what it really means to be a principal trendlines · key staff, and 6 percent said overdesign was...

Reasons for rework

In Zweig Group’s 2015-2016 Project Management Survey, respondents reported the biggest cause of rework was no fee approval for out-of-scope work, at 29 percent. Another 21 percent of respondents cited unclear/incorrect scope as a cause of rework, while 15 percent cited inadequate QA/QC, 6 percent attributed rework to the firm changing key staff, and 6 percent said overdesign was the cause.— Vivian Cummings, research analyst assistant.

T R E N D L I N E S

F I R M I N D E X

W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M

T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A / E / P & E N V I R O N M E N T A L C O N S U L T I N G F I R M S

1+ ........................................................................... 10Architecture + Information ........................................... 8Ayers Saint Gross ................................................... 6, 7Beneville Studios ........................................................ 8BrightFields Inc. ........................................................ 11College of Design at the University of Minnesota ........ 10CORE studio .............................................................. 3Estelle Vincent Architecture ......................................... 8EYP Architecture & Engineering ............................... 7, 8Gehry Technologies .................................................... 5Griffin Structures ....................................................... 12Harley Ellis Devereaux ................................................. 6Hoefer Wysocki Architecture ....................................... 8Huxhux Design for Homepolish ................................... 8Interior Design Fair ...................................................... 8JLG Architects ............................................................ 7Kieran Timberlake ....................................................... 3Knife River Corporation ............................................. 10KS Associates Inc. ................................................... 12MASS Design ............................................................. 9MDU Construction Services Group ............................ 10Miyamoto International Inc. ........................................ 10NBBJ ......................................................................... 3Nemetschek Group .................................................... 5Ole Sondresen ........................................................... 8Public Architecture .................................................... 10RJM Design Group ................................................... 12Syska Hennessy Group ............................................ 10The Collaborative Inc. ................................................. 6Thornton Tomasetti ..................................................... 3Trimble ....................................................................... 5Trimble Buildings ......................................................... 8WRNS Studio ............................................................. 8

N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 5 , I s s u e 1 1 2 6

TECHNOLOGYS U P P L E M E N T

Pages 3-5

See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

Mark Zweig

What it REALLY means to be a principalIt’s time for a quick review of what firm leaders should – and should not – be doing.

“There are a lot of people

with the ‘principal’

title in A/E of environmental

firms. But I don’t think enough of

them really understand

what that means.”

There are a lot of people with the “principal” title in A/E of environmental

firms. But I don’t think enough of them really understand what that means. Here are my thoughts on what it SHOULD – and SHOULDN’T mean:

1) Being a principal means you make sacrific-es if sacrifices need to be made. I’m talking about financial problems. If there isn’t other fat to be cut it’s going to cut what you can take out of the firm. Your personal financial situation is not germane. The financial viabil-ity of the firm and it’s ability to meet all of its other obligations to people inside and outside of the firm is critical.

2) Being a principal means you are a role model for everyone else in the firm. This means you have to dress appropriately, return emails promptly, turn your timesheet and expense reports in on time, not abuse your expense report, and put in the hours required of everyone else in the firm. “Do as I do” vs. “do as I say” is the rule!

3) Being a principal means you are supposed to create work for other people. You prob-ably didn’t get to be a principal just because you are such a talented designer or technical person or outstanding businessperson. More likely it was because you demonstrated you could sell work – or at least had the potential to do so. Just because you are billable doesn’t mean that’s good enough. You have to sell work for other people to do.

4) Being a principal means you work to get

PROFILE

Marian Young: Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership winner

1

Doing good through design

Page 9

xz WHAT WORKSPACE MEANS TO CLIENTS: Page 6

xz EMERGING TRENDS: Page 7

Office design

© Copyright 2015. Zweig Group. All rights reserved. THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 2, 2015, ISSUE 1126

2

Take your advice from Mark Zweig to-go.

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Listen to this and past editorials from The Zweig Letter via the free TZL Podcast on Stitcher, iTunes and Soundcloud.

people working together. Pretty much everything we do takes a lot of cooperation from a lot of different people. Problem is they don’t always get along. Feelings get hurt, personal conflicts develop. As a principal it is your job to figure out how to get people working together productively who may not even like each other.

