Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies
A podcast hosted by Monograph that explores strategies for running successful architecture and engineering firms. It features interviews with leaders who manage great projects and firms, discussing topics like project management, profitability, and business growth. The podcast is aimed at architects and engineers looking to improve their business practices.
Episodes
AI in Architecture and Engineering — 2026 Business Benchmarks w/ Ashish Desai | EntreArchitect
You can be fully booked and still feel like the numbers don't add up. The 2026 A&E Benchmark Report from Monograph shows exactly why, and which firms have figured it out.Ashish Desai, CEO of Monograph, joins Mark LePage to walk through the data on what separates high-performing architecture firms from the rest. The gap isn't in design quality or demand. It's in how efficiently firms c
How Should Architects + Structural Engineers Work Together? w/ Point B Design Group & A-1 Engineers
Why don't Architects sketch with clients anymore? And why don't Engineers invest in teaching their Architect collaborators? These two Austin firms have revolutionized collaboration by front-loading coordination, using paper to build trust, and aligning billing phases perfectly.In this episode, you will learn:→ Why front-loading structural knowledge eliminates late-stage coordination disas
How this Architect quit corporate life to start a new firm but without all the growing pains
In this episode, two ex-corporate architects explain how running their own business actually meant less admin than being employees at a large company.What you'll learn: → Why small firms can now punch above their weight with the right tools → How to set up professional operations in 30 days instead of months → The payment processing strategy that gets you paid in 27 days → Why custom corp
Hospitality Design w/ Michael Hsu, FAIA + APTUS - How Should Architects + MEP Engineers Work Together?
Creating the perfect restaurant vibe requires controlling air temperature, velocity, day lighting, and acoustic quality all at once, but most architect-engineer teams can't coordinate at this level.In this conversation, you'll hear how these Austin-based firms have sustained their decade-plus partnership working on everything from P. Terry's locations to the iconic Headliners Club renovat
How this Architect became more selective with clients using Monograph
Architecture firms often accept any project that comes their way, but what if you could use data to choose only the clients who value your expertise?In this episode, you will learn:→ How to replace fragmented spreadsheets with unified financial tracking systems→ Why historical project data transforms proposal accuracy and profitability→ How to identify profitable vs. unprofitable project
How Should Architects + Structural Engineers Work Together? (w/ Arch11 and KL&A Engineers)
Most architects treat engineers like a service you hand work to, but what if your breakthrough moments happen when you start conceptual conversations before making any structural decisions?What you'll learn:→ Why bringing consultants to the table "as quickly and early as possible" unlocks structural innovation most firms never discover→ How to reject the three-legged stool myth and achiev
How Should Architects + Engineers Work Together? (w/ Studio GWA + Angus Young)
Architects don’t design alone. But real collaboration between firms? That’s the hard part.In this episode, you’ll learn what it actually takes to run successful projects across architecture and engineering teams, such as:→ How to build trust between teams and clients→ How to structure timelines across consultants→ How to handle late invoices, design surprises, and municipal curveballs→ Th
How Should Architects + Landscape Architects Work Together? (w/ Shape Architecture + Superbloom)
A&E project collaboration sounds great–until projects go over budget, scope gets muddy, and no one's sure who's doing what.In this episode, two award-winning design firms share how they actually make collaboration work: → How to staff and structure projects across two firms → How to run weekly planning and manage deadlines → How to divide scope, run client meetings, and stay on track
How Dynamic Engineering Grew Profit 25% by Switching from Excel to Monograph
Unbilled hours. Constant firefighting. Are broken systems holding back your A&E firm? In this episode, you’ll learn a simple question to find broken systems and get a concrete example of how a 10-person structural engineering firm in Florida grew profits by 25% after switching from Excel to Monograph. Key takeaways:Ask your team to perform the same task—if their results differ, your s
How Workbench Cut Monthly Unbilled Fees by 75% After Switching from BQE Core to Monograph
