This week’s interview is with Asaf Gottesman.

Asaf didn’t start his career in architecture right away. He did a detour studying liberal arts, worked amongst other things as antiques dealer and property developer. But when he finally decided to study architecture, he founded his first architectural practice in 1992 right after graduation always concentrating on architecture led development.

With A. Gottesman Architecture he was both successful and working to capacity, but was still not earning a living. So he decided to design on to larger scale and go beyond designing villas. Together with Ami Szmelcman he founded GSARCH and moved to Paris.

Asaf is now looking back on a 25 year career and found himself again at a crossroad. He passed on to Ami Szmelcman the responsibility of leading GSARCH and created a new company under the name of Gottesman Architecture – fully dedicated to entrepreneurship.

Keep reading to learn about Asaf’s career steps and that it is never to late to change the path of own career.

Enjoy the interview!

You founded your first practice right after university. Looking back, was this a good decision?

I think so. Unlike most architects, it took me awhile to enter the profession. Prior to studying architecture I was a soldier, studied French Civilization at the Sorbonne, I earned an honors degree in History of Art and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, I spent a year in Florence writing a book (unpublished or un-publishable), I was an antiques dealer, a commodity trader and a property developer.

In preparation for my studies at the AA, I worked on a building site for almost a year; moving from one trade to the next, until I finally learnt to appreciate a good glass of whiskey. During my studies at the AA in London I undertook in parallel several property developments, which, apart from their financial benefits, was a great way to accumulate experience.

At graduation I was 33 years old, a father of two with a third on the way. I simply did not have the time to spend a few years in someone else’s office and I felt that my accumulated experiences would enable me to overcome whatever challenges lay ahead.

Could you tell us about your first project, the restoration of the famed Richard Kauffman Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv over 25 years ago, and how it determined your career? 

Hess 21 was a family project. My parents bought the building for themselves and entrusted me with the job of designing and managing the project. Many architects begin their careers working for a family member but I felt that in this case my parents’ generosity and trust was extraordinary.

When we bought this wonderful urban villa it was in a terrible state; it was divided into six apartments and offices, the garden had been converted in to a parking lot, there were discarded needles of junkies in the back and the building was falling apart. The climate in Tel-Aviv is extremely corrosive, especially close to the sea and in order to renovate this building it was necessary to strip it to the core.

The notion of building conservation was a new thing in Israel. Coming from England, where building conservation at the beginning of the 90’s had descended into dogma and the debate about architecture was generally reduced to a discourse about “styles,” it was a pleasure to enter into a dialogue with Richard Kauffman; to study the building and its original plans and to formulate a view that responded, not only to the integrity of the past, but also took into consideration present day culture. There is something debilitating about full-blown conservation. In the quest to preserving the remnants of a culture that arguably no longer exists, we often sacrifice the culturing of contemporary culture. For me conservation, or indeed architecture, is about sensitivity; about reading the forces at play and formulating an approach that enriches our reality. One must respect the past, consider the forces of nature, take account of all aspects of our surroundings (both urban or rural), but ultimately our role is to transform reality and enrich it.

Working on Hess was a remarkable experience because Richard Kauffman was an exceptional architect who bridged 19^thcentury culture and the early days of modernism. When he chose to diverge from tradition he understood the consequences and although he was a great architect at every scale, he had a sense of space that was extraordinary. He created quiet spaces; well proportioned, with just the right amount of light.

What made you decide to found Gottesman–Szmelcman Architecture? Was there a particular moment that sealed the decision for you?

Prior to the creation of Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture I opened my own practice in 1992 under the name A. Gottesman Architecture. After completing my parent’s home I wanted to concentrate on architecture led development. I partnered with some developers and in parallel built my own home in a village north of Tel-Aviv. It is a simple fair-faced concrete and glass building but when it was completed the reaction was surprising.

Suddenly, clients who wished to escape the prevailing style of Tuscan Villas, were approaching me and before I knew it I had a practice with 15 architects and up to 20 villas on the books. What was remarkable about my clients was their curiosity. Private homes are the stuff of dreams and I always felt that in their specificity they are a form of portraiture. Each home became a reflection of the client(s); its materiality, texture, scale and composition reflected for me a dialogue between what was necessary and what, nevertheless, needs to be expressed. In eight years I basically completed 10 villas, all of them substantially different and challenging.

