are different from the competition. “Here are the things that we do that shows we understand how you’re feeling.” Show that you understand the beginning of the process, not just the end of the process, where people are worried about cost, or worried about budget blow outs and time. The fact that you can build a nice building is really just the ticket to the game in the beginning.

Architects very much underestimate the power and importance of the face-to-face meeting with the client. I have clients who say to me, “But, Ray, I can’t get the second meeting with the client.” And really, that’s ridiculous when you think that these people might be selling what is effectively a $150,000 product or service, and you can’t get the second meeting. Well, that there’s something wrong in your process, that you can’t create enough value to get a second meeting.

Bec: I think it’s really important for architects to understand that people buy people, people don’t buy businesses. They’re buying into you not into the name on the wall.

What main mistakes do architects make when it comes to managing their practice?

Ray: Thinking that good design is enough to create a sustainable business, that would be top of my list. A good business is much more than that. A poor ability to articulate the value and the process. There’s an assumption on the architects’ part that, “Well, people know what an architect does.” And I don’t think that’s true. You need to articulate that value and you need to explain the process. Explain the hours that go into coming up with a set of drawings and an idea for a building.

Also, I have clients that have said to me, “But, Ray, we only have another six months work and then we’ve got no more work.” I tell them, “If you ran a retail shop, you wouldn’t know who was coming into the shop tomorrow. You’re very lucky to have six months work in the pipeline signed up, ready to go. What you lack is a reliable and sustainable sales and marketing pipeline that’s going to work effectively during that six months to give you the next batch of work.”

What steps should an owner of an architecture business take in order to transform her/his practice?

Ray: After admitting they need help, architects, should firstly stop comparing themselves with other architects as a template for their business. They should be looking outside architecture at how other businesses operate for inspiration and ideas. I think technology is helping, sales and marketing, social media, all of that stuff. Ideally, they should not only look at other architectural firms for those ideas.

And then, think about the business as a business rather than a practice, which is a huge mindset shift. A lot of architecture practices tend to become one architect or two architects with some helpers, and that’s not really a good business structure. It’s not efficient and can become quite stressful for the leaders of the business. The best businesses that I know adopt a corporate structure, with a clear leader of the business and a board appointed by the shareholder, or owners. That board may only be two or three people, or it may be the partners of the business. For the businesses we work with, I usually sit on the board as an independent outsider. This forms a proper corporate structure.

Do you help architecture offices of all sizes with Archibiz? Or do you focus on small firm architects?

Ray: The work that we currently do face-to-face with clients, which is quite a long-term, is typically quite an expensive service. The Archibiz offering will be different. We’re running a pilot initially for six weeks, but the plan is to have a 3-month program, which I think will appeal to a wide range of architects, whether they’re working for a firm or first thinking about setting up on their own. This would be a really good foundation for the starter, right through to the person who has 6 or 10 employees and is feeling a lack of business knowledge to take their business to the next level.

Bec, you are also working with the Churchill Club, which is promoting the use of technology. How could that be translated to architecture? What kind of tools or technology do you see the built environment lacking in a way?

Bec: You can approach this on many levels. If you look first at practice management, there are a lot of software tools for architects to better manage their processes. There are tools for project management, collaboration, time tracking, sharing project information with clients, and more. There is a lot being done with VR now as well, which is a huge tool for architects. VR helps to sell the vision to clients and ensure that you there isn’t a gulf in the expectations between what’s on paper and the final result.

There’s also a real opportunity for architects to tap into smart cities/ smart buildings data to understand how are people behaving. Design that’s informed by data and how people are behaving can be incredibly valuable, and there’s an opportunity to start leveraging that.

Design is also being done in new ways. Particularly around prefab and modular design, 3D printing is huge. I think Dubai wants to have 25% of all new buildings 3D printed by 2030. That’s a big benchmark they are setting, so I know we’ll see a lot of changes in the way design is approached.

