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TO
ARCHITECT
A GUIDE FOR
ASPIRING ARCHITECTS
B.D. NAYAK
B.D. NAYAK
ISBN 978-0-9977373-0-1
Preface
This book is for aspiring architects who do not have
a clear vision of how to start or run an architectural of-
fice. The purpose is to give them an overview of what they
should carefully consider before opening a practice: the
education, experience, licensing, insurance, and social/
business skills they will need; the costs involved in setting
up and maintaining an office while trying to turn a profit,
let alone stay in business; how to procure clients and de-
velop client relationships; the fees for service they must
charge; the types of clients they will deal with; what kind
of staff to hire, and when; how to promote and market a
practice; which target markets to tap into; which software
applications to use and update; and much more.
6
Acknowledgements
7
Dedication
8
Contents
Appetite 10
Education 14
Registration 16
Experience 17
Fees for Service 20
Types of Clients 22
Business Skills 24
Partnership 26
Office Location and Presentation 29
Hiring 31
Accounting and Other Specialty Work 33
Client Procurement and Relationship 34
Contracts 37
Building Related Zoning Regulations 40
Employer and Employees 42
Billing 48
Insurance 49
Advertising and Marketing 51
Target Markets 54
Income and Expenses 55
Type of Corporation 58
Practicing Architecture in a Global Economy 59
Building Up Your Clientele 60
Presentation 61
Construction Documents 63
Software 66
Freehand Sketching 67
Keeping Up with the Times and Technologies 69
Sustainability 72
Family Life 74
Conclusion 77
About the Author 79
9
Appetite
Architecture is not for everyone.
15
Registration
Anyone with a degree in architecture who wants to
practice it must hold a license to practice. Many who have
the degree but for whatever reason did not or could not get
registration to practice nevertheless call themselves ar-
chitects. That is illegal. A license distinguishes you from
those with merely an architectural education.
16
Experience
After education and registration, firm experience is
your next stepping stone toward starting a practice. Archi-
tects who begin their practice prematurely are bound to
fail. Before starting yours, you must work in a firm that
will give you experience in many different aspects of the
profession.
19
Fees for Service
Although architects who have earned their reputa-
tion by winning international competitions or by produc-
ing distinguished works may dictate their terms or fees,
those with small firms working for smaller clients will find
it much more difficult to work out their fee structures, par-
ticularly on a clients first job. I have always noticed that
a new clients perception about fee is in the hundreds, not
the thousands, no matter how big a job is. Furthermore,
everybodys paying capacity is different. You cannot com-
pare a millionaire to a middle-class person.
23
Business Skills
Before starting an architectural practice, you must
also know how to run an architectural business. And not
everybody is born with all of the skills they need to run a
business. If you are working for someone, carefully ob-
serve how that architect runs the business.
25
Partnership
Whether or not to form a partnership with a fellow
architect is a major decision that will significantly affect
your practice. If you want a partnership, select a partner
who has education and experience on a par with yours and
shares many of your architectural values and visions. If
you have a childhood friend you grew up with and you
have a good understanding of each other, you might con-
sider forming a partnership with that person. In a partner-
ship, you have to delegate duties and responsibilities, so
your partners specialty should not be similar to yours. A
partnership of architects may not work as well as an archi-
tect-engineer partnership, where their distinct duties and
responsibilities complement each other, forming a well-
rounded practice.
28
Office Location and Presentation
30
Hiring
With or without a partnership, you cannot do all of
the work by yourself. Every project is too complex, time-
sensitive and cross-disciplinary to be a one-person opera-
tion. You will need to hire professionals with diverse skills
to not only help you get all your jobs done on time and on
budget, but to leave you free to concentrate on your prime
specialty, be it landing a client, designing the project, pre-
paring construction documents, etc.
32
Accounting and Other Specialty Work
Shop around for the best for the least. You will be
surprised they are there. Every star does not shine.
33
Client Procurement and Relationships
Finally, bear in mind that the client will not pay you
until satisfied with the projects outcome. To reach this lev-
el of satisfaction, you may have to do a number of alterna-
tive schemes. And you must be prepared to do so: you may
think one way, and the client may think another. These are
moments when you will feel frustratedbut that is your
test of patience. An architect who does not have patience
will not succeed.
36
Contracts
To establish a good relationship with the client and
ensure that persons understanding of the specifications,
scope and limits of your architectural services, as well as
your fee structure, you must enumerate all of these items
in as much pertinent detail as possible in writing, in the
form of a contract.
39
Building-Related Zoning Regulations
41
Employer and Employees
A firms success or failure depends in large part
upon the quality of the relationships among the employer
and employees. The employer and the employee must de-
velop a long-term working relationship in which they mu-
tually understand their respective duties and carry out all
projects smoothly. Understanding about the depth of an
individuals knowledge will help to develop the project for
its intended use.
47
Billing
While we are busy with work, we often neglect bill-
ing. To maintain a healthy bank balance and to be able
to pay your employees and expenses promptly, the billing
terms and conditions set in the contract should be precise-
ly followed, and your accountant or office manager should
send the invoice as soon as the work is done. And please,
whenever you send invoices, make sure that their amounts
are right and that the math is correct. Mistakes can create
bad impressions.
48
Insurance
Do not begin a practice without professional liabil-
ity insurance and workers compensation. These may not
be required if you do only private jobs, but if you do pub-
lic jobs, they definitely are required. You also need fire
insurance, as well as a health insurance plan for all of your
employees.