5) Being a principal means you think long term and do what it takes to protect and nurture the institution you are a part of. The survival and prosperity of the firm is the most important part of your job. In my experience, that often involves putting off consumption or luxuries or letting everyone do whatever they want with their time. Your job as a principal is to be a watchdog for any decisions that could affect the viabil-ity of the firm over the long term. It’s that “vision thing” that you have to have.

Here’s what being a principal should NOT be about:

1) Being a principal is not about being treated as special inside the firm. You shouldn’t be worried about special parking places or overly luxurious personal offices or personal secretaries who go shopping for your spouse’s birthday present. All of those things do nothing but demotivate people and make you look bad.

2) Being a principal doesn’t give you veto rights over all management decisions. Some principals think just because they are a principal they should be consulted on every single decision made by the firm. Marketing material – they wordsmith it all. Buying anything – they review the order. Hiring someone – they weigh in. This is a sure-fire way to trap yourself and have a firm that won’t grow because everyone will be paralyzed. And in larger, multi-principal firms, it shows no trust for your fellow princi-pals and they’ll all resent you for it.

3) Being a principal doesn’t allow you to violate the organization structure and commandeer staff. This is a huge issue. Many principals think it’s ok to just reach down into someone else’s office or department and start telling people – people who formally report to someone else – what to do. This creates a lot of stress for your peo-ple and alienates your managers.

4) Being a principal doesn’t mean you represent the interests of your office, dept., or discipline. You are not the ombudsman for an oppressed group and representative against bad, overhead-causing corporate management. When principals take on this attitude they become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Yet many times this situation develops because the principal uses “corporate” as a scapegoat and way to rally their troops.

5) Being a principal doesn’t mean you claim all the credit and glory. If you are smart – and you probably are – you realize your eventual exit and payback for years of sacri-fice will not happen unless you have other people behind you who can sell work. Pro-mote them – not yourself – to the outside world. It will be motivational for them and help them be better sellers as well as feel good about themselves and working in your company.

Got anything to add to this list of “dos” and “don’ts” for principals? We’d love to hear from you! Send ‘em to me!

MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO of Zweig Group. Contact him at [email protected].

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703Mark Zweig | Publisher [email protected] Bennett | Managing Editor [email protected] Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor [email protected] Parkman | Editor [email protected] Halbert | Design Assistant [email protected] Andreassen | Correspondent [email protected] Richard Massey | Correspondent [email protected] Crawford | Intern [email protected]: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560 E-mail: [email protected] Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.zweiggroup.comPublished continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310.Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription.Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399-1900, ext. 139, or e-mail [email protected].© Copyright 2015, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PRINCIPAL AT YOUR FIRM?The Principals Academy 2.0 is an updated version of Zweig Group’s crash-course in all aspects of managing a professional service firm. The program is presented by a team of speakers – Mark Zweig – with extensive experience working with and for A/E firms. They have a clear understanding of what it takes to lead and grow a firm.

The two-day agenda covers six critical areas of business management from the unique perspective of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms, and is presented in tutorial and case study workshop sessions. Topics include business planning, marketing/business development, financial management, project management, ownership transition planning, and recruiting and retention.The last TPA 2.0 of 2015 is November 12 and 13 in Las Vegas. Registration cost is $1,575 for the first attendee from a firm and $1,475 for each additional attendee. To learn more or register, please visit zweiggroup.com/seminars/tpa.

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THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 2, 2015, ISSUE 1126

TECHNOLOGY A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER

Prediction: Data will drive design At this year’s AEC Technology Symposium and Hackathon attendees were encouraged to learn, generate ideas, and more.

By LIISA ANDREASSENCorrespondent

Thornton Tomasetti (New York, NY), a 1,200-person in-ternational engineering firm, recently presented its third

annual Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Technol-ogy Symposium and Hackathon in October. The AEC Tech-nology Symposium and Hackathon brings together profes-sionals to discuss recent advances in computational design, analysis, construction, and fabrication and to collaborate on new ideas and processes for the AEC industry.

