Housing and Community Development

Rebecca, you've brought up the obvious good point.  Since I don't subscribe to the New York Times, I'm not aware of what kind of stories they normally write in the 'House and Home' section.  I guess it might be somewhat boring to feature a happy ending story like the one you've described. 

I'm sure those of us who've worked in residential firms have a few stories we could tell about dealing with a challenging Design Review Board or an upset neighbor who insists his/her view is going to be hindered by the proposed design, etc.- but, this request is not asking for that.  

Usually, there are legal documents signed that dictate "how the 'break-up'" should be handled.  Still, feelings may get hurt depending on how much or little finesse is used in the process.  And there is the possibility of humiliation if it's a high profile project.

Surely, it will be done anonymously or by telling stories that happened so long ago no one will even care.

On the other hand, this could be cathartic; it's is a good way for an architect to share what went wrong on a particular project and tell the story from the architect's perspective, rather than from the client's perspective.  Since this is a taboo subject and hardly ever discussed openly, doing so might open up a whole new dialogue about how to work successfully with an architect.

Surely there is a greater point to this planned featured article besides creating interesting reading...

The call for submissions is open until 9/22, so we have 2 days to get our stories in.  :)

Back to your point: Has anyone ever worked on a project that went completely smooth and both the architect and the client came out virtually unscathed? 


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Tara Imani AIA
Principal
Tara Imani Designs, LLC
Houston TX
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I agree. The architectural coverage in the NYTimes seems to be increasingly unenlightened. A year or so ago, they ran a series on architects who were doing work for free - for private clients, who owned property in Manhattan and had well-paying jobs. I'm copying my email letter protesting it below, which received an automated reply.

Perhaps the AIA might make a general comment to their editorial staff?



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Kate Svoboda-Spanbock AIA
Principal
HERE Design and Architecture
Los Angeles CA
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Dear Editor:

I am writing regarding your series "On the Cheap," in which apparently the NYTimes has been acting as a procurer for people who would rather not pay for design work.

Perhaps you are not aware of how difficult it is for designers, particularly in this economy, to find work which will allow them to make a living - as in, buy groceries, pay rent, sign their children up for basketball, etc.

Perhaps you are not aware of the fact that most potential clients are already generally of the opinion that they could design projects for themselves if they only (1) knew how to draw (2) weren't afraid to deal with structure (3) weren't afraid of dealing with regulations (4) weren't so busy doing something else to make a living.

Perhaps you have not noticed how many really awful spaces there are in this country, a large percentage of which is 'designed' by the owner and the contractor, neither of whom usually has any idea of what will make the space efficient, pleasant or joyful, or how to think about that.

Perhaps you are not aware of how much this situation has already been exacerbated by the plethora of television shows in which people who have no idea what they are doing use glue guns to hold a room together just long enough to film it.

In the article I read today, the couple whose bedroom had been redesigned were a travel industry publicist and a media buyer for a marketing company. While I am happy for them that they have a bedroom that they like, I wonder how much work they routinely do for free?

Thank you for your attention.
--
Kate Svoboda-Spanbock

Interesting that many of you took this so negatively.  Of course I can see how you come to that conclusion, but I viewed this as an opportunity to share "war stories" with colleagues and the general public.  Clearly, if the focus of the article is to describe how architects make mistakes and then get fired is not a good thing. However it could be enlightening to expose deadbeat clients and pathological miscreants that try to skip out on the last payment or find other "creative" solutions to part ways. Why couldn't an article such as this explain the concept of "intellectual property" or "copyright" so the public understands that it can't just fire us at will, and move on with the design? Couldn't this topic even help to humanize the profession in the yes of the public? 

Just a thought.


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Andrew Fethes AIA
President
Andrew Fethes Architects PA
Oradell NJ
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2011 09:57
From: Kate Svoboda-Spanbock
Subject: Media Opportunity-?!

I agree. The architectural coverage in the NYTimes seems to be increasingly unenlightened. A year or so ago, they ran a series on architects who were doing work for free - for private clients, who owned property in Manhattan and had well-paying jobs. I'm copying my email letter protesting it below, which received an automated reply.

Perhaps the AIA might make a general comment to their editorial staff?



-------------------------------------------
Kate Svoboda-Spanbock AIA
Principal
HERE Design and Architecture
Los Angeles CA
-------------------------------------------
Dear Editor:

I am writing regarding your series "On the Cheap," in which apparently the NYTimes has been acting as a procurer for people who would rather not pay for design work.

Perhaps you are not aware of how difficult it is for designers, particularly in this economy, to find work which will allow them to make a living - as in, buy groceries, pay rent, sign their children up for basketball, etc.

