FINAL BUSINESS REPORT | PWRFAB

business report DIA 30003

CHONG CHIAO YEN | 104326917 INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE ENTREPRENEURSHIP & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Swinburne University of Technology Bachelor of Interior Architecture (BH-DESINA) Published: 5th June 2023 Published By: Chong Chiao Yen | 104326917 DIA30003 Interior Architecture Entrepreneurship and Professional Development Assignment 3 | Final Business Report Semester 1, 2023 Tutor: Kevin Shen All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without any prior permission in writing from the Swinburne University of Technology.

Declaration of Originality and Copyright All credits accurately given to original owner.

Publisher will not be hold liable under any circumstance.

welcome to

table of contents

(A) INTRODUCTION

(D) PERSONAL LEARNING

-DESIGNER'S PROFILE

-Visioning your design firm in 2043 -Positioning yourself in 2043

(B) FUTURE CONTEXT

(E) PROPOSED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

-INTRODUCTION

-Target client / User persona

-SPECULATING THE

-Value Proposition Canvas

FUTURE IN 2043

-Business Model Canvas

-TREND THESIS

-Business desirability -Business feasibility -Business viability

(C) EXISTING COMPETITORS: CASE STUDIES

(F) CONCLUSION

-Business competitors:

-CONCLUSION

General description -Business competitors: Value proposition analysis -Competition analysis -Strategic implications

(G) PERSONAL LEARNING -Seminar discussions -Final reflection -References -Appendices

DESIGN FABRICATION

X

T

I’m Chong Chiao Yen, the managing director of PWRFAB is also an aspiring interior architect who fell in love with the magic of space creation and transformation at early age. I hold strong belief in design creativities and innovations to be free and limitless. But with the intervention of design fabrication playing significant role in our society today, all design creations and dreams can be turned into reality which further encourage more daring and playful designs in the world of interiors and architectures.

DESIGNer profile

THE DESIGNer

PWRFAB Welcome to PWRFAB, an interior architecture firm ded-

icated to creating innovative and unique interior spaces that serves specific needs and preferences of our clients.

As interior architects who emphasize the use of design fabrication in the design and construction process, our team strives to seamlessly integrate both to achieve exceptional results. Our team of experts consists of experienced designers and skilled craftsmen working closely together to bring our clients' visions to life.

Our design approach is collaborative and client-focused. We make sure to understand our clients' goals and preferences, give professional advice and solutions, walk the extra mile to create customized design concepts that deliver high satisfaction towards our clients.

We believe every detail matters. From the choice of materials to the finishing touches, we take pride in having attention to detail and our commitment to quality. We are proud to gain trust from our clients throughout the years.

We are passionate about creating interior spaces that are functional, beautiful, and unique to every individual. In addition to that, our team adopts great level of versatility towards current changes in trend and future development allowing our clients to expand both vertically and horizontally. PWRFAB look forward to meeting you!

your new norm

DESIGN FABRICATION A process of creating physical objects from digital designs using various fabrication techniques and technologies with the help of several specialized equipment, such as computer-controlled cutting machines, 3D printers, CNC routers, and laser cutters.

Computer-aided design (CAD) software creates product designs before it can transform into reality.

The fabrication process involves cutting, drilling, molding, casting, welding, and other techniques depending on the type of material used and the expected desired outcome.

Design fabrication offers great opportunity in creating distinctive pieces that reflect the client’s style and preferences.

Therefore, it is being encouraged by the industry’s experts to be more commonly used in the architecture design industry especially when it comes to complex creations, objects customizations that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. Offering greater flexibility and efficiency in design and production with a shorter completion period.

SPECULATING

THE FUTURE

New Lifestyle-‘Suburb’

2028 The new norm where most people adopt in post pandemic is to work from home. Many family members who previously stayed and worked in the city now prefer to move back to their home in the suburbs. This could reflect a business market opportunity where an expansion is likely needed towards the houses to cater for bigger family members.

Research & Data Collection

2033

Our team must be consistently well versed with knowledge on latest technology, materials, and building methods to produce optimum outcome Today, people are more conscious about work life balance and pay more attention towards mental and physical health. They find suburbs have higher living standards and are also more livable compared to the CBD.