In the process I had become a kind of brand. I was charging the highest architectural fees in the country but I was still not earning a living. In several cases I lost money and in the rest I basically broke even. It took me on average 6,000 hours to complete a project with all the unique detailing. There was no way I could recoup the costs. I realized that in order to advance I needed to design on a larger scale and go beyond designing villas. With three years of work on my books, we moved to Paris in order to expand my practice into Europe. It was then that I met Ami Szmelcman who came for an interview. Rather than offering him a position in the new Paris office I suggested we create the Paris office together and that is how Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture was created.

Your practice goes beyond the conventional architectural package. Could you elaborate on this statement maybe with the example of the recently completed Arsuf Residences?

Architecture for me is an all-encompassing discipline. It is about responsibility and creating values; social, cultural and yes monetary. I am committed to addressing all aspects of the project. It is not only about design but also the consequences of the design. In order to take responsibility, one needs to understand the big picture including the political and financial aspects of the project. This extends to marketing strategy, financing, tendering, fund raising, and negotiating with banks or donors.

Architecture for me is an all-encompassing discipline. It is about responsibility and creating values; social, cultural and yes monetary.

Regarding Arsuf; I won the project in an invited competition in 1995 or 6. It is hard to summarize in a few lines a project that took 20 years to complete. The project required the altering of an urban plan for a hotel into a residential complex comprised of 10 unites; each approximately 360m². This was a challenging project in every respect; urban planning, working on a coastal cliff, managing the topography and the unstable terrain but the ultimate challenge and success of the project is due to the clients. Over a period of 20 years the clients never lost faith, remained civil and friendly both towards each other and towards me. In spite of each apartment being different, everyone got along and focused upon their own good fortune rather what their neighbors got.

At a critical moment I totally transformed the project but they all had the good sense to realize that the new scheme was substantially better. The long realization process was due to the challenges of gaining the building permit and once that was achieved it took slightly more than 2 years to complete construction. The clients never waivered and rarely compromised even when some suffered financial pressures.

Your company has now been in operation for more than 10 years. Looking back, what was the best decision you made for your practice?

There were several critical decisions that I feel need to be mentioned. The first was making Ami a partner. He is a wonderful architect and an extraordinary person.

Our move to Paris was also critical to our evolution as was the decision to not create a one-stop shop. Rather than undertaking the entire design process within our practice, we focused upon creating relationships with local practices. We became “concept architects” yet remained engaged throughout the realization process. Each region has its own set of challenges and cultural/technical characteristics. We found it invaluable to have the local perspective, to establish a dialogue with fellow architects who have the ability to reveal to us the underlying forces and challenges that need to be addressed.

My involvement as both an architect and developer has substantially expanded my understanding of the potential of architecture.

Finally what was a game changer for me was enlarging my activities so that they included real estate development. Since 2005 I have worked as both an architect that offers a service and as a property developer. My involvement as both an architect and developer has substantially expanded my understanding of the potential of architecture. It has enabling me to address ever increasing complexities and to benefit financially from my own creativity.

What are you working on right now?

I will be 60 years old this year and I am at a crossroads. It has become increasingly clear to me that what I wish to focus upon is architecture led development and not the service sector, As a result, I have passed on to Ami Szmelcman the responsibility of leading GSARCH and I have created a new company under the name of Gottesman Architecture which will be fully dedicated to entrepreneurship. We will continue to cooperate at the architectural level but while Ami will expand GSARCH’s service footprint, I will concentrate upon real estate development.

Do you have any advice for archipreneurs who are interested in starting their own business?

In 2013 I published an e-book under the title “The Architectural Condition.” It is an analysis of the architectural profession, its inherent flaws and potential. Although it was written in the midst of the global financial crisis, I believe that it is still relevant today. I recommend it both for practicing architects and those who feel that they are not maximizing their potential.

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 developers and architects?

Architecture, as a traditional service industry, is in trouble in my opinion. It is badly structured, poorly remunerated and, in most cases, flawed in the scope and depth of the service. I think the profession needs to undergo some profound changes in order to remain viable to more than the top 1%. I believe that architectural studies are a real gift but they stop short at a critical point.

I think the profession needs to undergo some profound changes in order to remain viable to more than the top 1%.

In order for architects to be able to deliver a better product or service they need to specialize. The all-encompassing architect who can design anything and avoids specialization yet avoids overall responsibility is reducing the effectiveness of the profession. Once we embrace specialization we can encourage research (which is basically non-existent in architecture) and begin to expand into adjacent fields such as virtual reality, entrepreneurship, and even Art. Actually it is this need to splinter the profession in to specialized domains that is the principle conclusion of my book.