The symposium explored topics such as data-driven city plan-ning, machine learning for building design, the benefits of open source development, and state-of-the-art AEC research. The symposium was followed by a two-day hackathon de-signed to challenge participants to generate new ideas and processes for the AEC community through data-driven de-sign and web-based applications. The weekend also includ-ed workshops covering topics such as Dynamo, Grasshopper, various APIs, and 3-D printing.

Members of Thornton Tomasetti’s CORE studio spoke at the symposium, including Principal Robert Otani and Associ-ate Justin Nardone. Other speakers included Constantine E. Kontokosta of the NYU Center for Urban Science and Prog-ress, Christopher Connock of Kieran Timberlake, Andrew Heumann of NBBJ, and Alex Lirtsman and Gareth Price of Ready Set Rocket.

See HACKATHON, page 4

HACKERS – READY, SET, GO! CORE studio, a group within Thornton Tomasetti, is a firm-wide virtual incubator of ideas. Its mission is to increase the value it brings to clients through innovation. The studio coordinates research and development, creates custom software and apps, designs workflows to optimize project realization, and develops computational models. They recently released Spectacles, a hackable BIM viewer for the web. Spectacles allows authors in the AEC industry to view their 3-D design work on the web for free, and is designed to be hacked, extended, and modified.They have been working on the project on and off for the past year, and are quite excited for more hackers in the industry to get their hands on it!Spectacles currently consists of a hackable HTML5 web viewer that runs natively in modern browsers (no plugin required), and a pair of exporters for popular authoring applications in the AEC industry – Grasshopper and Revit. BIM data can be exported from these desktop applications, and viewed on the web using Spectacles.For more information: core.thorntontomasetti.com/apps/Spectacles/

Justin NardoneAssociateCORE Studio.


4

HOT TOPICS. Nardone says that two of the most popular presentations were:

� Platt Boyd, Branch Technology. Branch Technology has developed a method for construction that uses industrial robotics, freeform 3-D printing technol-ogy, and economical building materials to make the analogy of cellular structure formation in the natural world. Using large robotic arms with new technology and inexpensive, widely available construction materi-als the firm is set to disrupt the construction industry.

� Luc Wilson, KPF. In the AEC industry, the process of global urban development has largely occurred with-out the aid of urban data or computational analysis tools. Given the scale, density, and complexity of con-temporary urban developments, combined with an ur-gency to address issues of equity and climate change, the use of these tools will fundamentally change the design of buildings and the planning of cities.

BRAINSTORMING BUILDING AND DESIGN. According to Nar-done, many ideas were generated at the hackathon that could greatly benefit the AEC industry, and most rely on data.

“Using data-driven design at all scales, from small housing to large scale urban planning, will change the way we design,” he says. “Part of this will come from the design side – making tools accessible to de-signers so that information about energy use, car-bon footprint, and constructability are all known early in the design process and can influence the fi-nal product. On the construction side, advanced fab-rication methods will change the way our built envi-ronment is made.”

The bottom line is that applying new technologies to widely available materials or developing new con-struction processes will reshape how buildings are designed and fabricated.

WHAT DID ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY? This is the third year for this event, and it continues to grow. Nardone says that all of the feedback was positive. The symposium attendees included a mix of architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, and academics.

“We have gotten comments from all of those groups about how they learned about something they didn’t know existed and how they have made great new connections to people in other parts of the indus-try,” Nardone says.

And, for the first time, they held workshops through-out the symposium.

“Our full-day Thursday workshop was sold out, and several workshops were held on Saturday, too,” he says. “This year, we had roughly 130 symposium at-tendees and 60 hackathon participants, which is comparable to last year. The hackathon was even more successful this year, with more projects created by more diverse teams.”

HACKATHON, from page 3

WAYS B U I L D I N G T E A M SB E N E F I T F R O M D ATA - D R I V E N

D E S I G N

1. EnhanceInteractive Design.

Designers can capture and analyze key metrics during conceptual

design.