2 0 4 3

Houses that are originally built from scratch

by PWRRFAB will enjoy the benefit of having renovation or expansion without the entire space being covered by dust and dirt.

This is due to the advancement of fabrication that produces houses in a stackable way where home expansion can be done by stacking additional spaces on top of the existing ones or even connecting them side by side.

Additional spaces can be multi functional using as home office, gym room This enables more rooms or spaces for the expanding family without taking up land of the greens or gardens from the property coming to a win-win position where our clients can have more space without compromising their precious home gardens hence the standard of living is maintained.

Introducing ‘Expandable Homes’

2038

PWRFAB having people living in the suburbs as the target group would come out with a possible solution called the ‘Expandable Homes’. This concept allows greater flexibility for people to renovate or expand their homes without demolishing most of the existing structures by easily removing and replacing the materials within the space as well as having the option to expand their homes vertically adding another level required to the existing building. This would eventually result in cost and time saving for our clients.

'PWRFAB' Is The New Norm

2 0 4 3

2043

TREND THESIS

INTO THE NEAR FU Technological advancements nowadays is the main key towards more sustainable and resilient structures. Digital Design and Fabrication play vital role in the architecture world by allowing endless possibilities for more creation of innovative designs. Turning visuals into reality.

It is believed that the use of digital fabrication can improve overall efficiency in terms of cost, time, and product. Bad weather or other on-site obstacles will not affect the production process as it enables products to be produced off-site in a warehouse. Unlike human labours, machines acquire the capability to work day and night. Therefore, amount of products can be increased while having consistent quality secured within shorter period of time.

Consistency is expected when using design fabrication. Machines enable the production results to achieve greater precision and higher quality control. Design Fabrication should be widely introduced to the world as consistency and efficiency should be our top priority.

idea den

UTURE

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

cultural brailing

ENDLESS DESIGN POSSIBILITIES MORE COMPLEX ARCHITECTURE SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE LESSER MATERIALS REQUIRED SHORTER COMPLETION PERIOD

t

REND THESIS -A demand in the market where clients seek for personalized or customized innovative design of smaller scale expandable home office as well as expandable homes.

-Australia's housing crisis has been existed for quite some time now. With PWRFAB coming into play, clients now have more home options to choose from according to their budget allocation DRIVERS FOR TREND

-Clients who se their homes with to renovate or ref going through trad and messy renov -Clients who wis ized a space w design ideas tha to their unique

TARGET AUDIENCE

opportunity opportunit LAUNCH DIRECTION -With the help of advanced tools, several types of interior space and architecture design fabrication already exist in the industry but still not commonly practiced. PWRFAB aims to be the leading experts in the industry to widely introduce the benefits and significance of incorporating design fabrication into daily practice within the next 6-8 years time as sufficient amount of time is needed before majority of the firms out there can get the machines.

WAY

-Social Me gram paid facebook to tackle -Newspape who still rea This group o stronger fin of working. spend great customise t

eek to expand great flexibility furbish without ditional lengthy vation process. sh to customwith innovative at could cater e preferences.

-Although many things are getting back to the way they were during pre- Covid 19 Pandemic, Work From Home has became a new norm for most people. Therefore, people starting to realise an extra office space is ,uch needed now.

-Technological advancements allow us to have greater flexibility on countless things and now even housing choices are possible as well.

E

TREND'S ROOT

yty cartogram cartogram

YS INTRODUCING TREND

edia platform ie. instad advertisements and marketing platforms younger generations. ers for older generations ad newspapers everyday. of clients most often have nancial status after years g. Hence, will normally ter sum to reconstruct or their retirement homes.

WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE -It can be visualized as mobile and non-mobile home pods that are vertically stackable on top of one another or be placed side by side horizontally connected together.

Interiors and exteriors can be customized in different range of scales and shapes according to clients' needs and preferences.

competitors COMPETITORS

1 2 Little About Competitors: The following 5 competitor companies are all locally based in Australia but from different parts of the country such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Queensland.