About Asaf Gottesman

Asaf Gottesman was born in Israel in 1958 but lived the majority of his youth in London. In 1977 he enlisted in the IDF where he served in the Paratroopers. After his military service Asaf moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne before continuing to the USA where he earned an honors degree in History of Art and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. After working in commodity trading for a couple of years, Asaf enrolled at the Architectural Association and in 1992 received his Architectural Association Diploma & RIBA II.

That same year Asaf established his own architectural practice in Israel where it quickly became a leader in the domain of private homes. In 1999, the practice expanded its activities into the research of the virtual domain. The research lead to an important US patent that introduced innovative user interfaces and 3D information environments that were the precursors of such products as Apple’s Coverflow, Microsoft’s Vista 3D environments, as well as, various other 3D display & search environments.

In 2003 Asaf co-founded Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture with Ami Szmelcman. The partnership has won several international competitions and awards. It has projects in Israel, throughout Europe and has recently begun working in the USA. 90 Morton is the first NYC project designed by Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture.

Visit Gottesman Architecture for more info.

Asaf is the author of “The Architectural Condition;” an e-book that analyses the world of the architect and speculates upon how to address the many shortfalls of the profession.

As of 2005, Asaf Gottesman has worked as both an architect and a property developer, undertaking projects in Poland, France & the US and as of the end of 2017, is fully focused upon creating Architecture led developments.

Asaf is married to Miriam for over 30 years and they have three children; Adam, Danielle and Dafna.

The post How To Create Value Through Architecture Led Development With Asaf Gottesman appeared first on Archipreneur.

Morpholio was founded by Anna and three more architects who wanted smarter mobile tools for all phases of the design process. From our interview with Jim Keen we already know how amazing architectural illustrations can be by using Morpholio Trace. Besides Trace, for sketching and drafting, the suite for iPad and iPhone includes Morpholio; a digital portfolio, Board, for mood and design boards, and Journal, a sketchbook for drawing.

Morpholio believes that design tools should amplify the creative process, that thinking with your hands is critical. And that smart software should be accessible everywhere. And almost two million downloads and users in over 150 countries speak for themselves! The apps put designers first as they fuse the fluidity and speed of working by hand with the intelligence and precision of device and CAD technology.

Keep on reading to learn how architects founded this tech startup and how Morpholio could help your practice.

Enjoy the interview!

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I am an architect. I worked in New York City as an architect for almost ten years, spending the most time at Work AC, an OMA offshoot, and then at Columbia University curating and creating public programs, publications and exhibitions at the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. A notable exhibition from that time was Foreclosed: ReHousing the American Dream in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art. My interest was always in the way that design interacts with the public and it’s ability to shape culture.

What made you decide to found/create Morpholio and who are the co-founders?

Morpholio happened when the first iPad came out, in 2009. Suddenly, we were carrying these incredible devices, but they weren’t meeting any of our creative or professional needs. We were first struck by the beauty and mobility, and therefore created a portfolio app so that we could share and present our work anywhere. But, as a team, we felt strongly, even from this early moment, that the touch screen was a gift to creatives. We believed that the ability to interact with our work in a new way – by hand as opposed to mouse – would have tremendous potential for designers and artists.

My co-founders were friends from the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University who were starting to build apps, as well as another architect.

Because we all knew design culture so well, it was easy to generate ideas about how it might translate into device culture.

What is your role in the company?

We all collaborate on designing the features and experience of the software. I also handle all of the PR and work hard to build relationships with our community and share their stories.

What is Morpholio’s business model?

Our business model is based on subscriptions. The app is free for basic use. Pro Tools have a free trial and then a monthly $3.99 or yearly $11.99 subscription.

Morphilio’s flagship app is Trace. Could you give us some examples of how it can be used and how it helps architectural practices?

Canary yellow trace paper is very familiar to architects. It’s a tool we’ve used for decades as a drawing medium, and yet, it was one of the last things to get translated into the digital workflow. Architects use so many programs fluidly, but hand sketching is ultimately the way we communicate to create, develop, and discuss ideas.

This is where Morpholio Trace comes in. It is the only tool that takes you through the entire design workflow. From start to finish, whether you are sketching early ideas over a site photo; developing massing that require scale and measuring tools, marking up drawing sets and details, or capturing images on-site and making notes to share with a contractor; all you need these days is your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

It takes the fluidity of hand drawing and merges it with the precision and smart tools of CAD.