That will start to filter back through into how practices need to run their own processes as well. If you’re 3D printing a building or components of a building, or it’s more modular and prefab, that will shorten the life of the project dramatically, which will impact how projects are run, how many projects you can do in a year, how you bid for those projects or that sort of thing.

What are your top 3 tools/business knowledge tips to implement for running a successful architecture business?

1. Standard financial budgeting and reporting. Architects are no different from other business people in that they tend to leave a lot to their accountant and they lack a basic understanding of how to use financial reporting as a management and predictive tool rather than a historical, “haven’t we done well?” view. Everything’s is looking back, and I think there’s an opportunity to improve that thinking.

2. Clarity of roles and getting everybody’s levels of authority and work scope really clear in a business. This traditional architecture business of being really busy and spreading the work and saying, “We’ve just got to get through this week, and then we’ll just get through next week” is holding architecture back. Structure and the definition of the role is not sufficient to create the efficiency that they need, but it’s a start.

3. Make websites a lot more personal, with more smiling faces and people rather than predominantly buildings. This doesn’t have to mean redesigning the website. It can be as simple as swap out some of those photos on there for photos of buildings with the people in them, put your team on there and tell us why you do what you do. People’s faces and how they’re dressed and how they’re photographed tell clients a lot about the business, where the buildings might not. A group photo might tell a that you take a team approach, for example. We pick up cues.

Do you have any tips for Archipreneurs who are interested in starting their own company in the built environment?

Ray: Get some basic business knowledge, and that’s not a plug for our business. I think that’s one of the main differentiating factors for a successful business. It doesn’t matter how good of an architect you are; you need to have a sustainable, well-structured and profitable business as the foundation for your success.

Network with non-architects. One of my clients invited all the architects in the area for a Christmas party, and provided sandwiches, beer and wine to 63 other architects. It blows my mind that they would think that was a good thing to do, but it wouldn’t happen to many other industries.

Learn how to sell. I think there’s a sales process and the sales techniques. Somebody’s got a problem and you’ve got a solution, right? It doesn’t matter what business you’re in: sales is the bridge between their problem and your solution, so you might as well learn how to build a decent bridge.

Lastly, understand the difference between being a technician and being a leader. This is business knowledge 101. There’s a technician mindset that afflicts quite a lot of architects, accountants, lawyers. Being a leader is completely different to the skills that you need as a technician. One is not an extension of the other.

What are your thoughts on the future of the built environment? How can it improve, and what continues to inspire you?

Bec: There are two key themes driving the future of the built environment, the first being technology, which I’ve spoken to already. I think we’ll see real changes in 3D, the speed to market, speed of construction, particularly when you look at growth in China and how quickly they’re building. We’re going to be more than nine billion people by 2050, I think it is. Things have got to change. We can’t keep behaving the way we’re behaving and building the way we’re building.

The second key theme is around sustainability and that’s where we’re going to see real change. We can’t keep using limited natural resources, we need to look at other ways to build. There will be a shift in building materials. The building approach needs to be a sustainable approach.

Energy efficiency is a huge part of the sustainability piece too. In Australia, the conversation about using less energy tends to be price-driven, rather than sustainability-driven. We should be focusing on sustainable building approaches, looking at some of the Northern European house building with a high level of energy efficiency, Passive house, and so on. This needs to be driven by architects and by the property industry. We can’t wait for the regulators to say, “Now you must have double glazing”. This is where the real value of architects comes in. Set the benchmark and tell us, why should we be doing this?

Architects can really be a shining light and guide the way forward in shifting broader public sentiment around how we get, how we change, how we live and how we move towards more middle-density living. Instead of building McMansions, buying a plot of land and building a single house to the boundary and filling it with stuff, architects can lead the conversation about how can we build smarter, live in less space and learn to live with each other.

Ray: The only thing I’d like to add is Neighbourlytics. For example, there are two girls are doing a social media scraping to get better views of their neighborhood as part of feasibility study, to provide to councils and to developers. They’ve raised a lot of money for their business, and they’re getting a huge amount of interest from really all over the world, and I think that’s due to community having a much closer involvement in what the end product looks like. That completes the loop in a way: the architect can be clever in isolation, but the architect needs to be clever with the community. —

The post Business Knowledge for Architects: What They Don’t Teach You in School appeared first on Archipreneur.

