Outdated issues in Architecture Practice

As a matter of fact, the issues discussing here are some outdated issues being debated by RIBA architects neon years ago. The main problem was lacking of a meaning outcome from that dialog and the solutions were never seriously adopted and implemented even amongst the participants.

At that juncture, the RIBA architects were concerned over the outdated business model of an architecture practice which is closely resemblance of Nomadic Lifestyle. Firstly, there is lacking of a continuous influx of workload into an architect firm even the top firms in Britain are hunting from job to job. This phenomena resulted in low utilization of company resources, high turnover of experienced staffs, lacking of capacity to lobby for bigger job at particular timeframe and architect firms size remain small. All these issues constraint architecture practice from adopting high end or latest technology in business management i.e. supply chain concept, Just-in-time & etc and limit architecture practice absorbing business management elites and grow the business exponentially.

Architect firms are never lacked of innovation instead architects tend to waste their innovation and new ideas. Even if requested by a client, an architect would never revisit his old, mature & fully developed ideas for a new project. Indeed, we like to explore new idea for every opportunity we have. As a result, our client could never capitalize on our experience to shorten the product development cycle but to invest and pay for our exploration of new ideas. The more well-known of a practice; the more serious of this problem is affecting their clients.

On the contrary, the design industry as in Automobile and Aviation i.e. Boeing or Airbus have aggressively adopted latest project management techniques via a realistic & comprehensive work-breakdown-structure that used for years. Basing on this working framework, automobile or aircraft designers could tremendously reduce the time spent on new product development. The recycling of existing technology on major components of a new product has also ensured the commercial viability, feasibility and marketability of this new product. Architects may be the only design profession that never bothers to master these new skills over the pass two decades.

Besides this, architecture practices tend to be highly local centric with low surviving rate when exploring oversea market. An architect indeed need to have knowledge about the legal framework of a particular job site and the whole submission process in order to develop a design that is suited to be implemented. Otherwise the clients would suffer and hamper by numerous of obstacles occurred along the line and usually resulting huge financial loses. The architects may like to argue that this characteristic of our business are the root to the primitive business model of architecture practice.

On the contrary, I hold a different perspective. Rules are made to be broken. We are creative in developing our idea than applying our creativity into our life and business. I will diagnose and analyze in detail the adoption of open source concept in architecture practice. You will see how this concept will alter the nature or architecture practice.

Good or bad service from a beautiful hooker

According to The Ten days MBA, service is an intangible product that can never be stored or recycled. It is consumed as soon as it is created. Therefore it is rather subjective to rate the quality of a service delivered!

A good or bad service is depend to perception of both the delivering and the receiving parties at certain time frame. An architect who gives an excellent service to a client at one point might never able to deliver the same qualities of services in future project when his priority has shifted. The principle and architects within a same firm would deliver a different level of service. Although client is always in search for the best service available but paradoxically he would never get it. It is just like to in a night club when a lot of beautiful faces are lining up in front of you; I bet you will never know who would give you the best satisfaction.

So all architect firms are dressing up with beautiful and seemingly solid portfolio; all the principles are all wearing flamboyant suits and speaking artyfarty to lure the client to commit a million dollar deal but it is always a lose-lose game. Those firms who win will continue winning and get a lot of deals until they have no time to deliver each deal properly. So you can never get a good deal by gauging from fore-front cover of a portfolio.

Just like dealing with the hooker, you can’t judge the book by the cover. It is not necessary the bad looking or the best looking girl would be suitable to you. It is highly relying on the chemistry of both people. Until you really open it up; you can’t be sure she is the one. Until you are penetrating; you can’t be sure it is ergonomically fit for each other. A good deal is normally happened when the architect like you and you like the architect.

As a matter of fact, the architect might be the only artists that selling service rather that product. Tom Hanks would act a play then sell the play. He would never flaunt around and tell you to pay him first for a good play! Likewise Picasso sell painting but never get pay for providing painting service. He does collect money and paints portrait for rich women but they buy his painting not the service. Can’t we change for better?

Can we put our bungalow plans like cabbage, potato & tomato on the shelves for selections? So the client are buying something-pretty-sure because it is fully developed. There are no ambiguities in the whole deal.

This is why I wish to command a change. I never enjoy the feeling like a beautiful face hooker sitting on the bench and using my eye motion to deliberately hint to the men; come, get me, I’m the best!