Many architects and engineers struggle to manage their business, from staying on top of budgets to streamlining invoicing and forecasting. In this episode, we explore how Workbench, a California architect-developer + design-build firm, transformed their operations. By switching to Monograph from BQE Core + Smartsheets, they reduced unbilled fees by 75%, cut their billing time from 20 hou
How Workshop/APD Transformed Their Architecture and Design Business with Monograph
Many architects and engineers feel overwhelmed by the business side of their work. In this episode, we explore how Workshop/APD, a leading multidisciplinary design firm, tackled these challenges and grew their team by 78% with Monograph.In this episode, you’ll learn:How to align your team with real-time project and financial data.How to take control of your firm’s financial health using t
How Garrison Architects cut costs 50% by leaving ArchiOffice for Monograph
Meet Garrison Architects — a Brooklyn-based architecture firm that specializes in sustainable, modular building design through highly refined modernist aesthetics across private residential and large scale public projects. In 2023, the firm left ArchiOffice for Monograph to streamline and improve project tracking, staffing, and billing, while reducing the cost associated with managing the
Design-build firm Woodhull streamlined collaboration after switching from BQE Core to Monograph
Meet the design-build firm Woodhull — an integrated architecture, construction, and millwork firm delivering thoughtful and enduring residential and commercial projects throughout New England. Their holistic ethos and business model relies on transparency, communication, and collaboration to drive successful internal operations. Everything starts with the 80 active projects in Woodhull's
MVRDV: How To Win Work (w/ Inger Kammeraat, Jan Knikker)
Systems are essential to organizing your workplace and maintaining order during a project. But how can you build systems to win new work? In this Best Practice interview, MVRDV Managing Director Inger Kammeraat and Strategy and Development partner Jan Knikker explained how they structure their firm to facilitate a healthy pipeline of new projects. They talked about how they use PR to driv
Level Architecture + Interiors: Success Stories: Leveling up Practice Ops (w/Adam Gayle)
Forming the identity of a young business is difficult. Whether you’re branching off from a parent company or launching your own startup, without a consistent set of principles and practices, it can feel like you’re living in the Wild West. If you want your business to flourish, you need to establish law and order—namely, a consistent set of workflows and processes that will keep everyone
bldg.collective architecture + design: Achieving Balance: Creative Expression Meets Professional Service (w/ Steve Perce)
One challenge architects face is the pressure to deliver their signature creative style while also serving the client’s needs. This push-and-pull relationship between creative practice and professional service never goes away, but there are a few tactics you can use to help strike a balance. In this Section Cut interview, Principal Steve Perce of bldg.collective explored how to deliver an
Defining Design Practice: Defining Change (w/ Lorena Galvao)
Industry expectations and standards are constantly shifting. If you want your company to keep up, you have to adjust with the changing times. But to be ready for whatever lies ahead, you have to institute a flexible, agile mindset within your company and be ready to adapt to new practices. In this Section Cut interview, Lorena Galvao, co-founder of Defining Design Practice, shared her exp
Charrette Venture Group: Designing the Client Experience (w/ Lucas Gray, Dena Alspach)
The client experience is at the heart of architectural work. Delivering an attentive experience through every phase is what will lead to a happy client, repeat business, and referrals for your firm. In fact, this experience starts before you even land a client. Becoming in tune with your potential clients’ feelings, thoughts, and questions will help you to meet them where they are. In th
Studio Balcones: Growth Rooted in Community (w/ Jennifer Orr, Tiffany Rasco)
When growth is rooted in community, it becomes self-sustaining. At landscape architecture firm Studio Balcones, Principal Jennifer Orr and Office Manager Tiffany Rasco believe that being active in their community is essential to their firm’s growth and success. In this Best Practice interview, they talk about the importance of educating others by collaborating with project partners, apply
Ennead Architects LLP: How Civic Architecture Can Inspire Change (w/ Molly McGowan, Thomas Wong)