Architecture Caisson

3 4 5

RELIANCE DESIGN & FABRICATION

The Polygenic Studio

BACKGROUND Welding Services Co. follows all OH&S requirements and strictly committed to using only high quality materials, equipment and inspecting their condition post-projects. Very discipline in carying out the works to protect their structural integrity. Items deemed to be damaged or in any way unsafe is discarded from their inventory.

Gained customers' trust and usually handle big company clients.

Architecture Caisson is a studio for architecture, urban and interior design, seeks to create enduring buildings and spaces that serve the requirements of clients and the needs of broader community in the strength of their contribution towards the built environment. Client focused. The team believes taking into account of environmentally sustainable design concept is acting responsible for our future genrations.

Fabric Solution offers completely customized bespokes in all shapes and sizes. It promotes itself to be cost savings as clients can enjoy products long term durability. The company invested in state-of-theart technology and pushed the limits of bespoke fabrication to ensure you get a high quality product that’s just leagues beyond what standardised products can achieve.

Reliance Design & Fab specializes in manufacturing and customizing design fabricated architectural steel doors and windows. Quality focused. Provide end to end service from initial consultation and design, to manufacture, delivery and also full installation services.

Polygenic Studio has the latest 3D print technology in house, with the ability to create highly detailed, smooth finish prints, fast. Having technology in-house indicates faster delivery. Provide smaller 3d printings and fabrication work. Although not directly related to PWRFAB services, it can intergrate with other companies with their skills.

c

ase studies COMPETITORS

PRODUCT & SERVICES

-STRUCTURAL FABRICATION -METAL FABRICATION -MASS PRODUCTION -CONSTRUCTION -MACHINING -WELDING

Architecture Caisson

-STRUCTURAL FABRICATION -2D & 3D CAD DRAWINGS -CONSTRUCTION WORK

-2D & 3D PRINTING -BESPOKE FABRICATION

RELIANCE DESIGN & FABRICATION

The Polygenic Studio

-FABRICATED DOORS & WINDOWS -ARCHITECTURAL METAL WORK

-3D PRINTING -CNC MILLING -LASER CUTTING -MODEL FABRICATION -DIGITAL/CAD MODELS

PROM

MOTION

PRICE

PLACE

PEOPLE

Based on the welding size & amount $11k+GST

NSW 2100 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

-MANAGER -YARD WORKER -DELIVERY DRIVER -SUPERVISOR -INSTALLER

Based on the size of architecture $250k+GST

William St Cremorne, VICTORIA 3121 MELBOURNE.

-DIRECTOR -ARCHITECT -INTERIOR DESIGNER -PROJECT PLANNER -ECO ADVISER

Based on the industry practicing experience and product size & complexity $10k-$15k +GST

Byte St, Yatal, DC 4207 QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA.

-DIRECTOR -MANAGERS -STOREMAN -INTERIOR DESIGNER

Based on size.

Standard door 2400(H)+1600(L) $4.5k+GST

Cutting Way, Yangebup WA 6164, AUSTRALIA.

-ARCHITECTS -WELDERS -FABRICATORS -TECHNICIANS -ENGINEERS -INTERIOR DESIGNER

West Street Brookvale NSW 2100 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

-DIRECTOR MAKERS

Based on volume of print material.

20 x 50 x 100 mm and a 3mm wall (thk) $155 +GST

MARKET ANALYSIS

EXPENSIVE

pwrfab

DESIGN FOCUSED

EDUCATION FOCUSED

AFFORDABLE

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS By analyzing the market analysis through the x and y-axis, PWRFAB has spotted an opportunity in the industry which is the combination of Expensive and Education Focused. As the managing director of the company, I believe this is an excellent oppotunity to aim for a company growth and gain greater attention from our potential clients.

Reflecting back to PWRFAB's goals of becoming the leading experts in the design and fabrication industry and promote fabrication to be used in common practice, we can try our best to achieve this target within a given time frame.

Being the first in the industry can be challenging as there are very few precedence studies to be used as a guidance. However, with higher risk also comes incredible gains for the company's future once everything's on track as prices can be set higher to gain better profit and the company will have enough cash flow to expand & reinvest into the business for further growth.

visioning

2043

what how

why

the

golden circle

PWRFAB continues to be innovative with interesting ideas on creating functional yet aesthetically pleasing spaces. Focusing in suburban areas could encourage work life balance and spend more quality time with their loved ones.