The Pirate and the modern day Robinhood

The contemporary artist Andy Warhol always felt that as and when a learned fellow wants to share his knowledge and wisdom with the general public; there would always be some kind of barriers created by the capitalist to ride on for profit which disqualified most unfortunate people from knowing these knowledge and wisdoms. Whereas these unfortunate people are the one really need these wisdoms most.

The learned fellows at Warhol generation are widely influenced by Karl Marx who favorite of pinpointing the capitalist as the culprit for every ruined parts of life. Unfortunately, they are quite right in some parts.

We lately have a heated debate during our New Year Eaves Dinner when one of our colleagues started the spark by pinpointing those people who buy the pirated books, songs, games & etc are people of ill-moral and only benefiting the ‘Pirate’. Belonging to the semi-well-to-do level, many of us we could afford most genuine products rather than going for the knock-down version. We do agree on the portion that our actions of buying the pirated products might discourage the creators’ i.e. novelist, architect & etc for further creations while spawn numerous of ‘side-effects’ as captured in the anti-piracy propaganda but branding us and those unfortunate people as ill-moral are harsh and definitely an overstatement.

We definitely believe thing happen for a reason. It is rather unfair for Bill Gate and Tom Hank who have made a fortune for a relative small contribution to society. Nelson Mandela should be wealthier in comparison to them. Therefore, we romantically believe the existence of the Pirate is as those days in the Caribbean Sea to strike a balance between the fortunate and those not. They are the modern day Robinhood who prints CDs to rob the richest and help the poorest. They have given the poorest an equal chance to obtain knowledge & entertainments as the well-off people; a chance to fight back to the top rank. Therefore so long there is gab between the rich & the poor, those afford and those not; there shall always exist the Pirate to fight and break the system like Keanu Reave in the Matrix and bring the world back to a more balance equilibrium. So to speak, Tiger Wood is really talented and should be better off in comparison to lay person like us but his fortune should be some sort of double or may be triple of us rather than a thousand times of our lifetime earning.

I believe the pirate way is the less costly and little bloodshed method of rebalance the society. Alternatively we should learn from Andy Warhol. As he believed the Art belongs to the people, he has printed Campell Soup in mass quantity and sold in lowest possible price to general public. Likewise, we architect should not be so copyright conscious but should segregate our creations from our service and brand. We could embrace the Open Source concept in practicing architecture to make our design more affordable for the public. By doing so, we could definitely create a better world.

Genesis

As my favourite lecturer Wan's famous quote, "Every things in life is the output of a production process; irrespective you know or naive about it, like or hate it, design & engineer the process or let-it-be. The elements of Intention (niat), Action (Laku), Output (hasil) are always inside this production process and if you could carefully put these elements together as a designed process; then you could at least have some sense of control over the outcome. Perhaps you would have more time to accept the saddest outcome if it deem to be failed. Likewise you would have longer period of joyfulness if it is deem to be successful!"

Similarly I have seen the elements of Beginning, Undergoing & Ending inside every event in life. Like it or not, these three stages are there. It may start with some kind of upset at the beginning yet it may not be a total tragedy. It may rise in joys yet it might end up in tears. Of all the three stages, I value the Undergoing stage most. This is the stage where one could learn most, gains a lot of strengths and build up muscles to face more challenges. I have never worried about a sad beginning because I posses the over-turning charm. I seldom feel sorry for a sad ending because I am always ever-ready to start something new thus never really have the time to moan for my failure. Life is like Robbin William ways of saying, "The best act? I never have it yet, my next play would definitely be better!"

This blog records the genesis of my architecture journey after possessing my professional qualification. It marked the phase of life that I am experiencing a sudden surge of opportunities; it opened up the business era of a young architect; it signaled a mindset change where I have started to let go the copyright of my own creations and share them with the world. This is my departure point into Open-Source Architecture concept where anyone can enjoy the quality output of my design. I start to tag on my service which is similar to any other patented product. You could enjoy a knockdown Nike Shoes from China for half the price but you definitely need to pay more for a genuine Nike Shoes. The China Nike would serve the same purpose of the later while the later posses the value of becoming a collector item. Thus you could enjoy gcatelier's design freely by waiving all liabilities that I need to bear and you take up a major portions of responsibilities & troubles to make things work or you could pay a little bit more for me to work things out for you while you are sitting inside the Starbuck; relaxing and sipping a cup of Frappercino while enjoying the latest volume of Wallpaper. Either way would work. It is a fairer deal for both you and me.

That is all for the beginning!