Studio-based organizations can prevent architects from getting their hands on a variety of projects and experiences. Ennead Architects takes on a whole range of different scales, different typologies, and different locales in their projects. They see that as the dream training of an architect. Their teams are able to share ideas and transfer skills through this spectrum of projects. In th
GLUCK+: Architects Who Build (w/ Thomas Gluck, Stacie Wong)
In the architect-led design-build model, the architect is responsible not only for design but for construction as well. This represents a major shift from the traditional design-bid-build way of building projects. Yet it offers unique advantages on both the architect and client end, say Thomas Gluck and Stacie Wong, both principals at Gluck+. Most importantly, it makes for a smoother cons
Stayner Architects: How To Design New Models for Practice (w/ Christian Stayner)
Many traditional architecture practices are no longer sustainable. Firms that want to lead the path into the future will need to adopt new ways of thinking. In this Best Practice interview, Christian Stayner, Principal of Stayner Architects, explains how expanding your services, collaborating with consultants, and systemizing client interactions can help you create new models for the futu
Essel Environmental: How the Random Can Change Your Practice (w/ Nik Lahiri)
When unexpected opportunities arise, sometimes it’s best to say yes and figure it out later. But in order to see the project through, you need to understand how to get to the finish line successfully. In this Best Practice interview, Nik Lahiri of Essel Environmental explores how to understand your metrics for success, know where you get your energy from, and set expectations for project
Runcible Studios: How To Start Your Own Practice (w/ Marilyn Moedinger)
Not every architect should start their own practice. It comes down to how you want to spend your time. If you want to spend most of your time being an architect, don’t start a practice. Starting a practice requires you to spend time on business processes, marketing, sales, and most of all, thinking about money. From setting fees to planning for the future, there are many financial decisio
SK Development: How To Manage A Development Pipeline (w/ Scott Shnay)
Developers need a steady pipeline of projects to keep their businesses thriving. That means juggling multiple projects that are in various stages, from design to starting construction, to completing construction. To stay on target, you’re always balancing what you’re working on now with what comes next. In this episode, Scott Shnay of SK Development told us the rules they follow to steadi
Form Developers: How to Design Apartments Using Floorplan Data (w/ Bobby Fijan)
When you think about design, data probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, that’s exactly what you should be thinking about according to Bobby Fijan of Form Developers. Data, especially on the local level, offers invaluable insight into what people really want in a floor plan and what they’ll spend money on. That’s why you should seek out data early on as you begin a new pr
Roundtable: Burnout Across Architecture (w/ Monograph's Growth Team)
Burnout can decrease workplace efficiency, make employees sick, and even cause people to leave their careers. In the wake of the pandemic, workers are more likely than ever to suffer from burnout, so if you want to prioritize your health, you need to set firm boundaries to keep from wearing yourself and your employees out. In our first Roundtable discussion, four Monograph team members di
NADAAA: How to Own the Means and Methods (w/ Nader Tehrani, Arthur Chang)
Owning the means and methods throughout the design and construction process can be challenging. This is especially true for new designers or architects who haven’t been involved in many projects before. How do you go about understanding your role, the client’s risk tolerance, and keep an open mind throughout the process? On Best Practice, NADAAA’s principals Nader Tehrani and Arthur Chang
LERA: How to Move a Legacy Firm Into the Future (w/ Carrie Villani, Doug González)
Business development is everyone’s job. Every employee, regardless of level or title, can and should do their part to propel their firm forward — to new clients, interesting projects, and positive PR. That’s what Carrie Villani and Doug Gonzalez of LERA believe. In a recent Best Practice episode, they talked about how marketing can naturally be incorporated into your workday, helping to g
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations: Rethinking the role of the Public Architect (w/ Curtis Clay)