David’s story is an inspiring one and one which demonstrates that using one’s individual skill set to build a thriving, successful enterprise is entirely possible and achievable, even as a young architect at an early point in one’s career. And this, crucially, without the several years of hard graft that’s a common prerequisite for graduate architects prior to securing their first project or client.

In our interview, David explains how his architectural sketching endeavor, Sketch Like an Architect, initially came to be and how he later developed it into a business that is now his full-time job and primary source of income.

David talks informatively about how to use architectural sketching as a marketing tool and shares his thoughts about the profession through the lense of his millennial generation.

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What made you decide to found Sketch Like an Architect? Was there a particular pivotal moment that sealed it for you?

Actually, there was. I can trace it back to a specific period in my life, when I was studying architecture at Aalborg University in Denmark. I’m originally from Prague, where I completed my bachelor’s degree. After finishing in Prague, my girlfriend and I decided to broaden our horizons and go abroad to do our master’s degree in architecture. We ended up in Denmark, at Aalborg University, or AAU. It’s a great school, but whilst there I also encountered some things that I found frustrating and dissatisfactory. So I guess you could say Sketch Like an Architect was actually created out of frustration.

What I experienced at AAU was that many of my peers really weren’t used to sketching things out by hand, or laying out their initial ideas through quick, pen-and-paper hand sketching. I initially thought, “That’s fine – they just use software and can jump straight in that way. It’s just a different approach.” But gradually I realized that when we discussed ideas together, the communication in general just wasn’t very smooth. And as architects, when you work in groups, it’s all about communication. Not just verbal communication, but also visual, right? Being able to visualize and communicate your ideas is integral to what we do as architects.

There would often be misunderstandings, not just because of the language barrier, but also because of the different ways we visually presented our ideas. It became very obvious very quickly just how clearly and effectively – or not – one was able to communicate their ideas.

This whole experience got me thinking and so, after I graduated, I thought, “Hey, I know a couple of tricks and really easy tips on how to get into the flow with architecture and sketching, on how to find your style, on how to get things down quickly on paper…”, and I’d always found that to be a really useful, valuable skill. I knew from experience that others valued it, too. I found myself wondering if perhaps others, even outside of the architecture profession, might also find it interesting, even in an era where the big focus is on technology and BIM, and all that awesome stuff. Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m also a huge fan of.

But I truly believe that there’s a huge amount of value in analogue, in hand sketching, and that it’s an important skill that we can still utilize and benefit from even today.

But I truly believe that there’s a huge amount of value in analogue, in hand sketching, and that it’s an important skill that we can still utilize and benefit from even today. So, Sketch Like an Architect initially came from this sense of frustration that architectural sketching, sketching by hand, was a skill that just didn’t seem to be being employed as widely and effectively as it could be, as a way of sharing and communicating ideas.

When did you discover your talent for architectural sketching for the first time?

I’m not a big believer in talent. If you define talent as something that comes naturally to you, and it’s a prerequisite that you’re just good at it naturally, then great, if you’re one of those people with that natural aptitude. But I don’t think I’m very talented when it comes to drawing or sketching, actually. I’m a big believer in putting in the effort and hard work, and really practicing to hone a skill. I think having that kind of commitment and discipline is much more important than, you know, the initial talent you may or may not start with, because either way,  you still have to develop your skills. I think it’s really important to get into the habit of practicing every day, to keep in shape and continue improving as much as possible.