2. Use projectdata on futurework.

By collecting data on everyproject, design firms can

eliminate rework andapply best practiceson future projects.

3. Understand how people interact with spaces.

Firms can test and evaluatedesign concepts against

the real world.

4. Automate theplanning process.Some firms are applying

algorithm-based approachesto improve the traditionalproject-planning process.

RESOURCES

HOW BIG DATAW I L L I M P R O V E U R B A N P L A N N I N G1. Designing for people.By collecting real-time data (via social media, surveys, etc.) on how people use public spaces and infrastructure, design teams and cities willhave a better understanding of user needs.

2. Experimentation.Data and modeling tools could allowdesigners to save time and money bytesting designs before entering theconstruction process.

3. Transparency.By making more data publicly available, cities and governments can make it easierfor designers and planners to get criticalinformation faster.

4. Improve policy implementation.Cities have the potential to use the vast amounts of data they hold toimprove the planning and deliveryof services to citizens, by using thedata to identify and address urbanproblems.

5


TECHNOLOGY A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER

Better BIM for DBO?Two software and technology creators are joining forces in an effort to produce better tools for the AEC industry.


As the old adage goes, “two heads are better than one,” which is certainly the case with two soft-

ware and technology giants who have decided to join hands.

Trimble and the Nemetschek Group, leaders in digital solutions for the AEC markets recently formed a strategic alliance to expand the deploy-ment of building information modeling across the entire design-build-operate lifecycle of build-ings. The alliance will emphasize collaborative ap-proaches to design modeling and 5-D construc-tion management through data integration be-tween an array of the companies’ products. The two companies will share their extensive glob-al market and technology expertise and collaborate on initiatives to drive a paradigm shift in the devel-opment and adoption of technologies for the AEC industry and building owners.

The companies intend to:

� Transparently share data formats to support new solutions and promote workflow interoperability between selected products across the DBO lifecycle

� Tighten the connection of virtual design and con-struction solutions to real data from the field and real objects in the physical world

� Support interoperability and the longevity of project data for the entire project lifecycle

�Maintain their respective deep commitments to open standards and workflows for the benefit of the entire industry – rather than for any individual vendor

GET CONNECTED. Trimble Connect is a new way for designers, builders, owners, and operators to col-laborate, share, and view project information. It is based on GTeam, the ground-breaking collabora-tion platform developed by Gehry Technologies.

Trimble and Nemetschek plan to leverage the Trimble Connect collaboration platform to in-tegrate workflows and create close interoperabili-ty between selected Trimble solutions – including SketchUp, Tekla Structures, Vico Office, Trimble Prolog, Trimble Field Link, and MEPdesigner for SketchUp – and solutions in the Nemetschek port-folio, such as Allplan, ArchiCAD, DDS, SCIA Engi-neering, Vectorworks, and Nevaris.

BEST OF BREED. Both companies are committed to open standards and workflows – a rapidly emerging

“Across the DBO spectrum, customers want the freedom to choose the best tools for the job and the security of knowing those tools will work together. But too often they find that the data they need is not interoperable across their different software workflows. Our companies’ shared vision is to give users a choice, rather than dictate what they use.”

See DBO, page 8


6

Office design

What workspace means to your clientsHere are some tips from industry experts on how to customize a client’s workspace for their needs.

By Liisa AndreassenCorrespondent

You’ve been tasked with designing a new work-space for a client. Where do you begin? How do

you uncover a client’s needs? The right mix of research and communication will result in an ideal workspace.

DIG DEEP. At Harley Ellis Devereaux (Southfield, MI), a 290-person architecture and engineering firm, Timo-thy J. Gawel, associate corporate and commercial stu-dio leader, says they believe in the power of the work-space to make your organization work smarter, more efficiently, and more agreeably.

“That’s why we dig deep into an organization, giving it the power to simultaneously accommodate every need and inspire the people within,” he says. “Our role as design and engineering professionals is to continu-ously make a net positive effect on the world in which we live and practice, and on the purpose and impacts of our clients’ enterprises.”

Gawel says that they seek proof of concept where they can and interpolate where they can’t.