The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations has high standards to meet. The buildings they design have to be secure, functional, and stand the test of time. The embassies and other facilities they design are 50-year buildings. They have to withstand a place’s climate, fit in with the local culture, and confidently represent the U.S. as an open nation. In this episode, Curtis Clay, the OBO’
WXY Studio: How a Cross-Disciplinary Firm Prepares for Emerging Challenges (w/ Amy Hau, Colin Montoute)
In architecture, as with almost any business, the environment you create in your office can make or break your team’s productivity. But with pandemic protocols forcing many businesses to work remotely, meaningful interactions and a positive workplace culture are even harder to cultivate—but still just as important. Colin Montoute, director of architecture at WXY Studio, and managing direc
Studio Rick Joy: Fireside Chat (w/ Rick Joy, Taylor Dickson)
An architect’s role by definition revolves around the planning, designing, and construction of buildings. But Rick Joy, principal at Studio Rick Joy, doesn’t see it that way. He believes his role is to create a lifestyle, not a building. It’s taking the setting and landscape into account and bringing the best experience to life with what you design. It’s letting nature and light in and pu
Selldorf Architects: How To Build Collaborative Practices (w/ Sara Lopergolo, Oliver Link)
Building a strong team sounds simple: put a bunch of talented people with complementary skill sets together in the same room. But in reality, there’s a carefully calibrated science to crafting a team that produces great work. On the latest Best Practice episode, Sara Lopergolo and Oliver Link from Selldorf Architects share their experience handpicking team members and facilitating collabo
Diller Scofidio + Renfro: How To Run Projects And Lead Teams (w/ Holly Deichmann, Zoë Star Small)
Strong leadership is the secret sauce of strong companies. You may be the most creative and most groundbreaking firm on the planet. But if your teams don’t work well together, if they spend too much time on the wrong parts of the process, and if they don’t keep clients happy—you’ll see subpar results. In this Best Practice interview, Holly Deichmann and Zoe Small, Associate Principals at
Mancini Duffy: How to Reinvent a 105-Year-Old Design Firm (w/ Christian Giordano, Bolanle Williams-Olley )
A technology-first firm is not one that merely uses the latest technology in their practice. It’s a firm that leverages that technology to allow collaboration in the sketching process all the way through a 3D experience. It’s having designers, project managers, technical architects, and software developers all working together to make things happen in tandem and instantaneously. Mancini D
Woods Bagot: How To Increase the Impact of Digital Culture (w/ Shane Burger)
Digital is taking over the working world, and it’s time for your company to catch up. More and more, clients are clamoring for digital-based options, but many businesses are reluctant to shift their policies to accommodate new technology. On the latest Best Practice, Shane Burger, principal and director of technical innovation at Woods Bagot, shares how to accommodate digital culture at y
Moody Nolan: How To Launch Operations in NYC (w/ Latoya Nelson Kamdang, Dawne David-Pierre)
Launching an office in a new city requires a solid operations team and a structured plan for growth. Moody Nolan’s New York City office started with four people just over a year ago and now it has 20. The secret to that fast success? Delivering high-quality projects to the clients you have. It’s the best marketing tool to achieve steady growth. In this Best Practice interview, Associate P
Dattner Architects: How To Build Firm Health And Vitality (w/ Kirsten Sibilia)
Midsize architecture firms face unique threats to their longevity compared to small and large firms. Mega firms seem poised to gobble them up, and it’s hard to compete with extra large firms that offer far more services. There’s also the issue of leadership transition. Many midsize firms that started off small and haven’t given enough thought to how they’ll evolve into the future with new
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations: How To Manage A $20B Global Design Program (w/ Angel A. Dizon, III)
The idea of a $20 billion budget can make your head spin. But in the right hands, that kind of funding can accomplish a world of good. That’s exactly the mission of Angel Dizon, Managing Director of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations. While the government may get a bad rap from time to time, there’s a steady revolution happening from within the OBO department. Angel joined us on
SHoP Architects: How To Re-invent What Practice Is (w/ Gregg Pasquarelli)