Perhaps you are not aware of the fact that most potential clients are already generally of the opinion that they could design projects for themselves if they only (1) knew how to draw (2) weren't afraid to deal with structure (3) weren't afraid of dealing with regulations (4) weren't so busy doing something else to make a living.

Perhaps you have not noticed how many really awful spaces there are in this country, a large percentage of which is 'designed' by the owner and the contractor, neither of whom usually has any idea of what will make the space efficient, pleasant or joyful, or how to think about that.

Perhaps you are not aware of how much this situation has already been exacerbated by the plethora of television shows in which people who have no idea what they are doing use glue guns to hold a room together just long enough to film it.

In the article I read today, the couple whose bedroom had been redesigned were a travel industry publicist and a media buyer for a marketing company. While I am happy for them that they have a bedroom that they like, I wonder how much work they routinely do for free?

Thank you for your attention.
--
Kate Svoboda-Spanbock

Perhaps Mr. Tinder and and Mr. Frank would be interested in contributing to an article on how their clients, dues paying AIA members, broke up with them.


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Victor Wolbrink AIA
US Army Corp of Engineers
APO AP
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2011 09:43
From: Andrew Fethes
Subject: Media Opportunity-?!

Interesting that many of you took this so negatively.  Of course I can see how you come to that conclusion, but I viewed this as an opportunity to share "war stories" with colleagues and the general public.  Clearly, if the focus of the article is to describe how architects make mistakes and then get fired is not a good thing. However it could be enlightening to expose deadbeat clients and pathological miscreants that try to skip out on the last payment or find other "creative" solutions to part ways. Why couldn't an article such as this explain the concept of "intellectual property" or "copyright" so the public understands that it can't just fire us at will, and move on with the design? Couldn't this topic even help to humanize the profession in the yes of the public? 

Just a thought.


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Andrew Fethes AIA
President
Andrew Fethes Architects PA
Oradell NJ
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This is appalling. How can I get my dues back?

I've been in AIA for over thirty five years and every year for the past twenty I wonder why I send them my money. They do not seem to understand how to propote and support the real profession.

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William Hirsch AIA
William J. Hirsch Jr. Architect
West End NC
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The article is about the process of clients/homeowners working with architects and the potential negative situations that might arise - and how to avoid these situations.

It is certainly not our goal to put architects in a situation that would make them look bad.

In fact, this article can serve as a lesson to readers providing insights into how to make these relationships work better. The AIA has a myriad of resources for homeowners and clients who are considering hiring an architect that will explain the process and take away misconceptions.

The reporter is going to write this piece with or without the input of AIA architects - having a voice and input on this situation to represent the architect's side of the story is a far better option than remaining silent. This is an opportunity to show how architects are problem solvers and how quality design can impact their clients lives for the better.

We do pitch story idea's to the media, though we would never pitch a story idea like this.

I apologize for the misleading subject of the posting.



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Matthew Tinder
Manager, Media Relations
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2011 21:35
From: William Hirsch
Subject: Media Opportunity-?!

This is appalling. How can I get my dues back?

I've been in AIA for over thirty five years and every year for the past twenty I wonder why I send them my money. They do not seem to understand how to propote and support the real profession.

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William Hirsch AIA
William J. Hirsch Jr. Architect
West End NC
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To the CRAN and SPP members responding to this thread:

 

I want to apologize for the anxiety this New York Times query has caused.  We should have provided you with more background and context in the initial post.  We certainly understand the economic pressures that architects, especially residential architects, are under and would not intentionally do anything that would cause further damage.

 

Currently, we are trying to manage this pending inquiry for the article in the best way possible.  The fact that we've interested the reporter in tips for how to avoid these unfortunate situations is a very positive sign.  Also, we offered the current CRAN chair (Mark Demery, AIA LEED AP) chair to serve as an authoritative source for advice on ways to avoid architect-client breakups.  We have also spotlighted the myriad of resources the AIA provides for consumers on the HOW DESIGN WORKS microsite: http://howdesignworks.aia.org. UPDATE: the reporter has responded saying that those resources look very helpful.

 

I am happy to talk with you directly if you have any concerns or questions. You can reach me via phone at 202-626-7467.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

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Scott Frank
Director, Media Relations
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Residential Knowledge Community and CRAN Custom Residential Architects Network .
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Let's see if I have this right: our national organization would like us to contact a national news outlet about bad breakups between clients and architects...and this will help our profession how? This request is so wrong-headed it's hard to know where to begin.

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Robert Silarski AIA
Principal
S&Co.'Architecture + Design
Nyack NY
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