Allow clients to renovate their homes in a short period of time and at lower costs.

Clients can visualize their dream spaces and make necessary changes easily with the help of modern softwares. This allows the important details of clients’ ideas to be accurately conveyed to our team.

Design fabrication is a fast growing aspect in the design and architecture industry. It has been used for years now to create complicated designs and is strongly encouraged to be used more frequently in producing more elements.

As the technologies grow stronger and more advanced, the use of design fabrication will be more common in the future. By having the opportunity to grow and improve together with this technology, PWRFAB believes in delivering optimal professional solutions for our clients now as well as in future. Our team aims to become the leading firm in design fabrication in the industry.

positioning practice

1

factors can be influenced

The further advancements of technology can be extremely expensive People politics, company politics can influence the behaviour of a person

2

factors within control

Have weekly company's training to improve on their skills and professionalism in order for clients to have better experience and higher satisfaction

agency of control

Ensures that no one is left behind when having meetings and discussions

3

circle of concern

More industry players will come into the industry which makes the market even more competitive

s

Work with people with different aspects of

experties.

More familiar with industry’s future direction towards design fabrication.

Ability to listen patiently and understand what clients really want.

Positive company's moral and working ethics.

Might not be big enough to compete with

w

industry players.

Advanced technologies and equipments can be costly to afford.

Can have mistakes that drags delivery time as this aspect is still not common and popular.

o

Further improve our skills in handling technical issues.

Design fabrication is rising industry and it will be even stronger in the near future.

Taking every difficulties as a challange and opportunity to learn instead of an obstacle.

Must do more research on the local pref-

erences towards interior spaces in order to capture the right target group.

Rising industry indicates more new players will join the industry which leads to more competitors, more competitive.

Competitors with greater capital can move the business faster as they have the ability to afford the latest technologies.

t

positioning practice Changing customer preferences and lifestyles that influence design trends. Making it more challenging to keep up with the trends.

S

Social

If the bank increases interest rate, clients would prefer to save their money in the bank for a better return hence would be less willing to invest in other spendings such as expanding their homes and offices.

economic

E

Uncertainty or inconsistency in the Australian government could slow down the production process and reduce clients' confident in buildings, tax, and regulations.

political

P

Ethical considerations in material sourcing can result in an increase in the cost of material as lesser materials can be used if some others did not qualify under the ethical codes. Besides, our company may face regular shortage of materials as there will be an increase in demand for limited supply/resources.

ethical

E

T E L

Advancements in design software, rendering tools, and 3D modeling help the company to grow stronger but in the meantime, more companies out there in the industry are able to produce the same result. Therefore, our company may loss competitiveness.

technology

Growing emphasis on sustainable green building practices and environmental regulations and certifications such as LEED, BREEAM could make the design and production process even lengthier which lead to a foreseeable result of longer delivery period required.

environmental

Constant changes in employment laws and regulations regarding labor rights and workplace safety will put the company at a difficult position where too many things and aspects to look after. Especially for smaller or growing companies who do not have spare human resources to do the job.

legal

target c l ie nt wealth passion versatility engagement sustainability

Camille Taylor | 43 Furniture Designer CEO OF Le'Fuer

introvert

extrovert

creative

analytical

big picture

detailed oriented

emotional

logical

As a 17-year practicing furniture designer, Camille has customized countless of furnitures cater to her clients' perferences throughout the years. Now, as the business grows stronger, Camille plans to expand her office and furniture showroom interior spaces uniquely customized for her with great flexibility to change the style of the space to fit her "fast fashion" furniturs.

liked brands GOALS -having multiple spaces designed for different style of furniture display -be versatile to latest furniture design trends while changing interior spaces accordingly -create more individual spaces for her customers to visualise their needs and preferences in clearer manner