You own your career trajectory. Whatever field you’re in, you have the power to make your work stand out, so clients take notice and want more. It takes a little daring and a strong stomach for risks (and the inevitable failure), says Gregg Pasquarelli, founding principal at SHoP architects. In this Best Practice interview, Gregg explains why as long as you pick yourself up and learn some
Moody Nolan: How To Design Sustainable Operations (w/ Allen Schaffer)
A growing number of firms are combining two major responsibilities into one role: chief operating officer and sustainability director. It’s a lot to juggle in a small firm, let alone a quickly growing one spread across multiple cities. But Allen Schaffer, COO and Director of Sustainability at Moody Nolan, has handled the two roles for almost two years now as they’ve expanded into new mark
Snohetta: Collective Intuition & Operations (w/ Elaine Molinar, Michelle Delk)
In the workplace, collaboration is the glue that holds a company together. But getting your employees to function as a cohesive unit is a unique challenge, especially in the design and architectural world. So how can you get a bunch of creative individuals to create solutions as a collective force? It begins with your workplace environment. In this Section Cut interview, Elaine Molinar, p
Rossmann Architecture Inc: Success Stories (w/ Shane Balcom)
Today’s business landscape calls for new and disruptive ways of doing things. You wouldn’t typically think of placing a software professional at the helm of an architecture firm. But that’s exactly what Rossmann Architecture did when they tapped Shane Balcom for the role of Managing Director. Thanks to new ways of operating from the ground up and the adoption of tech tools like Monograph,
Colloqate Design: Success Stories (w/ Bryan C. Lee Jr.)
When the focal point of your work is design justice, your processes look a bit different than the average design firm. For one thing, processes need to be simultaneously more efficient and also more unique. When you’re seeking diverse voices and shaping public spaces, steps like community outreach are complex and time-consuming, making efficiency key. At the same time, conducting radical
HOPEWORKSDESIGN: The Value of Investing in Performance Marketing for Your Practice (w/ Hope Trory)
Does this sound familiar? You need to bring in more clients to your practice to increase your revenue, but you don’t know if the money and time you spend on marketing will bring the right results. That’s where performance marketing comes in. It’s a measurable, concrete way to drive new business to your practice. Performance marketing is a comprehensive term for marketing and advertising w
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Operationalizing Business Development (w/ Iben Falconer)
If you’re a doer-seller, you’re probably more comfortable “doing” than “selling.” Nobody goes to school to become an engineer, a designer, or an architect because they want to sell engineering, architecture, or design services. They want to do whatever their skill set is. But in today’s business world, doers need to become sellers—or at least active partners in the business development of
Lake|Flato Architects: How to Leverage Synergies at the Intersection of Sustainability, Design Technology and IT (w/ Scott Lelieur, Dan Stine)
If you want your business to run efficiently, you have to give your employees access to the proper tools and technology so they can get the job done. But it can be a challenge to find and implement the tools and tech that will best help your company achieve its goals. In this Section Cut interview, Scott Lelieur, director of operations at Lake Flato, and Director of Design Technology Dani
Slack Technologies / Practice of Architecture: Building & Running a Hybrid Practice (w/ Evelyn Lee)
If your firm is considering going hybrid, it’s a much bigger decision than deciding how many hours per week you’ll ask staff to spend in the office. It also means overhauling processes that may have been in place for years or decades. Careful thought is needed, as is employee buy-in at every level. Evelyn Lee is the founder of Practice of Architecture and currently works at Slack. In this
HKS Architects: JEDI in Practice (w/ Yiselle Santos)
With the surging demand for diversity in the workplace, many companies are scrambling to figure out how to increase—and manage—gender and ethnic diversity within their own firms. To help your people to work well together, you have to learn how to handle a diverse team of employees, which means focusing on four values: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). In this Section Cut i
Charrette Venture Group: Financial Management Basics for Small Firms (w/ Rena M. Klein)