“We begin each engagement supplementing what we know and have learned with fresh insights from re-search to inform our analysis and open paths to new thinking. We uncover the data that others have over-looked and the information that will bring a clever perspective on our client’s opportunities,” he says. “We look at our client’s work in all the places that its

people work to understand what ‘the office’ means to them.”

They ask questions and reframe the problem. They be-gin their design processes by asking questions about why things are done the way they are and how things that are done differently might be better.

“Our objective is to examine the problem from sev-eral perspectives, challenging ourselves to find better ways of doing things and offering options to Google to evoke the benefits of experience or to contribute to the cumulative body of workplace research, knowl-edge, and experience,” Gawel explains.

Ray Micham, principal at The Collaborative Inc. (To-ledo, OH), a 45-person architectural and design firm, says that the best technique is understanding.

“From industry benchmarking to understanding trends in the workplace to embedding our team with the company employees on a daily basis, we work to become an integral part of the company,” he says. “This process helps to solidify our knowledge of how they work and gives priceless insight to the future de-sign.”

EXAMINE DENSITY. Erin Estep, an associate at Ayers Saint Gross (Baltimore, MD), a 140-person professional de-sign firm, says that a client’s growth and space pro-jections determine the program and design combined with their workspace needs and culture.

Important aspects of programming involve ex-amining the density of the space.

“As designers, we balance the increased density through thoughtful integration of building sys-tems in the programming and schematic design phases,” Estep says. “With the cost of real es-tate increasing, improving density becomes an important mission for designers. In workplaces today, an increased density allows for improved collaboration and more sustainable practices in-cluding increased access to daylight.”

For example, their clients are trending toward less closed offices along the windows, moving closed offices to the interior to allow more em-ployees access to daylight and views.

COMBINE HARD AND SOFT SKILLS. At JLG Archi-tects (Grand Forks, ND), a 101-person firm, Elizabeth Medd, an interiors leader, says that all designers come to the table during a first client meeting with a box of tools – their education and experience in the science of buildings. But, what’s just as important is their understanding of people, experiences, commonplace interac-tions, etc.

“Bringing that combined knowledge to the ta-ble at the very beginning and having open, fluid, frank conversations with the clients and their user groups, is at the foundation of the success-ful implementation of good design,” she says. “It’s important to listen, repeat what we heard, and listen again.”

Medd says that while designers are there to guide the client, they can only do that if there is trust. She says that there can be insecurities on the part of the client and it’s their job to make them feel comfortable.

See WORKSPACE, page 8

“Our objective is to examine the problem from several perspectives, challenging ourselves to find better ways of doing things and offering options to Google to evoke the benefits of experience or to contribute to the cumulative body of workplace research, knowledge, and experience.”

© Copyright 2015. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

7


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blog.ZweigGroup.com vimeo.com/ZweigGroupOffice design

What workspace means to your clientsHere are some tips from industry experts on how to customize a client’s workspace for their needs.

people work to understand what ‘the office’ means to them.”

They ask questions and reframe the problem. They be-gin their design processes by asking questions about why things are done the way they are and how things that are done differently might be better.

“Our objective is to examine the problem from sev-eral perspectives, challenging ourselves to find better ways of doing things and offering options to Google to evoke the benefits of experience or to contribute to the cumulative body of workplace research, knowl-edge, and experience,” Gawel explains.

Ray Micham, principal at The Collaborative Inc. (To-ledo, OH), a 45-person architectural and design firm, says that the best technique is understanding.

“From industry benchmarking to understanding trends in the workplace to embedding our team with the company employees on a daily basis, we work to become an integral part of the company,” he says. “This process helps to solidify our knowledge of how they work and gives priceless insight to the future de-sign.”

EXAMINE DENSITY. Erin Estep, an associate at Ayers Saint Gross (Baltimore, MD), a 140-person professional de-sign firm, says that a client’s growth and space pro-jections determine the program and design combined with their workspace needs and culture.

Important aspects of programming involve ex-amining the density of the space.

