In this inspiring interview Barbara shares her key learnings and insights from 40+ years of practicing architecture. Learn how she has build an office environment that encourages people to flourish. How she balacanced work and family life together with her partner and learn about her thoughts on the future of the architectural profession.

Enjoy the interview with Barbara Flammang!

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles, when there were orange groves and lots of wide open spaces. I rode my bike everywhere and built forts out of adobe soil up in the canyons.

My mom always encouraged us to make things and work with our hands. Maybe that’s where my interest in building and design started.

You co-founded Killefer Flammang Architects with Wade Killefer over 40+ years ago. Tell us about your journey as an architect? Are there particular buildings or achievements which are you especially proud of?

Architecture is a cyclical profession, as we all know, and we’ve been through some rough times. But it is by definition an optimistic profession. We build things!

We turn nothing into something or take something and make it even better. And we provide shelter and safety and enjoyment to make our communities better and our cities better. I am proud of creating a firm where people have flourished, done great work, and moved on to start their own firms.

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

I am proud of all of our work. But I am particularly proud of the Lafayette Library in northern California, where a very involved community pushed to accomplish a true community center for the town. And the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where incredible services and housing are provided at the largest LGBT organization in the world.

Can you share your experiences in balancing work and family life as an architect firm owner?

Wade and I decided from day one that we would share time with our children and responsibilities for their care as equally as possible. One of us came home at 5:30 every day, and we alternated days, so that our care-giver could go home to her children.

I am very grateful that we were fortunate enough to have this situation, and were able to make it work. Furthermore, I think that with discipline and the knowledge that you have a finite amount of time to get things done, you can accomplish what you need to.

How have you grown your team and shaped the office culture over the years?

In creating and growing our firm, my guiding principle has always been to create and foster an environment where people can do their best work.

“My guiding principle has always been to create and foster an environment where people can do their best work.”

I’m also convinced that you have to trust and challenge people to believe in themselves. And you have to expect a lot from them. Therefore, they need to know that they are in charge of their success, no one else is.

What are the most successful marketing strategies that help your firm to attract new clients?

Listen to your clients, build their dreams, shaped by you, and they will hire you again.

You are also very involved in supporting opportunities for women in architecture. What changes do you encourage within the architectural industry so that women are equally represented?

Women need to be in leadership positions, pure and simple. It’s happening slowly, incredibly slowly, but that’s the best way for equality to be realized.

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

Take risks, trust yourself and don’t get discouraged if something goes wrong. Learn from your experience at other firms, good and bad.

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

Despite our recent Covid experience, I think people want to be near one another. Density is invigorating, but there has to be respite from density with adequate open space.

Furthermore, those who are addressing the affordable housing crisis in California through policy change and innovative design and construction solutions are inspiring me.

About Barbara Flammang, FAIA

As a founding partner of KFA, Barbara Flammang has overseen the design and construction of housing and community projects for nearly 40 years, from the adaptive reuse of historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles to the recently completed Los Angeles LGBT Center Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood.

Barbara was recently elevated to Fellowship by the AIA for leading her firm’s transformative work in downtown Los Angeles’ historic core; and for her inclusive management practices that have tenaciously advanced gender equity and diversity.

She has championed her firm’s achievement of 45-55% female architectural staff, consistently, for the past 34 years. The example set by her steadfast mentoring of young professionals has become an essential part of firm culture, resulting in high rates of licensure.

In addition, she encourages entrepreneurship and proudly acknowledges the successes of alumni of the firm.

Her volunteer work includes past service on the boards of the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Santa Monica Westside YWCA.

The post Barbara Flammang on Creating a Strong and Encouraging Firm Culture appeared first on Archipreneur.

In this interview Patricia shares her pathway to architecture. She talks about her ideas and inspiration of running a medium-sized design firm in the midst of the pandemic. Learn why EYRC choose a holistic project approach as an architecture firm. And read about Patricia’s thoughts on the power of cities as attractors of culture and talent, ideas and dreams.

Enjoy the interview!

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Could you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in Maryland in a pretty rural area. My parents were Korean immigrants; my mother was a watercolor painter and my dad an orthopedic surgeon.

I like to think that I took traits from both of them—the love of making and drawing and an inborn desire to cut things—which led me to modelmaking and architecture.

I moved to LA from the east coast in 2000. It was a great place to land as a young designer, a big vibrant city full of interesting ethnic neighborhoods, lots of small design firms and lots of opportunities.

You are a partner at EYRC architects. Could you tell us about the firm’s history, approach and specialties?