Financial management isn’t just standard accounting. It also involves looking at the big picture of your financial performance to make smart business decisions. When you understand what’s going on financially, you can improve and plan for the future. In order to get that understanding, you need to track your time and do some calculations. In this Section Cut interview, Rena Klein, Vice Pr
KatalystDI: Organizing Work Towards Adaptive Organizations (w/ Libo Li)
The world is changing fast. In order for your practice to survive, you’ll have to change along with it. New technologies and new ways of communicating can be scary, but humans have always evolved and adapted by using new tools. During this Section Cut interview, Libo Li, CTO of KatalystDI, talked to us about how becoming an adaptive organization has to start from the firm culture, how bet
Talentstar: Marketing for Talent (w/ Marjanne Pearson, Linda Wallack)
Finding and hiring top talent is a challenge for any company, especially in today’s competitive hiring environment. To give your business the best shot at attracting and retaining great employees, you have to know how to market your business to job candidates. In this Section Cut interview, Talentstar’s founder Marjanne Pearson and Principal Connector Linda Wallack share how to attract po
Workshop/APD: Success Stories (w/ Thomas Julliard Zoli)
How can you finally say goodbye to an unwieldy spreadsheet system and streamline your operation from start to finish? At Workshop/APD, the team develops strategic and custom solutions at scale. When they doubled their team over the course of the pandemic, a smooth project management system became more important than ever. Thankfully, they already had their “secret weapon” in place in the
Traverse Landscape Architects: Success Stories (w/ Arthur Eddy, Marie Eddy)
Architects don’t receive a lot of training on business and finance. And staff members with business experience don’t often understand the design side. So, how do these two groups collaborate and run a practice? During this Section Cut interview, Arthur and Marie Eddy of Traverse Landscape Architects shared how they’re using Monograph to speak the same language across groups and get things
Verdant Studio: Success Stories (w/ Jessica Hester, Natasha Brand)
How do you operate a national practice that encompasses art, architecture, historical preservation, and construction documents all under one roof? That’s the task of Verdant Studio, an Arkansas-based firm with incredible breadth and reach. Founder Jessica Hester credits Monograph for keeping the team on schedule and on budget while shaving hours of meeting and accounting time off their pl
Krueck Sexton Partners: Success Stories (w/ Tom Jacobs)
When an architecture firm is just starting out, almost anything goes in the quest to get up and running. But once you’re more established, two things need to become foundational to how you do business: transparency and discipline. In this Section Cut conference interview, Tom Jacobs, co-managing partner at Krueck Sexton Partners, discusses how these two values were key to the firm’s succ
Talentstar: The Future of Practice Operations (w/ Marjanne Pearson)
When you think of practice operations, you may think of the tools, information systems, and resources that have to be managed on a daily basis. But Marjanne Pearson, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Talentstar, wants you to reframe how you look at practice operations. It should be about mobilizing all those resources to create value and seek opportunities for transformational change.
RIOS: Silver Linings, Audacity and Joy - The New Practice Playbook (w/ Jessamyn Davis, Andy Lantz)
Have you considered a unique firm structure? RIOS’ practice structure might just take the cake, as it is unique at every level. Not only do they have two CEOs, but they have a multidisciplinary office with architects, interior designers, and graphic designers all working together. What really stands out about the practice is its values. Things like audacity, joy, and agility top a list o
Adjaye Associates, Decanthropy: How To Build Communities As An Architect (w/ Farida Abu-Bakare, Ian Rolston)
Now more than ever there’s an opportunity to design with purpose, and with a goal of equity so that spaces are built for everyone. But in order to do that, we need to do two things: keep the new generation of young designers engaged and supported, and involve our clients and communities in the design process. In this Best Practice interview, Black Architects + Interior Designers Associati
Olson Kundig: How To Blend The Art Of Business With Architecture (w/ "HP" Hemanshu Parwani)
In a world of seven billion people and counting, innovative design has become more important than ever. From residential to transportation to healthcare, how can we create an innovative built environment that caters to humanity’s changing needs? These are the questions that occupy leading design firms. For Olson Kundig’s CEO Hemanshu Parwani, or "HP" for short, the goal is to source top t