“As designers, we balance the increased density through thoughtful integration of building sys-tems in the programming and schematic design phases,” Estep says. “With the cost of real es-tate increasing, improving density becomes an important mission for designers. In workplaces today, an increased density allows for improved collaboration and more sustainable practices in-cluding increased access to daylight.”

For example, their clients are trending toward less closed offices along the windows, moving closed offices to the interior to allow more em-ployees access to daylight and views.

COMBINE HARD AND SOFT SKILLS. At JLG Archi-tects (Grand Forks, ND), a 101-person firm, Elizabeth Medd, an interiors leader, says that all designers come to the table during a first client meeting with a box of tools – their education and experience in the science of buildings. But, what’s just as important is their understanding of people, experiences, commonplace interac-tions, etc.

“Bringing that combined knowledge to the ta-ble at the very beginning and having open, fluid, frank conversations with the clients and their user groups, is at the foundation of the success-ful implementation of good design,” she says. “It’s important to listen, repeat what we heard, and listen again.”

Medd says that while designers are there to guide the client, they can only do that if there is trust. She says that there can be insecurities on the part of the client and it’s their job to make them feel comfortable.

See WORKSPACE, page 8

Emerging trendsLet us take a look at what some firms in the A/E/C industry are doing to make the workplace work better

By Liisa AndreassenCorrespondent

From activity-based neighborhoods to personal enclaves, today’s work-place is designed to focus on collaboration, culture, and brand identity.

DOING MORE WITH LESS. Erin Estep, an associate at Ayers Saint Gross (Bal-timore, MD), a 140-person professional design firm, is seeing higher

density with less square footage per individual resulting in lower walls, more benching systems, and fewer and smaller private offices.

“To balance the reduction in individuals’ space there is an increase in com-mon spaces. We are seeing more formal conference rooms mixed with in-formal break out rooms, phone rooms, soft seating, collaboration space for group meetings, and communal tables. Hoteling options are being provided, including café seating that takes advantage of robust Wi-Fi networks and other furniture with power to recharge mobile devices,” she says.

RETHINKING OPEN SPACES. At JLG Architects (Grand Forks, ND), a 101-per-son firm, Elizabeth Medd, interiors leader, reports that the return of the

open office has had a huge impact on how clients visualize using their spaces.

“What we are seeing more and more though, is that having an open office isn’t enough,” she says. “They can be noisy, individuals are still closed off, and it still doesn’t solve all of the problems of office segregation and dwin-dling culture identity in the workplace.”

The JLG team is now designing spaces with an “action” mentality, including:

� Personal rooms. These aren’t much larger than a phone booth, where people can recharge, refocus, or take a call.

� Personal enclaves. These hold two to four people, and are casual with lounge furniture instead of the standard conference table and task chair but still have all the technology to plug in and get work done. These encourage impromptu meetings in a more cozy setting.

� Huddle rooms. Intended for groups of four to five, these rooms are a blend of casual and conference depending on the size of the company and their meeting needs. They typically have most, if not all, of the technology requirements of a typical conference room.

Aside from spaces, Medd adds that they are also seeing a shift in color, branding, and incorporation of textures and art.

“Clients are becoming more open to bright crisp colors in the work place, es-pecially when incorporated thoughtfully with textures, earthy wood tones, fun and funky furniture, and lighting and through branding elements,” she says. “And up-and-comers want to identify themselves with entities that have strong identities, a strong brand and its incorporation into the space can signify the company’s dedication to its own future and to the future of its employees.”

BETTER HEALTH IMPACTS BOTTOM LINE. Leigh Stringer, a senior workplace ex-pert with EYP Architecture & Engineering (New York, NY), a 525-per-

See TRENDS, page 10

“Our objective is to examine the problem from several perspectives, challenging ourselves to find better ways of doing things and offering options to Google to evoke the benefits of experience or to contribute to the cumulative body of workplace research, knowledge, and experience.”


8approach to the collaborative design, construction, and op-eration of buildings. With Nemetschek solutions support-ing the Trimble Connect platform – a cloud-based collabo-ration environment that features an open environment for BIM-based AEC workflows – Trimble and Nemetschek are coordinating their efforts to offer best-of-breed solutions for customers.

