INTERVIEW
ARCHITECT AND...
QUOTES FROM ARCHITECTS IN ALTERNATIVE CAREERS KATIE KANGAS, AIA AND JASON TAKEUCHI, AIA
Leanna Libourel, AIA
Libourel Development LLC | Los Angeles, California
DEVELOPMENT
During undergraduate a professor of mine stressed the importance of finding ‘that thing’ you are good at and you like to do…and then aspiring to do whatever ‘that thing’ may be. This criteria has led me down a professionally fulfilling path, albeit different than most peers’. I am captivated by vertical integration. Whether it be programmatic, means & methods, venture-capitalbacked development models, design/development as tech, etc.
FOR SALE
CONSTRUCTION
Vanessa Cameron, AIA, LEED BD+C
Nordic PCL Construction | Honolulu, Hawaii
I’m able to explain design intent in greater detail to my team on the builder’s side, while simultaneously conveying constructability principles and site specific challenges that may impact cost and schedule to the owner and design team. The technical nature of the profession as well as being a conductor of several design disciplines are the things I love most about the architecture profession. This is a complementary skillset I am able to carry over to construction, now becoming a conductor of multiple trades on the jobsite.
David Pollard, AIA
Liv Companies | Burr Ridge, Illinois
DESIGN BUILD
The biggest challenge the architect will continue to face is the loss of control as a result of shedding of risk. As architects lose control of projects and become merely drafting consultants to builders, we will lose opportunity to truly shape the built world, be stewards for the environment, and apply our creative solutions to problems. Architects need to think about their role in the world beyond what bots can perform, and re-think their business model, brand strategy, and deliverables around that thinking. It’s another thing if an architect takes on that responsibility as a business decision and balances the value of a sustainable choice against the cost of a design decision. As more architects take more control, we have the opportunity to shape the market from our clients to the product manufacturers to the trades. We can provide tremendous value, and we need to leverage that beyond the consulting-firm model to stay relevant.
DEVELOPMENT
Robert ‘Sidney’ Aulds, III
Sidney Aulds Building Studio | Denver, Colorado
The graphic and communication skills from architecture school help me lead each project as the owner/ developer, architect, and builder. Organizing information and efficiently communicating unlock unlimited potential in what you can accomplish. There is an ever-expanding conversation about the role of the architect. Architects have given away increasingly more risk to the builder, or general contractor. By iving away risks, we have given away our leadership role and our economic value for our work.
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CONNECTION
THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM