02 Introduction
If you’re reading this, it is safe to assume you have a desire to know more about architecture. It might be a passing interest. You may simply have some time in an airport between flights, who knows, but it is most likely because you are considering a construction project of some kind. In this case, simply knowing that architects are the people who design buildings isn’t enough. What does ‘design’ mean in the context of construction? Where does architecture meet structural engineering, for example? Who decides what materials to use? Who draws which plans? When? How do you move from design into construction? Who do you congratulate when things go well? Who do you look to if things go badly? All these questions, and many more, are covered in Speaking Architecture.
I founded Collective Office in 2009. We have since collectively designed more than 300 projects and seen 215 of them built. This totals approximately $98 million in construction value. In that time, we have had many amazing successes and a few awards. We have had projects that have run perfectly to schedule where we handed the keys to the client on the prescribed day with much fanfare. There may have been a ribbon to cut, and we made sure to capture photos of happy clients to share with the world. We have also had a few projects where that didn’t happen. The keys were handed over accompanied by an apology and stressful contractual wrangling. The good news: we learned from both cases. What is more, the lessons are in your hands right now.
The key to this document is my firm belief that all buildings matter. Every building has an owner, and every owner has a vision of what they want the building to be like when it is finished. All architecture is the same. It is the practice of turning that owner’s vision into reality and everyone has something to gain from understanding its practices and processes. Overall, the main lesson is that projects with a strong foundation, team, and direction are more likely to enjoy success when everyone involved speaks a common language – the language of architecture.
The key to this document is my firm belief that all buildings matter. Every building has an owner, and every owner has a vision of what they want the building to be like when it is finished. All architecture is the same. It is the practice of turning that owner’s vision into reality and everyone has something to gain from understanding its practices and processes. Overall, the main lesson is that projects with a strong foundation, team, and direction are more likely to enjoy success when everyone involved speaks a common language – the language of architecture.
The problem is largely that the public perception of architects and architecture comes from a handful of famous examples. Players on the international stage, their names become synonymous with large egos and larger budgets and opinions on their work fill column inches across the world’s media. It must be said, I am not one of those architects. I am, however, one of these hard-working professionals. I spend my days working calmly and collaboratively with little fanfare alongside other skilled professionals to make owner visions become real. I have written directly and unashamedly from my own experience.
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. Read it from cover to cover by all means, but also dip in and out as the need, or mood, takes you. It has been designed as a practical rather than theoretical guide. Wherever it takes you, I wish you well.