I’m not a big believer in talent. […] I’m a big believer in putting in the effort and hard work, and really practicing to hone a skill.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time drawing – mainly superheroes like Batman and Spiderman, the Ninja Turtles, stuff like that. And then, once I got to my teenage years, I stopped. I didn’t want to sketch because I was afraid it wouldn’t be as good as I imagined it. Then I started again at architecture school in Prague, and that’s where I really learned to sketch properly, through studying the basics of architecture, and learning architectural sketching, which is quite a specific style. It’s completely different from industrial design sketching, for example. Industrial is much more dynamic and often uses markers, and very confident, fast strokes. Those things aren’t necessarily present in architectural sketching.

But I really took to the style of architectural sketching – it felt good to me. Not everyone I studied with enjoyed it, but it felt right to me. So I started using it often, as a tool for both design process and presentation. It seemed like the natural choice, because it was fast. You could brainstorm, you could solve problems, you could ideate, and you could communicate quickly when you were discussing with your supervisors, for example, or your peers. That’s the beauty of architectural sketching.

And from there, I just continued practicing and honing my craft. It’s been much more about the process and journey of development than about any initial talent, for me.

And then you developed that skill into an actual business, sketchlikeanarchitect.com. So how did that go? What was your first idea for a product and your vision for it?

There was absolutely no vision at the beginning. I had no idea where I was going with it, really, and I certainly had no intention or ambition to make it an online business. It was really, if anything, just a side hustle, not really focused on earning any money. After we graduated in Aalborg, my girlfriend and I moved to Copenhagen to look for jobs, and there was a period of unemployment where I was very focused on getting a job and preparing and submitting applications, getting my portfolio together and networking, all that stuff. Looking for a job was almost like a full-time job in itself.

But during that time, I did also manage to set aside some time for my own personal project. I thought it would be cool to create a little guide on how to sketch like an architect, with tips that my peers, and maybe even some other people, might find useful. At that time I was really delving into online courses, and learning a lot from courses on different platforms. So I thought, “Maybe I can create an online course myself.” I find it a really nice medium because it’s mostly video, so it’s very engaging and interactive. I really liked the idea of sharing my architectural sketching skills with a wider audience in this way.

So I got to work creating that, and alongside that, I put together this little PDF handbook which summarized all the information, including all the tips and tricks and the worksheets. These two products – the online course (affiliate link*) and the PDF handbook, have actually, unexpectedly, turned out to be the most popular products I’ve created.

That’s how it started, and it’s the backbone of what it’s become and what it is today. The PDF handbook (affiliate link*), a 60-page PDF document, and the accompanying online architectural sketching course (affiliate link*). I was just scratching my own itch, in a way, not to mention learning a lot in the process. As they say, it’s the teachers who really learn the most, because as a teacher, you have to really dig deep, do lots of research and practice a lot so that you can pass on your knowledge and skills to others. It was a really enjoyable process for me, and a huge learning curve.

While I was creating these, I was still unemployed. Eventually I started using Instagram, which I’d been putting off for a long time… it wasn’t until early 2017 that I really started posting frequently on the platform. I had decided to use it as a gallery of my works in progress, to share what I was working on, to share my sketches. Over time I learned more and more about Instagram and how it works, what hashtags are for and which combinations were most effective, etc – all those little tactics and practicalities. I became really hooked, actually. I’m a very visual guy, so it was very visually satisfying and addictive both to consume and to produce that kind of content.

So, that’s how it went, during my unemployed phase after graduating. I started this little architectural sketching endeavor and the rest, as they say, is history.

Great, and today, are you living from Sketch Like an Architect, or are you still practicing architecture on the side?

As I say, I started Sketch like an Architect with no real long-term vision or plan. I eventually I got a job as an architect in Copenhagen, and I kept SLaA going as a side hustle. It generated a little income, but not the sort that I could really live on. But we recently moved back to the Czech Republic, Prague, and I can now say that it’s been what I do for a living for some time now.

You have over 100K followers on your Instagram channel. That’s an impressive number! Do you think that a good social media strategy can lead to new clients for architects? And how important is it for Sketch like an Architect?