Kontextur, Subtilitas: How To Share Architectural Knowledge (w/ Katharina Benjamin, Jeff Kaplon)
Social media has allowed us to share our ideas on just about every subject. But free-flowing discourse on architecture styles and design careers hasn’t always been available. Katharina Benjamin of Kontextur and Jeff Kaplon of Subtilitas have each carved out online spaces for criticism, conversation, and inspiration while spotlighting topics and architecture offices that don’t get enough a
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture: How To Grow From 17 To 71 In 7 Years (w/ Michael Hsu, Maija Kreishman)
Growing a firm by a dozen employees each year can sound daunting. But the truth is that when you look at growth as a puzzle rooted in organizational structure, you can begin to make steady progress. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture did just that when the growth rate of Austin, Texas caused them to grow the firm from 21 to 78 people in just seven years. By doing things like doubling down
Talentstar: How To Empower Talent In Architecture (w/ Marjanne Pearson)
How do you achieve successful growth as an architecture firm? It all comes down to having the right people on your team. Today, there are small 20-person firms that are making incredible revenue and ranking on lists alongside much larger counterparts. There are firms that have been acquired by larger firms, only to see their original talent leave. There is no magic formula for hiring and
Madame Architect: How To Inspire A Generation Of Architects (w/ Julia Gamolina)
What do business strategists and editor-in-chiefs have in common? They both require you to build relationships. Lots of them. As the director of strategy and partnerships at Trahan Architects, founder and editor-in-chief of Madame Architect, and a lifelong collector of mentors, Julia Gamolina is an expert relationship builder. In this episode, she shares how her roles overlap, how she app
KPF: How to Manage a BIM Practice (w/ Veronica Quintero and Alex Wilson)
Most architecture firms are grappling with the question of how technology and data fit into their practice. For many firms, the solution is a self-contained design technology team, similar to an IT department. But at KPF, they’re championing the idea of a digital practice, where technology is a means to deliver their projects in the best way possible. It’s not just support, it’s a way of
Bjarke Ingels Group: How to Project-Manage Architecture (w/ Flora Bao)
In the past decade, the number of small architecture firms has been shrinking while the number of large firms has increased. The reason? A steep rise in the complexity of the projects firms are working on. As buildings get taller and more advanced, firms need bigger teams to handle the scope. And those teams would be lost without a good project manager to organize it all. Flora Bao, proje
Snow Kreilich Architects: How to Run Operations at a Mid-size Firm (w/ Trevor Bullen and Sarah Hughes)
Life at a busy firm can be a mad scramble. When partners and owners start to wear too many hats, key information can slip through the cracks. Over time, the value of that missed information and haphazard staffing plans can add up. That’s why mid-size firms with a healthy budget should consider investing in a new hire: a financial operations role. When Snow Kreilich Architects hired bookke
Trahan Architects: How to Collaborate Across Fields (w/ Brad McWhirter and Margaret Jankowsky)
If you want your firm to become known for a clear ethos, aesthetic, and vision, then you need to fold that identity into everything you do. From the clients and contractors you choose to work with to your office culture and the computers you buy, every action—large or small—should contribute to that overarching vision. This is the case at Trahan Architects. Partner Brad McWhirter and Dire
Studio NYL: How to Build Your Technical Team (w/ Amy Baker of Amy Baker Architect and Chris O'Hara)
The world of architecture is getting more interesting—and complicated—by the day. Sometimes the best way to tackle your projects is to loop in specialists and consultants who have both the skill and network needed to get the job done. Amy Baker is a spec writing consultant and freelance architect who loves digging deep into the “nerdy” side of projects. Chris O’Hara is a founding Principa
NS Builders: How to Learn From Construction (w/ Nick Schiffer)
To design and construct the best building possible, you need to be intentional every step of the way. From honing your toolkit of best practices to creating SOPs to collaborating with other professionals, excellence is the name of the game. That’s the philosophy of Nick Schiffer, owner & CEO of NS Builders. In this interview, Nick shares his process and explains why the best results h