50
Advertising and Marketing
In business, any amount of advertising is insuffi-
cient. Just the same, limited financial resources in a small
office restrict advertisement capacity. Nevertheless, you
must let the world know about your existence so you can
land the clientele necessary to stay in business, and keep
reminding people you are still active and practicing.
51
Social media: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,
etc. Company profiles on Archello, Archinect, Architizer,
Houzz, etc. Promotional videos on YouTube or Vimeo
Company newsletters
E-newsletters, mass-emailed through Constant Con-
tact or MailChimp
Writing and posting a blog about firm projects, em-
ployee profiles, etc.
Membership in a chamber of commerce or a Rotary
or Lions club chapter
Working for Habitat for Humanity to meet people
and make connections
Company brochure mailings or distribution in plac-
es of business
Holiday card or e-card mailings to past, present and
future clients and collaborators
Finding new contacts who were noted or quoted in
newspapers, magazines or industry journals
Posting advertisements in a planning office
Cold-calling
Business-to-business networks
Keeping in contact with contractors, developers and
others you have worked with
A booth or placard advertisement at a home show or
architecture expo (ABX, etc.)
53
Target Markets
54
Income & Expenses
57
Type of Corporation
Before starting your practice, consult with an attor-
ney about the pros and cons of different types of corpora-
tions: sole proprietorships, limited partnerships, C corpo-
rations, S corporations, limited liability companies (LLC),
limited liability partnerships (LLP), etc.
59
Building Up Your Clientele
Early in your practice, people may think you are
competent in only one or two building types. In the begin-
ning, your practice might build around just those projects.
If that is what you decide, that is fine. However, I urge
you to push yourself and take on a wide range of design
projects as early in your practice as possible. Your profes-
sional image depends upon your dexterity and versatility
in a variety of building forms.
60
Presentation
Your personality and the way you present your work
are essential to your practice, for this is how you leave
your clients with a positive first impression of you and
your work. It is not only about your clothes and car. It is
also about how you talk and how well you present your
ideas and thoughts in order to address your clients design
requirements effectively.
61
and highlight their details with a laser pointer. Renderings
in 3D, virtual tours, and physical models often explain a
project better than just drawings as well. However, many
clients may have difficulty visualizing a project in 3D. So
find out your clients comfort level and design your pre-
sentation accordingly.
64
Your construction document must have a cover
page. It presents your document professionally, helps the
building inspector to know what type of document it is,
and prevents the documents first page from being torn
off. The project title must include the sites complete ad-
dress with zip code. The title box must contain pertinent
information about the architect and engineers, including
their addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
The date on the drawing should be either the progress date
or the completion date. When the drawings are submitted
for the building permit, the architect and engineers should
all have the same date. Space on the document should be
provided for revisions, stamps of approval, and notes. For
instance, if the project is not yet complete, you can write
Building Permit Set on the document and let the owner
and contractor know that more information will be added
to the drawings later.
65
Software
To run a successful practice, it is vital to keep up
with current trends in computer software and upgrade
your office computer network to the latest versions of your
software. These include advancements in mainstream de-
sign applications such as SketchUp, AutoCAD and Revit
which enable faster, cleaner execution of floor plans, el-
evations and renderings than hand drawings. Grasshopper
3D and Rhinoceros 3D computer-aided design (CAD) ap-
plications are often used to create, manipulate and rear-
range meticulously detailed project renderings, plans and
elevations by building generative algorithms for multifac-
eted 3D geometries.
67
One of my clients had reached out to four different
architects for a house design. Until I met her she had not
made up her mind about which architect she would hire.
She asked me if I could draw a sketch and if she liked it,
she would give me the job.
68
Keeping Up with the Times & the Technologies
71
Sustainability
As the world moves forward with technology, it has
a profound impact on our lifestyles. Healthy living is the
slogan of the present era. Major steps have been taken to
improve our surrounding environment, but we still have a
long way to go. Unless all countries agree to move forward
together in protecting our planet, soon fewer and fewer
people will be able to enjoy clean water, air, and soil.
73
Family Life
While focusing on your architectural practice, you
must maintain a healthy balance between your family life
and your professional life. These must go hand-in-hand.
If you pay more attention to one and less to the other, you
will be riding on a cart with two different sizes of wheels.
76
Conclusion
In this book I have primarily expressed my obser-
vations on the business and practice of architecture based
on my personal experiences in the field. This information
may be more useful to some than to others. It is not a math-
ematical formula or psychodynamic panacea for success,
but merely my recommendation for starting and running
an architectural practice efficiently, sustainably, and profit-
ably.
77
Never take it for granted that your clients will come
automatically to you. You must have guiding incentives
for them to knock on your office door, including, but not
limited to: a distinctive brand, superior self-presentation,
exemplary service, a well-earned reputation for design ex-
cellence. But most of all, your respect for the client, your
punctuality with projects and meetings, and your steadfast
commitment to meeting the clients design needs in every
way, shape and form are the master key to a sustainable
and even lucrative architecture practice.
78
About the Author
Having been born and raised
in a less fortunate environment, I
always sought to create better stan-
dards of living for people from all
walks of life. I chose architecture,
because it enables me to enrich and
beautify our surrounding environ-
ment in a creative, livable, sustain-
B.D. NAYAK able, socially responsible way.