Yes. Our social media following has grown a lot. I actually put together a strategy, a vision, at the very beginning when I started using the platform, which I still stick to now. It’s basically just about providing valuable content on a very frequent, consistent basis. The question of what valuable content is is something that we talk about a lot these days. It’s well known that a valuable piece of content is either entertaining, educational, or inspirational/motivational, and ideally, you’d have a combination of these aspects in every piece of content that you put out.

I was always focused on providing tips on architectural sketching, tips and tricks, and showing not just “nice sketches”, but also to pose the question, what makes them nice? What makes an image work, and why does this particular image work well? I always try to break it down and translate it into tips that anyone could easily apply to their own illustrations.

That’s the kind of value I’ve always strived to provide. That’s my overarching, general strategy. Then, along the way, I’ve just learned more about the practicalities, about optimal frequency, about hashtag combinations, and so on. But it has both its advantages and disadvantages, a platform like Instagram. It can be very profitable in the sense that you can gain attention, which is basically the main goal of all businesses. The modern world we live in is a very hectic, very saturated one with lots of distractions, and everyone’s competing to get a little bit of your attention. Consumer attention is the most valuable commodity there is for businesses.

Instagram provides a great way to get attention if you know how to use it, and if you know how to provide valuable content on a sustainable and consistent basis. It’s really about thinking long term. It’s not about posting 10 posts a day, but, more importantly, about considering how long you’re able to sustain that. It’s about sustainable frequency – that’s really important. It’s an extremely useful platform for gaining attention, but at the same time, Instagram works on very instant basis, meaning that whatever you post has an extremely short shelf life.

If a post is three days old, no one really cares about it anymore. It’s that quick. It’s like a hamster wheel that you need to keep spinning in order to sustain or promote your growth, otherwise you run the risk of stagnating. So that’s a big downside of Instagram, because it can be really daunting and frustrating, and it requires a huge amount of very consistent work and upkeep. Particularly when you compare it to YouTube, for instance; you can make a video on YouTube, and it still gets views years after you originally posted it. With Instagram, it’s a different story.

It’s definitely a downside that I’m now more aware of than ever before, and I’m now trying to focus on something more long-term and more sustainable than just sprinting on the hamster wheel. In retrospect, knowing what I know now and what I’ve learned through experience, I have a sense that the time, effort and energy that that requires might be better invested elsewhere.

Instagram has also grown and developed since I started out on the platform. As a result, organic reach is decreasing hugely and I imagine it’s become much harder to grow in the way as I grew, for instance. As you said, we have over 100,000 followers now, and it’s been two and a half years of pretty much solid, daily work. But now, it would potentially be much harder than that.

So, of course, it always depends on your aims, your vision and what you’re trying to achieve, and it’s important to consider all of that in deciding whether Instagram is the right platform for you. It has its upsides and downsides, like anything else.

Would you say it’s an effective tool for architects, for example classical architects building buildings, to find new clients?

I still believe so, yes. I think it’s a good and sustainable strategy to share your process as you work as an architect, documenting your work, showing your work with clients. Stuff like: How’s the progress on that project? How was your site visit? How does an initial idea go from a sketch on paper to an actual physical realization?

I think that’s a very exciting process, and one that very few clients are actually aware of, or have an idea of how long it takes, what challenges it presents, the level of detailed preparation and thinking required. So I think it’s really interesting and exciting to share this kind of progress to educate your potential clients.

So if your aim is to get more leads and more clients, then you should put out content that is focused on and targeted at these clients. Not targeted at other architects.

So if your aim is to get more leads and more clients, then you should put out content that is focused on and targeted at these clients. Not targeted at other architects. That’s not the point, right? It’s about being approachable and about showing that you’re still human being behind the complex processes of your profession, and that you’re open to communication with potential clients. I think that could be a really solid starting strategy for many architects looking to make new professional connections and secure new clients.

How do you think architects can embrace their architectural sketching skills and use this as a communication tool in their marketing plans?