Alloy Development: How to Build as an Architect-led Developer in NYC (w/ Alexandra Militano)
Real estate developers often keep their eye on the bottom line—for them, it’s all about how a property can make money. Architects, meanwhile, focus on design, but rarely have control over the built environment. But it’s possible to do both. Alloy Development is a hybrid architecture-development firm. Director of Construction Alexandra Militano joined us to explain how they’re equally focu
Olson Kundig: How to Foster Design Culture in the Firm (w/ Alan Maskin and Jerry Garcia)
There are many ways to grow an architecture firm, and many values that can guide you along the way. But one quality in particular will allow your firm to grow and evolve far into the future: generosity. In this episode Alan Maskin and Jerry Garcia, principals at Olson Kundig, told us how the spirit of generosity has influenced their growth over several decades and runs through their team
OJK Architecture: How To Transition Firm Ownership (w/ Leah Bayer and Kate Conley)
For an architect hoping to own their own firm one day, there are two paths available. One is the traditional path: starting your own firm from scratch. The other is to buy an existing firm and transition into its new owner. This second option is less talked about, but with the rate of Baby Boomers retiring, it will become more and more important to the future of architecture. Leah Bayer a
Rossmann Architecture: How to Run the Business Side of Architecture (w/ Shane Balcom)
Shane Balcom joined Rossmann Architecture in July 2020 and hasn’t looked back. Since Balcom’s arrival, the Ottawa-based firm has seen its revenue triple and the size of its team double, thanks in part to the leadership principles the managing director has brought to the table. In a conversation with Monograph’s Best Practice co-hosts Chris Morgan and George Valdes, Balcom discussed the ro
Saltmine/Harvard GSD: How to Design an Architecture Firm Today (w/ Jacob Reidel)
The common issues that architects struggle with -- getting paid, project control, long hours -- have been around since the dawn of the profession. There are traditional ways of working that have remained in place even as the world rapidly changes. But Jacob Reidel of Saltmine thinks it’s time to embrace a different way of practicing. His take? Firms should close the loop between design an
ARCHITECTUREFIRM: How to Lead the Design of Award-winning Projects (w/ Adam Ruffin)
Your firm can’t deliver incredible projects without a great team working in the wings. Building and leading a team is an art form in and of itself. It requires transparency, setting clear milestones, and providing room for talent to grow. Adam Ruffin is doing just that with his two partners at ARCHITECTUREFIRM, a small design firm that is split between two locations and adeptly managing r
Randy Deutsch FAIA: How to Think and Adapt like an Architect
Buildings are more than a design made real. They are a collection of data. Firms that leverage that data in their organization will be able to adapt and grow and thrive in the future. But the key to doing so doesn’t lie in the technology tools themselves; it lies in the people in your firm. Architect, author, and professor Randy Deutsch explained how becoming a data-driven company is impo
Building Science Fight Club: How to Manage Technical Risks (w/ Christine Williamson)
Favor technical knowledge over soft skillsBecome more open-mindedAccept embarrassment as part of the jobChoose between good optionsDraw to communicate design intentNegate risk by understanding the technical stuffEmbrace continued professional developmentSlowly expand your building science vocabularyLearn how projects are financedShow LinksCheck out Building Science Fight ClubConnect with
Voyansi: How to Build a Teaching and Learning Culture (w/ Libo Li)
Imagine your company’s operations working so smoothly that it’s like you’re a hive mind. Sharing data and knowledge. Anticipating next steps. Solving problems with surgical precision. As COO of Voyansi, a building intelligence firm, Libo Li helped create a data-centered operations program that looked a lot like that.Interview TakeawaysMake better decisions with building intelligenceUse te
Idan Naor Workshop: How To Run a Boutique Architecture Firm in NYC (w/ Idan Naor)
When you start your own architecture firm, you’re in for the ride of your life. You quickly need to learn how to put together a successful team, partner with the right clients, and save money for a rainy day. Idan Naor learned all of this through trial and error when he started Idan Naor Workshop. The passage of time has allowed him to appreciate good advice and follow his intuition.Inter