We are an architectural firm of 45 people with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Having worked across the globe, EYRC Architects is known for a diverse range of projects from custom homes and courthouses to university projects and community buildings.

“We specifically choose not to “specialize” in a particular project type, and instead we celebrate the diversity in our work and let the “cross pollination” between our different practice areas inspire us.”

We specifically choose not to “specialize” in a particular project type, and instead we celebrate the diversity in our work and let the “cross pollination” between our different practice areas inspire us. This is why we approach projects by diving deep into the culture of a place: the people and the site are critical factors that inform the design.

What recent trends and future developments of workspace design do you see?

With so many people working from home, these times will inevitably shape the future of our workspaces. We are still in the midst of figuring things out. And there is likely to be a process of trial and error, to come up with what works and doesn’t. I’m very curious to see where things land, what people are comfortable with both physically and psychologically.

And how that all works with how much square footage is actually needed in a physical office. And how that works with productivity, team dynamics, workplace wellness. So many Ands! In terms of building, it’s key to have convenient access to the outdoors, and to consider outdoor spaces an extension of the office (for meetings, gatherings, phone calls) now more than ever.

People seem to be more comfortable being closer to the ground and in spaces with operable windows and cross-ventilation. Flexibility is important, because things can change so quickly as we’ve seen.

How have you shaped the office culture over the years?

I love being part of a medium-sized firm. I feel like we are a bit on the edge, a bit scrappier, and have the resources and diverse opinions of a larger group. Office culture has always been a hallmark of the studio. And while we have some traditions like summer barbeques on the patio and in-house pecha kuchas, it’s constantly evolving with ideas from our amazing and spirited staff.

What are the most successful marketing strategies that help your firm to attract new clients?

The key to a successful project and establishing a solid track record for future work is having a strong relationship built on trust and respect with our clients, partners and peers.

You are also a founding Co-Chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture committee. Could you tell us about your work there? And the power and opportunities of being a woman in the industry right now?

I was one of the founding Chairs when we started the committee in 2016. In addition to planning for the annual AIA LA / WiA Powerful Conference, the chairs all head up different events throughout the year. WiA brings together women in the industry whether for mentoring, networking, coaching or sharing experiences.

It has been wonderful to bond with and learn from women leaders like Rosa Sheng, Carol Wedge, Carol Burns and Justine Clark, across the country and halfway round the world.

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

It’s such an odd time right now, being in the midst of the pandemic. You hear of people leaving NYC, picking up and moving to the Midwest or to their second homes in remote areas. I still believe in the power of cities as attractors of culture and talent, ideas and dreams. Maybe as a child of immigrants I’m naturally more attracted to the endless, limitless, multicultural nature of cities, and I can’t imagine a world without vibrant ones.

“I still believe in the power of cities as attractors of culture and talent, ideas and dreams.” – Patricia Rhee

Our cities are melting pots, refuges, and “safe places” for our diverse communities. In terms of improving cities (namely LA)—homelessness and the lack of affordable and workforce housing should be prioritized at State and City levels. There should be incentives that encourage greater density and developers to build housing at the middle part of the spectrum, not just the extremes.

My family and I visit Tokyo and Seoul quite often. And once there, we quickly adapt to living in uber dense environments. I marvel at how living vertically is the standard for the majority of the population—one’s identity of house, home, front door and private outdoor space is completely different than what one might have in LA. I also love that taking public transportation and walking is an integral part of most people’s lives. It would be great to see that here in LA someday.

About Patricia Rhee, FAIA, DBIA

Patricia Rhee is a Partner at Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, where she has practiced for 20 years.

Patricia received her Master’s degree in Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the recipient of the 2017 Culver City Women in Business Council’s Visionary Award and was a Founding Co-Chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture committee.

Her firm received the 2015 National AIA Firm Award, one of the industry’s highest honors. Patricia has served as Partner in Charge and Lead Designer for several of the firm’s most notable projects. Including The Culver Steps, the John M. Roll Federal Courthouse and The Press Adaptive Re-Use.

Her project experience ranges from civic to institutional and commercial developments of all scales and multiple delivery methods including design-build. She has lectured internationally, most recently at University of Melbourne’s School of Design where Parlour co-hosted the Transformations: Actions in Equity symposium.

Read more female architect interviews:

Design for Life: How to Balance Your Creative Practice

The Future of Architectural Education & The Pritzker Prize in a Globalized World

The Social Reactor: How KOGAA Transformed a Factory into Their Own Creative Hub

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