This means that not only can professionals benefit from this fast new intersection of thinking and drawing enhanced by digital magic. But that anyone can experience architecture and have access to design-specific tools that will help them start a renovation or dream up a new plan for their home or office.

Morpholio has just lanched two new augumented reality tools. Could you tell us a little about them?

Yes! Morpholio is excited to add augmented reality to Trace with the launch of AR Perspective Finder. This new drawing tool lets users uncover virtual perspective girds, to scale, anywhere — making complex sketching easy and accessible. The scaling of the projected grids is revolutionary. And is only made possible by the power of iPad and ARKit to read and interpret the environment for you. You can now capture any space and sketch on top with perspective grides and guides to help you get it right!

Morpholio is also exploring new territories in Augmented Reality with the launch of AR Color Capture, a new feature in its already popular Board app, a mood boarding app primarily for interior design ideas. The new tool lets anyone virtually sample, experience and record colors from the world around them. Not only is this a new way of experiencing color, but also a new way of allowing color to influence décor, design and sourcing.

How has your architectural training helped you in the actual running of your businesses? What specific/transferable skills have proved the most useful?

Practically, architects are trained to work very hard, and to try their hand at a variety of skills. From graphic design to various software and techniques. Which means that architects are well versed to tackle the day to day needs of a startup as they arise.

But, above all, architects look at problems differently. When faced with a challenge, we are encouraged to rethink the angle, look at it from a new perspective, maybe even reframe the question in order to propose something that is both smart and novel.

The building industry is known for being slow to adapt to now technologies. How is your experience with this? 

Designers are generally early adopters. They are not afraid to try new things and genuinely enthusiastic about finding ways to make their work smarter, faster and more productive.

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

Go for it! But stay lean. We’ve built a creative team that allowed us to do most of the work on our own without expensive outsourcing. They say that startups that have to make tough decisions early on about priorities sometimes make smarter decisions than those who take investment and don’t have the same constraints. Don’t be afraid to take risks and fail along the way. It’s all about experimenting and getting feedback as you build a community.

In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major business opportunities for up and coming architects?

I believe technology is opening so many doors for makers. We see this in the Brooklyn neighborhoods where warehouses and office have been transformed into furniture, fabric and product studios and showrooms. Digital processes and fabrication are really creating new possibilities for creatives and architects already know how to work with materials and details.

On the other had, we’re seeing really interesting think tanks gather teams around solving problems across the city. I heard a story about a startup gathering architects, technologists, urban planners and public health specialists to rethink a group of disfunctional neighborhood health clinics into a highly performing network of care providers that could also better track the data. And therefore the needs, of the population they were serving. This feat required the application of both technology and design. I imagine this is more of a “social” opportunity than a “business” opportunity, but certainly an interesting segue career that could have various immeasurable rewards.

About Anna Kenoff

Anna Kenoff is an architect, curator, and a co-creator of Morpholio; a software company that makes mobile design tools for creatives and professionals such as architects and designers. As an architect, she worked in New York City leading projects for Work Architecture Company; and exhibitions and public programming for Columbia University’s Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture.

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Anna would love to see your work and hear about your experience with Morpholio Trace or Board. Drop her a line at community@morpholioapps.com

The post How Morpholio Apps Revolutionizes the Creative Design Workflow appeared first on Archipreneur.

by Jeff Link

The intrigue and clarity of form found in these works, along with recent large-scale projects—the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston and the interior renovation of Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago—have propelled Johnston Marklee into the good graces of architecture’s elite. The Los Angeles–based firm, founded by Johnston and Lee in 1998, has earned more than 30 major awards, and its work has been exhibited in the permanent collections of many museums.

The duo was recently chosen as the artistic directors of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America, which runs from 16 September 2017 – 7 January 2018. In close collaboration with Mark Kelly, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, they’ve assembled an impressive roster of 141 artists and architects from 20 countries, whose installations respond to this year’s theme, “Make New History.”

Here, Johnston discusses the Biennial; her formative years in Marfa, Texas; recent museum projects; a new book; and history’s role in informing architecture.

Enjoy the interview!

Why did you choose the theme “Make New History” for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial?

Part of it came from the observation of things we saw with the first Chicago Architecture Biennial in 2015. Looking at the themes we chose—material histories, image histories, building histories, and civic histories—we felt a kind of urgency about the ways in which all of us were thinking about how to advance our work through a sense of the historical continuum of architectural practice. One of the observations we’ve made is that images, information, and knowledge are so instantaneous now, there is a need for us to understand historical information as a set of active ideas and that we must find new ways to connect the contemporary with notions of the past.