I think it’s actually very aesthetically appealing and attractive to share the initial sketches as part of the communication process. It could just be at the table in a client meeting, sketching things out together. I think it’s so powerful; sketching is a tool that, for me, opens up a dialogue beyond verbal explanations and imaginings. It’s much more open, because when you see sketched out images, you don’t have the sense that it’s set in stone. Architectural sketching is flexible, a process, and you can make changes. You can interact, you can contribute with your own doodles or sketches, as well as your words.

So yeah, I think it’s extremely effective to invite clients to approach projects in this way, as a way of getting a clear idea of exactly what the client wants, as well as discussing outer constraints and legislation, and site analysis, and all the stuff that’s essential in shaping your concept together with the client. I think architectural sketching is just a great, very natural, fast tool, in getting started with the developing of that concept.

I think using architectural sketching as a tool for communication and a way of engaging with the client on a more human, relational level is very important.

Of course, there will be clients that may perceive sketches, hand sketches, as something amateur. I’ve experienced that. It’s just a matter of taste. Some people are much more used to shiny digital visualizations, CAD drawings and stuff like that. If you bring a sketch, some people, albeit a small minority, might find it unprofessional, because they’re expecting computer generated images or drawings. So it really depends on the client you work with. But I believe in really engaging them in the process, and solving problems together with their feedback and comments on the sketches is just one of an array of very valuable approaches in how to market yourself.

It’s all about the communication, and how the client feels. The client doesn’t just want, for example, a home they would love to live in, but they also want to feel assured that you, as an architect, will accompany them through the process safely and professionally, guiding them along the way, and that you’ll take care of any issues which need resolved in order to successfully make their vision a reality. For the client, it’s all about feeling safe and in good hands.

So I think using architectural sketching as a tool for communication and a way of engaging with the client on a more human, relational level is very important. Architectural projects are usually a very long process and can be very challenging, and I think we as architects need not only to educate our clients, but, just as importantly, to show that we are there for them. We are serving them. We are providing a service. So, in an ideal world, the proceedings and communication should be as smooth as possible.

You represent a new generation of young architects. What are your thoughts on the profession in general? How would you like to see change in the future?

It’s a very big question. From my perspective, and particularly with reference to where I live, in Prague, I think we should be focusing much more on sustainability, on having a very environmentally aware approach. There are three pillars – environmental, social and economic, and I think focusing on all three of these aspects is an approach that we should be taking today. We need to be thinking more about future generations and leaving the Earth in a better state than we found it.

So that’s one thing. I think the other, which is connected to that, is about how we approach building altogether. When I was in school, we were mostly focused on designing new buildings, but what’s really in demand right now is reconstructions, refurbishments, taking care of old buildings and doing conversions and adapting them. I think this is a very healthy approach – taking what we already have and thinking about how best to work with it, because demolition is not always the answer. I feel that that’s a very necessary approach, and a healthy kind of architectural practice in the modern world.

Do you have any advice for Archipreneurs who want to start and build their own business?

It might be a little cliché, but clichés are based upon some truths, after all. I’d say that self-awareness is key: knowing what you are, who you are, what and who you want to be, what your weaknesses and strengths are, and where you can help other people, how you can be valuable to the world. Zone in on those things and find your niche, and be very specific about your target audience, the people that you want to serve.

What I’ve found along the way is that it’s always an ongoing process. I really want to help architects, designers and hobby sketchers, so those are the main groups I try to serve. These can be split into two rough groups: on the one hand, there’s a professional element to it, architecture students and professional architects, and professionals in neighboring areas such as interior design, landscape architecture or even civil engineering. Then there are the hobby sketchers, which is the non-professional group. Urban sketching is actually a hugely popular pastime. So upon discovering that, I realized I could potentially really help those people, too.

I didn’t realize how lucky I was in the beginning to have found my niche, and that this niche, architectural sketching, is kind of a mixture of architecture and drawing, and it’s actually quite narrow, as is, of course, the nature of a niche. It’s focused. But, at the same time, this particular niche is very fruitful, and there are plenty of people engaging with it. So in terms of business, it’s actually very sustainable, and this concept, this model, can work.

