Architects are visionaries. They can create something even out of nothing. They can imagine that which does not exist and make it a reality. And yet there is something that architects in business are not able to create very well? a living.

But why is that? Architecture is considered to be one of the toughest courses to go through, and yet, the people who survive it are struggling to survive in the real world. It begs to question? what business skills for architects does this extensive, elaborate five-year professional degree course lack?    

?Studios? are not run like ?Shops?

Architecture ?Studios? are run as individuals rather than an ?organisation?. A common trait of the majority of the architecture studios is their identification through their founder/principal, rather than being about the kind of work they produce. 

The downside? Everything rides on the shoulders of that principal. The decisions are dependent on their whims and choices, which are often known to get carried away in creative expression. If they are not available, or in a foul mood, it reflects deeply on the fate of the ongoing projects and even the employees. 

A ?company?, on the other hand, is an entity of its own that is sustained through systems rather than individuals. These systems are established in the form of set(s) of rules defining the workflow and the parameters, such as the roles, responsibilities, timelines, etc. Even if the principal of a business is enjoying a vacation in the Bahamas, the work continues smoothly through the utilisation of some of these systems defined as architectural business strategies. 

And then, of course, follow along the various other aspects of running a business? including resource management, human and otherwise, marketing, profit sharing and regulation, etc. But what makes architects struggle with these? 

A lot of it has to do with the attitude that is inculcated in us through our formative years: the architecture school, and our initial forays into the field as young architects and designers. 

The Anti-Business Traits: Challenges for Architects in Business  

Architect is a ?Starving Artist?

?The way to make a million dollars in architecture… is to start with two million dollars.?

-random Reddit thread

They say architects get paid in ?creative satisfaction,? not money. It is either creativity or money. That is probably why a separate category of ?commercial architecture? exists. The majority of the industry seems to have accepted their fate, and so they dwindle between the two and choose whether to ?earn? or ?learn?. 

But it is not either-or. When integrated successfully, efficient workflows have the potential to save countless hours and resources, in creating the desired output. It is not a choice between creative freedom and financial freedom, but rather an establishment of financial freedom through a creative one.  

?They?ll Come When They Come? 

Throughout school, architects focus on the expression and communication of their concepts and ideas in front of a jury panel. But how many are taught/asked to convince the jury to hear you out in the first place? We might be wonderful at customer satisfaction, but what is the point if we do not understand lead generation?

Howard Roark survived somehow, but not everyone can. Architects need to bring in more people, pitch and win them over. They need to define the value of their service and skill and redefine the relationship between architects and entrepreneurship.

How to get into the ?Business? of Architecture?

The process of creating different systems and workflows that are definitive and yet adaptable actually sounds a lot like an exercise you must be familiar with? design thinking. It is a tool that enables us to create much more than products or buildings, but somehow we have failed to realise its full potential. Or perhaps we are too busy realising our dream spaces for others, that we forget to keep our efforts in check. How can we make architects look beyond creating ?architecture?, and practice entrepreneurship? 

Honestly, I don?t know. 

Improving business acumen for architects is a topic that should be discussed more often, which is the point of bringing these points and questions out here. Maybe we?ll find enough suggestions to talk about it in a sequel? till then, I can only hope that this one is stimulating enough!

Sources

• https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/why-architects-are-bad-at-business/#:~:text=Architects%20are%20often%20reluctant%20to%20change.&text=Good%20business%20operations%20require%20continuous,is%20and%20isn’t%20working.
• https://www.archdaily.com/978740/if-as-an-architect-you-dont-know-about-business-you-are-out
• https://archibiz.global/
• https://www.archdaily.com/978740/if-as-an-architect-you-dont-know-about-business-you-are-out