Talking to your Architect

Jan 2012

By Jody Brown — Filed under: Coffee with an Architect

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Excuse me architect, but you’re being an ass.

Yes, kind of…sort of…maybe a little bit

Am I bothering you with my petty contract? Is this job just not your “ideal” project? Doesn’t it fit into your “body of work”? your “oeuvre”? Is this project not going to win you any awards?

I know you’re talented. I know you know more about building and design than I EVER will. In fact that’s why I hired you. I need your help. I need you to help me realize this project. I need your skill. I need your experience. And yes, I need your passion.

But, I don’t need any more of your bullshit.

I don’t want you to show me what to build. I want you to include me in the process. I’m not paying you for the privilege of your “vision”. I’m paying you to help me solve this. I assumed I would be a part of that process.

click thru for more angst from coffee with an architect

I want to tell you about my ideas. I want to discuss options. I want to tell you how I came to believe the things that I believe in about this building. I want this to be a discussion, between you and me. I want you to talk TO me, not AT me.

When I don’t understand what you’re saying, I want you to repeat it, using words that we both understand. I know you’re smart, but, I’m just as intelligent as you are. My focus is just in a different place than yours. So, stop looking down your nose at me through those black-rimmed glasses. I’m not calling you out on your lack of understanding of the subtleties of my profession, am I?

I need you to hear me when I speak. I’m not talking to hear the sound of my own voice. I’m trying to tell you what I need. I can repeat it if you want.

No, I’m not asking you to simply do what I say. I don’t want you to take dictation. I can’t do it. I’m not an architect. I don’t have years of experience doing this. I haven’t run into every pitfall we can find along this path. I don’t know how to visualize it. I don’t know how to put it into words. I can’t draw it. I can’t even tell you why I don’t like what you just showed me. And, I know it doesn’t help when I say:

“I’m not sure why, but I just don’t like it”

“I can’t put my finger on it… could it be….more inviting?”

“I just don’t see it yet”

I know, that doesn’t make sense. I’m new at this. This is why I hired you. I need YOU to find a way to understand whats giving me this pit in my stomach. And, I need you to find a way soon, because this is the most money I’ve ever spent in my life, and I’m not spending any of it while I’m feeling this…. Fear

So yes, I heard you.

But, there’s a thin line between saying something that’s true and saying something that makes me wonder if you’ve ever heard a single word I’ve said. I need you to take a minute and see which side of that line you’re on.

Go on.

I’ll wait

…

Now help me understand why I hate what you just designed for me.

photos are from Thomas Hawk’s photostream on Flickr (used under creative commons license)

Granted, I’m being extreme here, at least I hope I am. But, I’m worried about the way our profession communicates with the public and with our clients. So honestly, how do you think we’re doing? Great? Fair? Unbelievably badly? Am I the only one with this pit in my stomach?

Jody { coffee with an architect }

About Jody Brown: Jody Brown, is an Architect running INFILL, pllc. in Durham, NC. His work focuses on urban infill projects, mixed-use, urban design, and urban renewal. When he’s not doing that, he’s blogging about his ideals at Coffee with an Architect. In other words, he’s just an Architect, standing in front of an ideology, asking it to love him. You can follow him and his blog at www.coffeewithanarchitect.com, on facebook, or on Twitter

Cite:
Brown , Jody . "Talking to your Architect" 31 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/203937>

Comments (12)
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SM says:

It takes a great deal to be able to put yourself in a client’s shoes like that, or perhaps in the “shoes” of some weak guard of a the client-architect connection. Examples of such interactions I’ve seen, (not that many, I admit), seem to end predictably with either loud disagreement (oeuvre) or a surrender to (dictation).

Definitely not the only one with a pit in his stomach.

# January 31, 2012 at 11:08

-2

Sam says:

Maybe the reason architects are so ambiguous is because they have no idea what is happening with the building since the CAD monkeys are doing all the work and trying to explain it to the architect.

# January 31, 2012 at 11:11

cmyk says:

I have read dozens of these kind of writings over the years, and they all read the same: just pandering to the cliches and client’s delusions that decades of study and experience behind why the architect’s design should be explained to the client in a brief chat. It seems I have to point out the obvious: it cant. There is a necessary leap of faith that must be taken. This has nothing to do with condescention or ignoring a client’s brief.
I have seen clients unable to read a perspective rendering, and be pleasantly shocked when it was built exclaiming, “I had NO idea it would look like this!”, despite renderings and presentation models. My point is, clients cannot read plans in any meaningful way. (I assume we are talking about more than mere space planning here)
Ask any architect with any length of experience in residential work and they will tell you without hesitation that the client is their own worse enemies.
There should be more articles about that, and maybe the pandemic of expertise (without any credential whatsoever) would come to a welcome end.

# January 31, 2012 at 12:20

mvb says:

The problem of communication between architects and clients is just the perception. The test of Rorschach shows very well how that works (like analogy of architecture).

I am not a psychiatrist, but I was thinking to get that major, at least I would be able to understand myself first, then the client, later… who knows. lol

# January 31, 2012 at 12:57

eric says:

While agreeing that obviously the client is critical to the design process and the ultimate goal is to end up with a project they are happy with, I find the line “I’m not calling you out on your lack of understanding of the subtleties of my profession, am I?” amusing (and familiar). The point is, we’re [generally] not trying to tell our clients how to do their professions…

# January 31, 2012 at 15:03

archi says:

We need more clients like this, at least around here where I am. A lot of recent public buildings have been designed by firms from large cities far away who know how to sweet talk the client who hasn’t a clue about architecture but “they’re from the mainland/capital city, so they must know what they’re talking about”. As a result, we get buildings with a lot of initial ‘wow factor’ and a lot of expense to the taxpayer, but the planning, actual working and certain design aspects leave a lot to be desired.

Meanwhile local architects and start-ups, who are at least as competent as those from far away, who have an interest in getting the design right, because they actually have to interact with and live with the consequences of their design, and who understand the local context much more than the others, are continually overlooked.

# January 31, 2012 at 17:49

Architector says:

That is all very nice, but it has some limits.
Would you discuss with your doctor the way to cure you? There has to be communication, to let the architect know the client’s needs precisely. But that’s it. Or else, you’ll find yourselves designing quite naive projects :)

# January 31, 2012 at 19:46

John says:

Well, you do need to tell the doctor your problems, so that he can try to solve them…
In the architect’s case, the architect and the client need to talk, you can’t understand 100% clearly (i’m not sure if this is a languaje mistake or not, english is not my first languaje) the clients intentions… and even then, the client may change it’s mind… you get my point (I hope), that is, you need to talk to the client, get to know their intentions and needs, show the work and designs and show why you’ve made them that way.

# March 14, 2012 at 20:58

anonymous architect says:

Your article is way too hateful towards those architects who’s clients prefer them to work without a lot of input.

Look at it this way. A famous painter doesn’t really take advice on what to paint or how to paint from the people who buy their paintings. A less well known portrait artist may often take all kinds of advice on how a client might want their painting done.

There are all kinds of architects and all kinds of clients. Some clients want it their way like at Burger King. Some clients prefer to let the chef do their own work because they know the quality they’re paying for.

Why such anger and nasty writing about architects and clients who prefer to let architects do their thing?

Really uncalled for in my opinion. Do you really not understand how this stuff works?

# January 31, 2012 at 19:56

Winner says:

Obviously it makes economic sence to break down the architect in the short term, but the difficulty is that most buildings are expencive and last a while and that gratifying reduction in cost will be a reduction in long term quality and someone will have to pay again.

# February 1, 2012 at 01:03

davorin turajlic says: