Studio perspectives,
explorations, and happenings.
Press
Dec 2, 2024
Considering Costs Over Your Project’s Lifecycle
How do you calculate if saying yes, green-lighting the project, and making the investment in the build will pay off? The answer is to consider a return over the project’s full lifecycle for you and your family. Both financially and emotionally.
Nov 27, 2024
Understanding Architectural Drawings
Your architect will use drawings, diagrams, renderings, and other imagery to communicate your next steps and options. Having a basic understanding of these key elements of how architecture is communicated will give you a deeper understanding of what your architect is proposing.
Oct 30, 2024
Tackling the Permit Process
There are a lot of moving parts to this process, and it’s not typically done until the final inspections are complete and, ultimately, your new building is in use. You are not expected to navigate the specifics of building permits alone. Your design team and construction professionals will be better advocates for you, especially when the process feels opaque and is hard to understand.
Sep 24, 2024
The Role of an Architect
Given their experience and professional background, your architect should see a path through the project to the end. A good, engaged, and passionate architect should know where you need to get to, even if you don’t yet. They should be ten, twenty, or thirty steps ahead, wanting to figure out everything on the project as if it’s a puzzle being assembled in their mind. It’s this skill that an architect brings to the team.
Aug 20, 2024
Effective Communication for a Stronger Project
The language of your project goals is translated into architecture, design, and construction objectives by the project team. The only way this happens is through transparency. Effective communication from all sides will result in a far stronger project and a better experience for the whole project team, including yourself.
Jul 15, 2024
A Balancing Act: Time, Finance, & Quality
Construction is a long-lasting investment that succeeds when the building quality matches the design intent, and because architecture makes a lasting mark on our world, this could be judged over decades, or even centuries. Balancing financial investment, time, and quality therefore becomes complex.
Jul 9, 2024
Site Inspire Features Collective Office
Collective Office’s new website is getting some new attention from the design community. The website redesign was recently featured on the front page of Site Inspire, a site intended to showcase the finest in web design. We’re honored to be featured amongst this highly curated group of websites pushing forward the medium of web design.
Jun 19, 2024
From Concept to Reality
Everyone involved in the design and construction of a building needs to understand the big idea behind it. What is the end goal? What is the project aiming to achieve? The initial idea needs capturing somehow. The tool architects use to do this is often referred to as a concept, or starting statement. This ought to be a short, definitive statement that records a moment in time and grounds the project in tangible language.
May 29, 2024
Introduction to Your Project's Practical Guide
Whatever construction style or scope of the construction project you are embarking on, I would encourage you to take Speaking Architecture along with you. Think of it in the same way that you might think of a travel guide to a far-flung destination or a phrase book in a language you haven’t quite mastered yet.
May 16, 2024
Jeff Klymson speaks at AIA Chicago CRAN Symposium
AIA Chicago hosts the CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network) Symposium, an event dedicated to the advancement of custom residential architecture and beyond. Jeff Klymson was one of 5 architects to speak about their perspectives and innovative ideas about the design process.
Mar 1, 2024
Speaking Architecture Reaches #1 on Amazon Bestseller List
Our book Speaking Architecture has made it to the top of the Amazon Bestseller list in the Architecture Project Management category. Many thanks to everyone who, directly or indirectly, has supported this guide to the architectural process and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for its readers in their construction journeys.