Directing the Biennial seems like an immense creative and logistical challenge. Where do you begin?

We’re architects, not curators, and we came to it with that perspective. We talked to a lot of architects whose work we knew well and shared the theme and asked them to suggest projects. A few projects were special curated pieces that approached problems through a tighter lens. Vertical City [an exhibit in which 15 firms have designed contemporary 16-foot-tall models of their take on the historic 1922 Chicago Tribune Tower design contest], for example, creates an experience like you’re in a hypostyle hall. It doesn’t operate with the usual representative tools and scales. This is a public exhibition, and we wanted to create spatial experiences for people in environments they could inhabit; that’s what we do as architects.

How do you think your exposure to the art world in Marfa, Texas, has influenced your architecture?

The salient thing about Marfa, despite it being pretty rural, is that it has an urban legacy, in part because of the work of the Chinati Foundation and the Judd Foundation. We’ve built many friendships with artists, who we met while in Marfa, that we collaborate with today. These experiences helped us formulate an idea about the understanding of our discipline. The community at Marfa is very fluid. Artists are working alongside ranchers, writers, and locals. It’s very unpretentious. Everybody has something to say. People aren’t worried about boundaries. That left an impression, I think. We’re architects, we don’t want to be writers, but we appreciate dialogue outside our discipline about shared interests.

You’ve been involved in some other exciting recent projects, including the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston and the renovation of the MCA in Chicago. How do make these formal spaces more welcoming and accessible to the public?

Part of our approach comes from our experience in Marfa, and the importance of imbuing a feeling of generosity and a sense of invitation without boundaries between being outside, on the street, and being in an art space. Looking onto the new street inside the MCA, there is a certain strength of definition in the way the bays of the ceiling vault mark the space and clearly define it architecturally, but it’s also a generous space. The architecture does not overly determine how one can occupy the space. We’ve used architectural cues—proportions, materiality, and light—to connect you with the space.

The key piece to the transformation was inserting a staircase to the second floor at the end of the street to connect the two floors and extend this public space into the museum and enhance the journey through the building. In conversations with Sarah Whiting, the dean at the Rice University School of Architecture, both in our book and on many other occasions, she has introduced the condition of the middle. We like this term, which for us is not an average condition, but more of an active, oscillating space existing between an over- and under-defined architecture, which is the formulating principle behind the new public zones in the MCA.

The Menil is well regarded for having a democratic vision toward visitors and the engagement with art. It’s free, and the surrounding campus is open and porous to the neighborhood. In the Menil Drawing Institute, we’ve created a living room, and consolidated amenities and circulation and mixing spaces. The entry is not hierarchical; it’s not a grand foyer or lobby. It’s well-lit by natural light, comfortable, and meetings can be going on as you enter. Those are qualities we feel are important to create access and allow diverse voices to come together. Cultural projects challenge us to think about all the ways the building and the program and content can reflect the needs and interests visitors have.

You recently released a book, House Is a House Is a House Is a House Is a House, a play on Gertrude Stein’s poem “Sacred Emily.” Can you tell me about the premise of your book?

When we started our book, we knew it was going to be a big effort. We felt it was a little too early in our careers to do a traditional monograph. We hoped it could capture a certain collection of work and a series of ideas as a way to project forward and refine our thinking, rather than just encapsulating the projects from our early career.

We collaborated with artists whose portfolios we know well. They took photographs of our projects and captured aspects of the work that connected to their own vision as artists. We didn’t place any other parameters than which artist would look at what project. Reto Geiser, our collaborator, designed and edited the book as a collection of discrete conversations and portfolios. It was a chance for us to see the work through the artists’ eyes and react to these new perspectives and learn things about our own work as it is reflected back to us.

What advice would you give young architects hoping to make something new, as, say, Frank Gehry did with buildings, or Gertrude Stein did in a literary sense?

On some level, the Biennial addresses the question of new, the demand for newness as something that is valorized. Part of what we’re questioning is, “What does this question of ‘the new’ mean? Is novelty for its own sake interesting?”

We believe to be truly novel is incredibly difficult, and new ideas only come about after very intense periods of production and experimentation. What we see among practitioners is the recognition of the importance of the context in which they’re working. Not even one percent of buildings are iconic in the fabric of cities today. Understanding the fabric, the way we build cities and neighborhoods is an urgent matter for us. That’s what we wanted to focus on. The theme “Make New History” is something we believe may help us look inward, to debate the ideas that connect us versus those that divide us.