PAIN POINT -no access to knowledge on the architectural and structural aspects -lack of knowledge on using more advanced architecture softwares and her computer might not be able to handle the demanding softwares such as REVIT, AUTOCAD -too costly to hire an interior architect and fabricator to carry out the work seperately -no time to supervise the work progress

value proposition

Higher chance to enjoy the benefit of economies of scale when purchasing materials Gain good reputation as products represent company’s image

Laser cut Design Fabrication

Expand customer base

Space planning from empty units to renovations 3D printing

Experienced in job Have access to a team of exerts Confident in producing satisfying result

Value Proposition

Good product quality with lower cost Result in greater customers satisfaction and gain higher trust from customers Turning clients' dream/idea into reality More competitive than industry competitors

Provide detailed specifications of the space / site Engage in the process and keep themselves up to date on latest progression

Not worrying about unable to tackle technical issue Get professional advice and suggestion to maximize outcome Could focus better on existing job in hand and not worrying about the new product Customers Segment

Convey ideas clearly and effectively to the designers

business model canvas

key partners

key activities background search

value proposit

organise ideation/ brainstorm design proposal

work progress pervision

documentation architects & designers Our design team try our best to provide clients with new innovative and better design solutions fabricators Design and fabrication are two different things hence knowledge required are different as well. However, both experties work well along side each other

2d, 3d modelling softwares

professional a quality work outcome

psycical fabrication

key resources softwares -REVIT -AUTOCAD -ADOBE IN DESIGN -ADOBE PHOTOSHOP -ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR FABRICATION MACHINARY

expressing the personality in unique way

gain extra spa with the bene being flexible versitile for a c in future

technical and complicated is explained by p sionals

cost structure workplace rent

machinary costs

regular maintenance costs

architecture softwares

design team wages

advertisement costs

material costs build up website costs

e tion

s su-

and

customer relationship

customer segment

one person service from start to end

younger generations and adults age (27-55)

after sales customer care

seek uniqueness and personalized products

co-creation

express their personality through space and designs

eir a

channels

ace fit of and change

ssue profes-

social media

business owners with the flexiblility to work from home designers who have no access to fabrication experties

phone calls/ text message

even planner

face to face meetings

home owners rennovating their homes

revenue stream project sales company shares

sponsorships membership fee

additional designs services

business desirebility

customer relationship

one person service from start to end We prioritise our clients experience, to make them feel comfortable in handling us their projects, the person nominated will take full responsibility to supervise the work and follow up with the clients until the project is fully completed. Practicing this method could avoid team members running away from taking responsibility.

customers care This department focuses on following up with the clients to perform after sales service. This is to ensure everything works fine and clients are satisfied with the results. We hope to give the impression of we care, and we are ready to face challenges and to take responsibility in making things right even though the case is over. Customers satisfaction is one of our priorities on the road to becoming the industry's leader.

co-creation A great design starts from an even better story. Indeed, before we can come out with impressive design solutions, the input from our clients are relatively significant and can have direct impact on the desired outcome. Our job is to listen, understand, provide possible solutions and add additional value from the client's original needs and preferences.

bus

type of channels

social media Today, no one can get away from using social media. Hence, having an active and well organized contents are important to the company's image. Things we post on our social media: -new products and services, -promotional offers -design and fabrication knowledge, -site construction blo, -company's activities such as company dinner party.

By posting variety to content make clients feel more comfortable following your social media as they can see we are not hard-selling our products and services. Sharing knowledge is important especially for clients who wish to understand more about their money invested in us. Informative sharings could also help to achieve our goals in being the leading experts. phone calls/ text message We serve our clients as far as we can even after office hours.

Clients can feel free to text us at anytime of the day and we will try our best to reply in soonest time possible. No clients is to be left behind.

face to face meetings Whilst many things go online now, we'd still love to pay a visit to the site or spaces and meet our clients to discuss every detail in person as we believe this helps to build better trust between both parties and show clients our sincerity to work with them.

siness desirebility

core values

r.i.c

r

Our team ensures that all work is performed properly and professionally, striving to deliver products on time and within clients’ budgets.

reliability

Our company take pride in having the ability to produce creative interesting ideas from time to time by pushing the boundaries and thinking outside the box.

innovative

c

i

Being consistent in delivering high quality products to maximize our clients’ satisfaction allows us to gain greater trust and confidence in return.

consistency

Competitive

qualities

Strive for best possible outcome in producing a unique

and distinctive design that meets our clients expectations instead of providing general mass production products that could be found anywhere in the market .

