Practice Management Member Conversations

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Practice Management Member Conversations and Committee on Design .
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A group of us in the Culture Collective are working on a project and we could use input from other professionals.  The subject is design competitions.  Other than anecdotal stories, significant information does not seem to be available regarding architects' willingness to participate or if, in fact, they do participate.

In that regard, I thought it might be interesting to hold a simple survey here.  It is not my intention to open up a debate on the subject although you're welcome to voice your opinion. 

I envision a simple process where you respond "yes" or "no" to the following questions.  When and if we have significant input, I will publish the results here.

1. As a practicing architect, would you be willing to participate in a non-compensated competition? Yes or No
2. As a practicing architect, have you participated in a non-compensated competition? Yes or No
3. As a practicing architect, would you be willing to participate in a compensated competition? Yes or No
4. As a practicing architect, have you participated in a compensated competition? Yes or No

For the record, I am not a big fan of design competitions.  However, in the interest of full disclosure my answer to all four questions is yes.  What's yours?

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David Brotman FAIA
Past AIA Regional Director
Sunset Consultants
Malibu CA
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YES
YES
YES
YES

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Carl Handman AIA
President
Eyerman, Csala, Hapeman & Handman- Architects, LLC
Forty Fort PA
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No
No
Yes
No

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Gary Nicholson AIA
Director
LifeWay Architecture
Nashville TN
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-30-2015 08:02
From: Carl Handman
Subject: Design Competitions?

YES
YES
YES
YES

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Carl Handman AIA
President
Eyerman, Csala, Hapeman & Handman- Architects, LLC
Forty Fort PA
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Heck No!
No
Maybe
No

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Nea Poole AIA
Principal
Poole & Poole Architecture, LLC
Midlothian VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-02-2015 17:29
From: Gary Nicholson
Subject: Design Competitions?

No
No
Yes
No

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Gary Nicholson AIA
Director
LifeWay Architecture
Nashville TN
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Yes
Yes
Yes
No

The devil is in the details, particularly whether the competition is an effort by a public entity to start a project or an effort by a private developer to get free work.

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Jerry Roller AIA
Firm Owner/Architect
JKR Partners
Philadelphia PA
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1.No
2.Yes- Have been shortlisted to final firms on multiple occasions only to see project going to competing firm and design ideas blatantly ripped off. 
3.No
4.Yes

We do not enter design competitions anymore.
 

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Keith Youngquist AIA
Manager/Principal
Dacre & Youngquist, LLC
Chicago IL
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Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

The majority of my 'non-compensated' competition entries had the prospect of publication and a paid Commission (8+- over my career). Early in my career, I did 3 theoretical 'fun' competitions on my own time which had the prospect of being exhibited &/or published.

To broaden your topic; many firms compete for selection on projects where the Clients' final selection requires an investment in a design effort.
The distinction between 'invited' (with a limited # of qualified peers) and 'open' competitions is a major differentiator in a 'GO/ No Go' decision re: both competitions or competitive selections.
Knowing the jury members, award values, retaining rights to the design and criteria for award/ selection further help assess prospects for placing well, in a 'competition' or winning a 'competitive selection'.

The risk/reward varies for each firm and in each situation. 

Providing 'FREE' design versus a making a known investment risk to showcase, or prove a firm's (or project team's) design abilities are very different practice choices. 

Regards,
Bill
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William Algie AIA
The Sheward Partnership
Somerdale NJ
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1. Yes (given the right conditions)
2. No
3. Yes
4. No

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Sean Catherall AIA
Senior Project Manager
DAVE ROBINSON ARCHITECTS
Salt Lake City UT
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1. Maybe (right conditions)
2. No
3. Yes
4. No

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William Wiedower AIA
Heiple & Wiedower Architects
Little Rock AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-02-2015 11:31
From: Sean Catherall
Subject: Design Competitions?

1. Yes (given the right conditions)
2. No
3. Yes
4. No

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Sean Catherall AIA
Senior Project Manager
DAVE ROBINSON ARCHITECTS
Salt Lake City UT
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1.  Yes
2.  Yes
3.  Yes
4.  Yes

Our "design build" competitions for a certain SoCal community college district were compensated, but the efforts by us and our team generally far exceeded the compensation amount.  In one situation the winner spent far more than we did and will then have to make up the cost in the fee on the project [who knows how that will go?] and in another the winner didn't seem to even fulfill the minimum requirements requested for the competition, so the award of these things may be decided in different ways.

We have been asked to provide "design concepts" with our RFQ for a K-12 school district project that is non-compensated.  That's just for the RFQ, not the award of the project.

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Michael Elia AIA
Associate Principal
NTD Architecture
San Dimas CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-02-2015 11:31
From: Sean Catherall
Subject: Design Competitions?

1. Yes (given the right conditions)
2. No
3. Yes
4. No

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Sean Catherall AIA
Senior Project Manager
DAVE ROBINSON ARCHITECTS
Salt Lake City UT
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1. yes
2.yes
3.yes
4.no

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Eric Wessels AIA
SBA Architects
Dallas Center IA
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1. No
2. No
3. Yes
4. Yes

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Thomas Roof AIA
President
TXR Architects + Constructors
Sunrise Beach MO
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Yes yes Yes Yes We as a profession have let our clients think that asking for "free" design concepts is an accepted way to procure our services. Not only do we participate in accredited competitions, we are quick to compete with each other under almost Any circumstances. Formal competitions are only the tip of the ice berg. The real issue is the extensive effort we exert to respond to a simple RFP. It seems like every client asks for us to demonstrate our competence by providing conceptual solutions to their particular project. On large projects this often runs to tens of thousands of dollars of professional time just to get considered for the project. It is true, in many professions this is a normal expectation (advertising, large government contracts, etc.) It is a burden we have imposed on ourselves by our behavior and I don' believe it will change Therefore, we must build this effort into our financial plan and expect our wins to bear the cost of competing for those projects we lose. This situation should make us consider carefully what projects we compete for and only compete for those we are really qualifies to execute ------------------------------------------- James McManus FAIA The S/L/A/M Collaborative Glastonbury CT -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 01-28-2015 22:28 From: David Brotman Subject: Design Competitions? This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Practice Management Member Conversations and Committee on Design . ------------------------------------------- A group of us in the Culture Collective are working on a project and we could use input from other professionals. The subject is design competitions. Other than anecdotal stories, significant information does not seem to be available regarding architects' willingness to participate or if, in fact, they do participate. In that regard, I thought it might be interesting to hold a simple survey here. It is not my intention to open up a debate on the subject although you're welcome to voice your opinion. I envision a simple process where you respond "yes" or "no" to the following questions. When and if we have significant input, I will publish the results here. As a practicing architect, would you be willing to participate in a non-compensated competition? Yes or No As a practicing architect, have you participated in a non-compensated competition? Yes or No As a practicing architect, would you be willing to participate in a compensated competition? Yes or No As a practicing architect, have you participated in a compensated competition? Yes or No For the record, I am not a big fan of design competitions. However, in the interest of full disclosure my answer to all four questions is yes. What's yours? ------------------------------------------- David Brotman FAIA Past AIA Regional Director Sunset Consultants Malibu CA -------------------------------------------

This is the latest update of the Design Competition Poll as of 6:15 PM PST Friday, Feb. 6:



David Brotman FAIA
Past AIA Regional Director
Sunset Consultants
Malibu CA
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