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This article originally appeared on Autodesk’s Redshift, a site dedicated to inspiring designers, engineers, builders, and makers.

Jeff Link is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and an Eddie-nominated journalist. His work has appeared in Landscape Architecture Magazine, gb&d, Redshift, and American Builders Quarterly.

The post Inside My Design Mind: Johnston Marklee’s Sharon Johnston on Making New History appeared first on Archipreneur.

From being a novelty a few years ago, VR solutions are slowly becoming a medium that’s transforming the way professionals in the AEC industry communicate, create and experience content. But in our interviews we often hear that the AEC industry is slow to adapt to new technologies. This week we found someone who can get to the bottom of this question: We spoke with Ailyn Mendoza, Director of Customer Experience (CX) at IrisVR, a tech startup that develops virtual reality software for professionals in architecture, engineering and construction.

Ailyn is trained as an landscape architect and prior to IrisVR she worked as a designer and project manager at various landscape architecture firms. Now at IrisVR, she serves as the liaison between software users and the software development team to develop new product features, case studies and educational materials on the power and benefits of virtual reality as a tool for communication, design and construction within AEC.

Keep reading to get an insight into a tech startup, find out how VR can be used in AEC and learn from Ailyn’s path of career.

Enjoy the interview!

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in Miami, FL and my dream had been to be a fashion designer. But when it came time for college, my parents – who are Cuban immigrants – told me that wasn’t a “real” profession and I could choose from their list of pre-selected “safe” careers: doctor, lawyer, engineer or architect. The only hobby I was really passionate about was drawing, so I started architecture school at Florida International University. I graduated with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture in 2010 and two years later started course work for my master’s degree at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, graduating in 2013.

Having immigrant parents meant having to pay for school on my own, which turned out to be really valuable for my career. I wanted to avoid as much student debt as I could, and I took any job that paid me to use the skills I was learning in school, which covered everything from sales, graphic design, event planning, and marketing proposals to designing projects and managing construction. I ended up working in some of the best firms and with an amazing roster of mentors.

All of this was happening during the recession, and I quickly learned the most important thing I could do for myself was not to label myself as an “architect” or “landscape architect” because it really limited the work I could apply for.

Instead, I considered myself a problem solver who simply used design thinking to achieve a solution, sometimes with brick and mortar, sometimes with a spreadsheet – and it’s the best career choice I’ve ever made.

When did you first come across Virtual Reality (VR)?

In 2015, prior to joining IrisVR, I was working as a Project Manager at a landscape architecture firm. On the way back from a meeting, I agreed to meet with a friend who was working at IrisVR to see what he was developing. At that time, virtual reality headsets – like the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive – were rare.

While at the office, he gave me a demo of the software (which was in beta) and I immediately could see all the ways that a Project Manager could use it – to help me coordinate within my team the best way to build, and to help win projects by conveying design intent.

My short visit turned into a brainstorming session that evolved into an interview. A few weeks later I had joined the team.

Could you tell us about your job at IrisVR as Director Customer Experience?

Currently I lead the Customer Experience (CX) team at IrisVR where my primary role is to be the voice of our customer and their point of contact at our company.

My day-to-day varies quite a bit as a result. Sometimes I’m working with our product and marketing teams preparing for a software launch, sometimes I’m on the phone with users gathering feedback, or I could be traveling to different offices and cities to provide demos of our software.

How did your architectural training help you in what you do now? What specific/transferable skills have proved the most useful?

I was really fortunate to attend two universities with really amazing curriculums structured to support creativity and exploration. My time at the GSD was like getting dropped off at a playground – we had unlimited resources and access to some of the best faculty which supported your interest in any project you could fathom. As a result, I feel all the skills I learned were transferable and help me daily at my current position.

If I had to pick the most useful skill, I would say it’s the ability to listen and interpret your client’s needs. All those weeks spent on research, site analysis, and demographic research for my studio projects instilled in me how critical it is to have empathy. Your client often won’t know or have the vocabulary to express what they need.

Let’s speak about the products IrisVR offers: Could you give us some examples of how the software can be used and how it helps architectural practices?

We’ve developed two types of software that leverage different types of virtual reality technology. Prospect instantly and automatically converts 3D models into fully navigable Virtual Reality (VR) experiences for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets. Scope is an app that allows you to view rendered 360° panoramas with a Google Cardboard, GearVR, or other mobile VR headset.

The primary users of our software are architects, engineers, and construction companies looking to augment the way they communicate ideas with clients and coordinate across trades.

