Committee on Design

I believe large and small firms are in the same boat. We are paying for seats not needed for a subscription program that provides limited value, with learning curves that decrease productivity attached to a hefty price tag. We are not being served.  
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Michael Lassel AIA LEED AP AIA
Principal
Lassel Architects
South Berwick ME
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well, if you're fed up with the software companies, maylines and koh-i-noors are going pretty cheap these days...  =]  no subscription fees - just ink and mylar, etc.

seriously, i hate to be the one to put up the point that "you can't fight city hall", but you really can't.  the purchase, maintenance, and learning of constantly changing of design software (and subsequent productivity challenges) are just a fact of architectural life these days.  it's a fact of life for most professions - think of the evolving nature of technology in the medical field.  i dare say that a REVIT license (and the subscription) and a CAD workstation are a fair sight cheaper than an ultrasound machine or a CT scanner (even if an MD does make a sh!tload more money than your average architect...).  it's just aother of the many costs of doing business, just like ordering the latest set of sweets catalogs and a new can of pounce once was.

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Jeffrey Bender AIA NCARB LEED AP BD+C
Design Associate
ORW Architecture
Medford OR
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Amen to that!

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James VanderMolen AIA
President
Elevate Studio
Grand Rapids MI
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We are subscriptions, also. For us, learning is a continous practice, not limited to single events. As a result, we find that we can produce our work in less time, with fewer people, and with greater accuracy.

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Charles Graham AIA
Architect
O'Neal, Inc.
Greenville SC
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