So, yeah, I think those are the two most important things to focus on: knowing who you want to serve and providing those people with value. And it’s important to remember, of course, that providing value usually involves providing useful, interesting content for free, on a consistent, regular basis.

You have to put yourself out there. I recently read a quote. I don’t know the author, but it stuck with me: “It’s not about being the best. It’s about being the best-known.” So you have to really market yourself and put yourself out there, which can be a daunting thing at first. But you have to take the plunge and go for it, because you never know what might come in return.

How do you see the future of the architectural profession? In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major opportunities for up and coming architects?

I think it actually depends on how society perceives the role of an architect. It differs from country to country. What I really love about this profession is the very universal skill set that you have when you graduate from school. As an architect, you are capable of much more than just the production of architecture, producing drawings and bringing them to life in the physical world.

Our skills are, in part, very artistic, which lend themselves to areas like graphic design, video production, 3D modeling and rendering, and so on. We also have a wealth of very technical knowledge in terms of things like civil engineering. I thought about this myself a lot when I was looking for a job and trying to build my professional profile. I personally found myself much more interested in visual communication and visual presentation of architecture beyond just producing some drawings in AutoCAD.

That’s also the reason why I left my first job. I left shortly after my probation period was over, because I felt like it just wasn’t the direction I wanted to go in. I spent all day drawing in AutoCAD, clicking away on my computer, and I felt very unfulfilled. After leaving this first job, I decided to focus my professional profile even more on visual presentation of architecture, and I learned that there are actually at least three areas of architecture, in a broad sense. I’ll explain:

What I mean is that there’s the production phase, production area, which we’re trained to do at university. But there are at least two more equally important areas, which come at the beginning and at the end of that process. At the beginning there is inspirational phase, where the initial ideas and visions are born. So, there’s inspiration, there’s production, and afterwards, when production is completed, there’s the marketing and promotion. This means thinking about how you promote existing and new architecture, and the new developments of architecture, the urban themes of cities, stuff like that. And actually, in these two areas, the initial inspiration and the promotion at the end… there aren’t many people specializing in this kind of work.

I feel I can bring more value to those two areas than to the production, because the production is already somewhat oversaturated with architects. There are plenty of people producing architecture. But there are not that many people who provide inspiration at the initial stages of the process, and also who promote and celebrate what has been done following its completion.

I’m trying to talk quite broadly about the many different options and possibilities for architects, because as I’ve said, these are the areas where architects have the very broad skill sets required, but aren’t necessarily using them to their full potential.

I myself am still very young for an architect, so I can’t speak from decades of experience, as I don’t have that yet… so I can only speak from where I stand right now. And what I can say is that, when I was studying architecture, I only saw one path: to become an architect and to produce architecture, to design, to do the drawings, to see it through to realization. But there are so many more paths you can go down as a trained architect. That’s been a huge relief for me. I think it’s fantastic that I can take my skills as an architect and use them in other, neighboring areas, and not just directly in architectural production. I truly believe that the career possibilities for architects in the modern day and age are richly varied and that young architects today have, in many ways, broader horizons than ever before.

About David

David Drazil is a young architect, who loves to sketch. With passion for visual presentation of architecture, he’s sharing freebies and educational resources on how to #SketchLikeAnArchitect.

During his architectural studies, both in the Czech Republic and Denmark, David found his passion in the visual presentation of architecture – namely architectural sketching, visualisations, animation, and virtual reality.

In 2016, David graduated from Aalborg University in Denmark with a Master of Science (MSc.) degree in Architecture and Design. David has gained working experience from both Czech and Danish studios, such as Cigler Marani Architects, KHR Architecture, and Danielsen Architecture.

David has a successful online presence on his website SketchLikeAnArchitect.com and on Instagram – by sharing daily tips & tricks on architectural sketching, David has built a community of over 100k fans.

Today, his work includes online and live teaching, speaking at universities and conferences, architectural and graphic design projects, and multiple collaborations including sketching apps for iPad called Morpholio and ShadowDraw.

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