Virtual reality has become a critical tool because the experience is so much more powerful than a 2D drawing could ever be. The hard truth is most clients don’t understand the beautiful black and white 2D exploded-axon-section-plan you spent days on. Traditional drawings are difficult to read for anyone who doesn’t have years of training and they fail to help your client confidently make decisions.

We’ve heard so much positive feedback from our software users describing the impact Virtual Reality (VR) has had on their work – from saving money on meetings to decreasing coordination time. In particular, architects working in healthcare, retail and hospitality have a lot to gain from using Virtual Reality (VR) because the costs of physical mockups can be so high and delivery timelines can be very tight, leaving no room for error.

On our blog, we have a number of case studies which explain further the many ways Virtual Reality (VR) is being used.

What is the business model of IrisVR?

We are a SaaS company, which means that our software is available for download and purchase directly from our website.

The building industry is known for being slow to adopt new technologies. How is your experience with this?

AEC as a whole is slow to adopt new technologies so it’s important to connect with the industries and users who are at the forefront. For example, construction companies tend to have more resources for investing into new technologies because of the high amount of risk associated with that field. If new technology can increase on-site safety or reduce construction delays that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s worth it for them to invest.

I’ve also seen many firms who’ve learned the hard way that they can’t afford to hit snooze on adopting new technologies because it means that they are losing projects to companies who are at the forefront.

In the past few years, as Virtual Reality (VR) has become more widely known, I’ve also witnessed a shift in who is demanding Virtual Reality (VR). Project owners are increasingly including a “VR deliverable” as part of the scope of work, where they might stipulate that a certain software is used in the project. Many of our current AEC users have found our software because their clients have requested that they integrate Virtual Reality (VR) into the project.

Do you have any advice for architects looking to change careers?

First, don’t undervalue the skills you’ve learned in design school. When you work at a firm it’s easy to feel like your skills are not unique, but the moment you leave the industry you realize how valuable those photoshop and project management skills actually are.

Second, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. Two years ago, when I told most of my colleagues (and my parents) that I was leaving my safe career as a landscape architect to join a Virtual Reality company, I received a lot of grief. From the, “that’s probably going to fail” look to, “what a waste of talent” pity glance, none of it deterred me. Today, I have still haven’t looked back. In an odd twist of fate the number of emails I get from friends, classmates, and old co-workers wanting to know how they too can use virtual reality increases weekly now.

And of course, regardless of where you choose to go to next, join a team you trust and work well with. These are the people you’ll spend 40, 50, sometimes 60+ hours with on any given week. To succeed, you’ll have to work quickly and efficiently, and the ability to anticipate each other’s needs will help you move faster during those critical growth moments.

In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major business opportunities for up and coming architects?

There is a bounty of opportunity for up and coming architects outside of traditional practice – it’s simply a matter of perspective. From working in robotics, graphic design and UX/UI, there are a ton of excellent careers that need creative thinkers who can also execute the work. Take advantage of course work that pushes you into exploring non-traditional skill sets, for example app design and coding, because you won’t regret it.

But like Baz Luhrmann, the best advice I can give anyone is to wear sunscreen.

About Ailyn Mendoza

Based in NYC, Ailyn is the Director of Customer Experience (CX) at IrisVR, a tech startup that develops virtual reality software for professionals in architecture, engineering and construction.

Prior to IrisVR, Ailyn worked as a designer and project manager at various landscape architecture firms, including Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, DLANDstudio and Raymond Jungles. As a minority professional she has been involved in diversity initiatives, including the ASLA’s National Diversity Summit and CLARB’s Foresight Sessions. She holds a post-professional degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and has 8 years of practice within AEC.

The post How IrisVR brings Virtual Reality to the AEC Industry appeared first on Archipreneur.

In 2016 Archipreneur ranked PENDA 1st of our list for the world’s best Architectural Startups 2016. In 2017 we spoke with the head of PENDA: Chris Precht.

In 2013 Chris Precht founded the Beijing and Salzburg-based design studio PENDA with co-founder Dayong Sun. Despite accolades from the AEC community – the studio won the “Emerging Firm of the Year Award at Architizer’s 2016 A+Awards” – they are still a small team of only 11 people. This is a conscious decision by the founders who prefer to form long-term relationships with their employees and stay compact. Learning and sharing plays a main role in PENDA’s office.

Their projects focus on small architecture, interior design, exhibit and product design. Their most known work is the Hongkun Art Gallery in Beijing. In 2014 they completed their own office design in a Nanluguoxiang’s hutong in Beijing. However, Chris Precht mostly works from his studio in the Austrian Alps far away from any city.