We give extra attention to our work to avoid unnecessary mistakes which could eventually save clients some money instead of spending every penny from the budget given.

Clients’ satisfaction is our highest priority hence our team members are always happy to listen to clients' ideas and committed to providing functional solutions to come to a win-win situation.

b us i ness

feasibility

key activities | steps to execute PWRFAB business model background search Do sufficient reseach on client's background. ie. their name, age, gender, occupation, style.

This enables us to have some understanding on the opposite party hence easier to analyse what they want on the spot organise ideation/ brainstorm After meeting clients and listening to their needs and wants, it is important for us to think what they really want in their shoe. Organise pieces of ideas to have a clearer picture

design proposal We make sure to convey a clear message to our clients to possibly avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and miscommunications. documentation Every changes and amendments regardless of big or minor, must be well documented as a proof 2d, 3d modelling softwares Moving to modelling softwares from 2D to 3D for clients to have a better idea visualizing the space

psycical fabrication Together with the help of design fabrication machines and experts, we turn client's dream into reality

key partners | gather the power of technologies and expertise fabricators Design and fabrication are two different things hence knowledge required are different as well. However, both experties work well along side each

+

architects & designers Our design team try our best to provide clients with new innovative and better design solutions

key resources | couldn't make it without them softwares

FABRICATION MACHINARY

-REVIT -AUTOCAD -ADOBE IN DESIGN -ADOBE PHOTOSHOP -ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

Specific technology and machine needed to produce complicated customized designs

bus i n ess fea sib i l ity

unique

selling point

PWRFAB, integrating with both design and fabrication processes, is capable of offering a holistic approach to interior spaces that ensures all products are one-of-a-kind, tailored to meet specific needs and desires of each client.

Having both integrations allows our team to be more efficient during the production process, delivering results in shorter time frames and saves costs /budgets for our clients without compromising the quality/standard of the product.

personal statement

I believe myself as a suitable candidate to perform this role as I

have a strong vision of successfully leading my company to be the leading experts in the industry. Having said that, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Companies should continuously upgrade their skills from time to time by attending relevant seminars or talks in order to provide a better service to our clients. I personally hold strong belief in Sun Tzu’s theory that in order to shine among all industry players, we must first understand our competitors. Learning from competitors’ mistakes and observing the hard work behind their success are important if a company wants to strive for better result quality for their clients. Lastly, staying sensitive towards our surroundings and often analyzing the latest trends and patterns is one of the qualities which I define as a good designer. Therefore, I will continue to remind myself to always work around those qualities.

bus i ne s s viability workplace rent

machinary costs

material costs

advertisement costs

cost structure | cost incured for daily and non-daily operation of PWRFAB build up website costs

architecture softwares

design team wages

regular maintenance costs

The above costs involved are fixed cost, variable cost, sunk cost such as machinary cost and other necessary cost. The overall amount of cost can vary every month depending on the workload and demand.

Below show the ways that keep PWRFAB going in the industry. We ensure every products delivered to our clients are value added and reflect the price charged for the products and the team's effort/hard work.

membership fee

project sales

additional designs services

revenue strems | ways in which PWRFAB generates profit sponsorships

company shares

bu s i ne s s vi ab i l ity

c o nc lu sio n PWRFAB is here to walk the extra mild, carrying your hopes & dreams with full passion making them into reality. With the seamless intergration of both design and fabrication, our experts team is confident in delivering results beyond expectations.

We are 'PWRFUL' Magicians

& Safe Shelters we build for ALL

we turn houses into homes, we transform dreams into reality, we make wishes come through. so,

what's your wish?

- PWRFAB

NO W let the magic begin.

seminar week 1 What do you want out of this unit?

I personally hope that I could be more confident at the end of this semester. Just like many others in the class, we might feel confused and lost when it comes to what we can do as an interior architect in the future. One of the reasons being the term interior architect is rarely or almost unheard of even though it’s not a new course or something new yet there is no real recognition for title within the society.

