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Unfortunately, most architects consider our profession
only as a matter of design and building techniques. Even the education that the
schools of architecture provide, mostly do not incorporate the matters related
to business and management.
Only when we begin
our design practice, we now see that we are underprepared for facing the
genuine problems of the profession. There is something really important that
was left away by our teachers and that is:
How to manage the practice of
the architectural profession, not only in
terms of making good designs technically but also in terms of client
satisfaction with our services. That is the foundation for having new
commitments and the key to be successful in our profession.
I lived with my own
problems related to the above issues. I finished my studies of architecture in
1974 in Madrid (Spain). During the years of my professional practice, I have
accumulated many mistakes - many situations going ahead and going back again;
some clients lost not only because they were not interested in my designs, but
also in the way my services were delivered; some projects lost money, because
of the lack of a plan, or a underpriced contract. Such troubles from my resume
could have been averted if only I had a chance to know more about some
principles of management during my school of architecture.
Application of the
management techniques is absolutely necessary to the growth of an architect in
his/her profession. I believe that it is necessary for every school of
architecture to consider teaching ‘Architectural Management (AM)’ before
awarding a student the degree as an ‘architect’.
At this junction, we
understand the importance of AM in the professional life of an architect but at
the same time, we also face a dilemma whether AM is only a set of techniques or
a profession in itself. I don’t think it is possible to choose one of them,
because really, it is both. Alongside of being a separate profession of its
own, it is as well a set of management techniques that shall be employed in
many different facets of the architectural profession. It is a theoretical
foundation which can be used in practice by every phase of architectural
offices - from small size offices to large-scale ones.
In a small size,
design firm, architectural management can be considered as a set of management
techniques which are used by all the team members involved in routine
operations. Only, as the firm matures, it may be necessary to specify the tasks
of architectural management to an exclusive group of people who plan, prepare,
implement and monitor the architectural process in the caller.
If we look at the job
advertisements of architects closely and try to revise them, we will see that
good Architectural Managers are frequently required and usually better paid
than the designers.
To sum up, I would
wish to state that while Architectural Management is an essential profession
inside the architectural concern, it also consists of management techniques
that can be enforced to all sizes of architectural places.
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| Miguel-Angel-Alvarez |
Written by our guest blogger: Miguel-Angel Alvarez; founder of ag arquitectura sa, Spain. For more articles written by him, visit his blog page in Spanish: http://agarquitectura.wordpress.com/
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