Keep reading to learn about PENDA’s philosophy and how this young startup made it to the top of the profession.

Enjoy the interview!

You started out in China, which is a fast growing market for architecture. How did you manage to get your first project there?

Chris Precht: Like so many others after winning a competition.

By graduating from architecture school, students have a better set of tools than most architects who are working. Technology, software and skills change so fast these days that there is not enough time in a job to keep up with the updates. As students you do. And so did we. But what we lacked experience. Overplaying your cards can help in situations like that…

Today you are based in Beijing and Salzburg. How do you split your time and work between the two offices?

Chris Precht: With a good partnership. My partner Dayong is handling day to day work in Beijing and my wife and me are trying to build up a branch of our studio in the Alps away from cities. A city provides opportunities, but an equal amount of distractions. We have the feeling on the countryside (or mountainside) there is more space to breath and concentrate. It’s a simpler live-style and it lets us focus on the essence.

Working on mostly international project, it doesn’t matter where your office is located. We are living in an age of telecommunication and all the technology and software makes it certainly easier to work together globally without being together locally.

What projects are you working on right now?

Chris Precht: We try to keep a healthy balance of projects that come directly through a client and projects that we start because we have a statement to tell or a vision to share. These usually don’t have a client in the beginning, but can interest clients, partners or investors in the long-run.

We keep intentionally the team small and try to grow slow. That keeps a lot of freedom to work on projects we are truly passionate about. Usually 2-3 at a time.

On your website you write that learning and sharing plays a main role in your office. Could you give us an example of how you implement that in your office culture?

Chris Precht: Architecture is one of the professions where you never stop learning. Specially when you are starting out young with your own firm. There is a lot that is not taught in architecture school like business strategies, leading a team, managing contractors and so on. Usually architects get good with an age they would retire in a different profession.

Although starting an office was an exciting phase in my life, the greatest passion for architecture was as a student. Projects without compromise and new knowledge and tools every day. The most important task for a life in architecture is to keep this passion alive as long as somehow possible. I never wanted to work for offices that kill this passion with doing too much overtime for boring work, not delegating responsibility or not giving space for employees to get better and learn more. We try to implement this in a daily routine through workshops or team-training.

If you feel your passion for architecture is dropping, please quit your job and find a different firm. Being uninspired as an architect is a really sad state.

You have over 60K followers on your Instagram channel. That is an impressive number! Do you think that a good social media strategy will lead to new clients for architects?

Chris Precht: Yes, but I wouldn’t overestimate it. The most important thing is to build up a level of trust with your client. The speed and fast-pace of social media is good to connect people, but not necessarily good for a trustful relationship.

At the Architizer Award 2016 you mentioned: “We Are Start Architects, Not Star Architects”. Do you have any advice for Archipreneurs who are interested in starting their own business?

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

– I think that captures the essence of starting out.

Chris Precht: There are many distractions that can blur the strategies or concepts of your projects. If you clearly know what you wanna do, keep that always in the forefront. Yes, architecture emerges by a dialog between many parties, but if your main intentions die in a compromise, your passion dies with it. Saying no to certain projects or clients can save your motivation for architecture in the long run and clears your schedule up for projects you truly believe in. A large fee doesn’t make your love for the profession grow, a great project does.

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?

Chris Precht: The great news is that the playing field for architects got much wider in recent years. New technologies, new tools and a changing media create possibilities for young generation of architects to get to the frontline of innovation. The bad news is that the role of an architect got diminished. Compared to architectural gods like Mies, Corbusier or Kahn, the respect for architects is nowadays constantly sinking.

But I believe in so fast changing times and politicians who just think until the next election circle, it needs the long-term strategies of architects. Topics like climate change, pollution, world hunger or demographic change don’t get solved through populism, but need an analytic process and persistent vision. An architects mind is trained for that and I believe a new generation of architects can play an important role in solving important, global issues from here on forward.

About Chris Precht

Before Chris Precht founded PENDA together with his partner Sun Dayong in 2013, he was the Founder and Director of Prechteck, a collaboration of international creatives.

His education started in Innsbruck/Austria where he studied under Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects) and Kjetil Thorsen (Snohetta) at the Institut for Experimental Architecture. He graduated with honors from the Technical University of Vienna in 2013. His work has recently been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Künstlerhaus in Salzburg in 2011 and at the “Best of 2009”  student exhibition at the .aut in Innsbruck.

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