Therefore, I’m looking forward to seeing how this subject of entrepreneurship and professional development could shape and expand our mind to fit into different range of related industries.

What are the opportunities for interior architects in your given topic?

With the given topic of design fabrication, there are several opportuni ties for us as an interior architect. The first would be having the ability to customise and produce pieces of furniture and design to cater to their customers’ individual preferences with the help of tools and tech nologies in design fabrication firm. Another one would be having the opportunity to experiment and produce new innovative designs using digital technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD), parametric modelling, and 3D printing. It helps to enhance their design capabilities from creating intricate designs with precise measurements to exploring complex geometries.

Should interior architects be aware and design for future trends?

Why or why not?

Yes, interior architects should be aware of and design for future trends.

It is important that interior architects stay observative and be sensitive towards the surroundings to help them stay relevant in this rapidly evolving industry in order to offer innovative and up-to-date design solutions that cater to the changing needs and preferences of their clients. Furthermore, interior architects being knowledgeable about future trends allow them to gain a competitive edge among their competitors and all other players in the industry.

week 2

What do you think is an interior architect's value proposition to their clients?

An interior architect's value proposition to their clients should be having the right products and services to offer. Interior architects should also use their expertise as pain reliever to help clients in solving their problems such as having no technical or solid knowledge about how the design and fabrication industry works which lead them to gain satisfactions in achieving their ultimate goals.

Do you think we as an industry need to strengthen the architect's value in the public's eye? Why or why not?

Yes, there is a need to strengthen the architect's value in the public's eye. One of the reasons being that people should acknowledge the significance of having sustainable buildings and functional spaces in our daily life. Architects are the ones who allow us to carry out all sorts of activities in a safe and comfortable environment which are not merely making the building aesthetic but have direct impact on our safety, cultural context, as well as social well-being.

week 3 What value do interior architecture firms provide their clients, and is this value unique?

The value of having the ability to provide their clients good spatial planning is the most unique value to me personally. Unlike architects, interior architects specialize in a smaller scale design compound. Which means that they have to be more thoughtful when it comes to spatial planning as they have to understand their client’s personality as a whole in order to create a space that is most suitable for him/her. This is because by the end of the day, it’s all about the interactions between human and the space. A space is deemed good when it improves the overall user experience.

Is it important for interior architecture firms to analyse their competitors?

Why or why not?

Yes, it is important for interior architecture firms to analyse their competitors.

I always believe that in order to stand stronger in the industry, we must understand our competitors in a few aspects such as their design idea, strategy and reasons behind a certain plan. By having a better understanding of the competitors, interior architecture firm could compare the differences between themselves and also make necessary improvements in order to move the firm towards a better and more efficient work direction.

reflection writing

How can interior architecture firms establish themselves apart from their competitors?

Interior architecture firms can establish themselves apart from their competitors by having a clear and strong design direction with their own unique design style that differentiate them from their competitors. Another one would be to expand their scope further such as merges with a design fabrication firm which would help them to gain new ability of designing more complex designs with more advanced technology. Having a vertical or horizontal integration can be a good way as it allows a firm to grow stronger and faster. In addition to that, clients will prefer them over their competitors as they could act as a one stop shop providing more variety of services at one.

week 5 Do you think interior architecture firms need to have a long-term vision?

Why or why not?

Yes, I think interior architecture firms need to have a long-term vision. Having a goal to achieve, the team will work together on the same page as they strive to achieve a common objective. This allows the team to understand and have a clear direction of their work which could lead to greater motivation and improve working efficiency. Furthermore, having consistent vision allows the firm to gain greater trust from their customers which could lead to better reputation in long team.

Should interior architecture firms update their visions regularly, or maintain one for the entirety of the business?

While it is important for interior architecture firms to have a consistent and firm vision, it is still necessary to review and update it as the business evolves. As interior architects, we should be sensitive towards our surroundings such as the latest design trend or most recent client’s preferences as it is part of our responsibility to keep up with all latest news and trends in order to provide and deliver optimum results towards our clients. If we refuse to continue learning and keep ourselves up to date, we will fall behind other industry players within a short period of time and will be rejected by this rapidly growing industry.

week 6 Do you think clients remunerate interior architecture firms' value appropriately? Why or why not?

In my opinion, most clients do not tend to remunerate interior architecture firms' value appropriately. This is because most clients think the architects and interior designers can replace the role played by the interior architects which them deemed unnecessary. However, an architect is a person who builds buildings from the outside whereas interior architect specializes in building a sustainable and functional space from the inside. Clients often underestimate the importance of having good spatial planning which could affect the user experience, and well-being directly.

How can interior architects better communicate their value to prospective clients?

Interior architects could better communicate their value to prospective clients by showing a compelling portfolio that reflects their extensive experience and skill in problem solving and creative idea innovation of previous projects/clients. This allows the clients to have a better understanding of their capabilities in producing excellent work hence have greater trust and confidence in them to hand their work professionally.

week 7 What is Positioning and why is it important?

Positioning refers to the way of how a product or service perceive to its target audience. It is important because it allows product differentiation which make the company stand out among other competitors. Another reason positioning is important is because once a brand or company is being placed at a better or higher position within the industry, the company can command for better or higher pricing when it comes to their products as their customers generally recognise the worth or the product reflecting its price hence willing to pay more. This provides the company a great opportunity to collect higher profit and better chance of expanding the business in future.

reflection writing

f What does a good business positioning look like?

A good business positioning consists of a few important elements such as clear and compelling message to the target audience. This conveys strong value of the company’s vision and mission statement that allow the clients to have higher confidence in them. This can have a positive impact on their branding within the industry. Furthermore, another important element is the ability to differentiate and set the business apart from its competitors by highlighting unique features, benefits, or attributes that differentiate it in the market. It identifies a distinct value proposition that solves a specific problem or meets a particular need in a way that competitors cannot easily replicate.

week 9 Do you think interior architecture firms have different business models or do most firms use the same generic business model?

Why do you think so?

In my opinion, there are many firms that have different business models to differentiate and stand out from their competitors. They usually have a distinctive way of designing or creating the product to cater to their specific target audience, maximizing customers satisfaction through product differentiation as well as customization for individual preferences. On the other hand, I believe there are quite a number of firms that prefer using the same generic business model as it seems to be the safest way in the market.

How can interior architecture firms strengthen their business model to stand out from other interior architecture firms?

Offering integrated services that go beyond traditional interior architecture can enhance a firm's value proposition. This may include services such as project management or working together with design fabrication firm. Providing more comprehensive services that offer clients with one-stop solution.

reflection writing

final

REFLECTION

This business report has covered the important business aspects we learnt throughout this semester. One of my greatest takeaway from completing this report is having the opportunity to dive deeper on the topic of producing a comprehensive SWOT and STEEPLE analysis of an interior architecture firm. Through these analysis, the firm will can have clearer understandings on its current position in the industry and make necessary improvement to prepare the team better while approaching challenges in future. For a company to be successful in the industry, both tools play a vital role in analyzing our internal and also external environment. It helps the company to be aware of things happening in their surroundings, search for new opportunities to grow, and most importantly act as a clear direction for the team to work on the same page to achieving the common set goals.

However, it is undeniable that being in a highly tech related industry, new start-ups can find it extremely challenging to secure a place in the industry as too many players involved.The cruest yet most realistic way to suceed in this industry would be having huge amount of cashflow to generate daily operations and having strong networking to get good qualitymachinaries that can sustain for longer period of time. Low quality machinaries might leed to more regular downtime which will eventually result in high maintenance cost and longer completion period, Therefore, I personally think it is fairly important to consider everything we learnt in this final report before starting as well as when operating a company.

Moreover, I would like to take this great opportunity to thank Swinburne University for having this eye and mind opening course for us. This course can be life changing as it enables us to acknowledge that we can explore different areas of the industry and need not be confined to the interior architecture industry alone. Lastly, I wish to remind my future self to stay creative and innovation regardless of the industry and company I choose.

I believe a good designer does not settle solely for its initial iteration.

Thank You!

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