“Across the DBO spectrum, customers want the freedom to choose the best tools for the job and the security of know-ing those tools will work together. But too often they find that the data they need is not interoperable across their dif-ferent software workflows,” says Bryn Fosburgh, vice pres-ident responsible for Trimble’s Construction Technology Divisions. “Our companies’ shared vision is to give users a choice, rather than dictate what they use. We’re pleased to partner with Nemetschek on these important initiatives.”

“Our customers already enjoy the benefits of workflow in-tegration between most of our products. This collaboration allows us to provide an overarching strategic layer on top of everything we do,” says Patrik Heider, spokesman and CFOO of the Nemetschek Group. “This will better enable us to provide our customers with end-to-end workflow solu-

tions that cover the entire AEC lifecycle in a fully transpar-ent and open way.”

COLLABORATION BEGETS COLLABORATION. Rob Painter, general manager of Trimble Buildings, explains that the all-too-common lack of collaboration among professionals in the construction industry is detrimental to project accuracy, ef-ficiency, safety, and overall quality.

“We don’t believe the problem will be solved by only one company’s solution,” he says. “But, we feel confident that our coordinated efforts and strong technology portfolios will have a major impact to improve the situation.”

Along with strengthening “the office-to-field connection,” Painter says that the alliance will marry Nemetschek’s ar-chitectural 3-D design software with Trimble’s project man-agement technologies and precision tools, such as GPS, con-struction lasers, total stations, scanners, unmanned aerial vehicles, and wireless communications.

“Just as there isn’t a single tool that can solve the challenges of all disciplines in the design-build-operate lifecycle, there is more than one area that will benefit from our collabora-tion,” he says.

DBO, from page 5

“While there isn’t a right way, there are right things to do and being complete-ly transparent on both ends about needs, design, and goals is the fastest way to take the tools out of the box and use them to put together a physi-cal building solution,” Medd says.

Help them visualize. Kevin Berman, partner at Hoefer Wysocki Architec-ture (Leawood, KS), a 99-person firm, says that early design concepts need to be loose and gestural, fostering a first round of critique by the owner.

“Sketching, computer modeling, day-lighting studies, zoning of the space, and a myriad of other tools are pre-sented for initial feedback. These graphic tools are necessary so the owner can visualize the space, and the design team can pull the team’s focus away from the planning efforts which

will soon begin and are typically at the forefront of many owner’s concept for their workplace,” he says.

The details build and the design be-comes more “in-focus” as the architect and client refine the design until ac-tual furniture, casework, glazing, and partition systems are completely re-solved.

THE RIGHT STUFF. Leigh Stringer, a senior workplace expert with EYP Architec-ture & Engineering (New York, NY), a 525-person firm, says that successful workplace designers are really good at asking the right questions at the right time in the design process.

“Their tactics typically involve a com-bination of research and ‘engagement’ with clients to find out what is work-ing today and how they would like to work in the future,” she says. “The de-

signer’s approach may vary based on project requirements and the level of change involved – in other words, how different the ‘new space’ will look and operate versus the current space.”

Engagement activities might involve executives, managers, employees, vendors, contractors, partners, or oth-er stakeholders in workshops, inter-views, focus groups, surveys, or obser-vations during the design process.

“Right before and after move-in, work-place designers might also need to en-gage in change management activities, helping clients to use their space ef-fectively, leverage new technology, or adopt new workplace behaviors. Re-search shows that the more engage-ment clients have in the process of de-signing their workplace, the more like-ly they are to like it and use it produc-tively,” she says.

WORKSPACE, from page 7

WORLD’S COOLEST OFFICES 2015The top five designs featured in Inc. magazine’s fifth annual highlight of the coolest offices around the globe:

Airbnb | San FranciscoDesigned by: Interior Design Fair & WRNS Studio

Bluecore | New YorkDesigned by: Justin Huxol of Huxhux Design for Homepolish

Ekimetrics | ParisDesigned by: Estelle Vincent Architecture

Kickstarter | BrooklynDesigned by: Ole Sondresen

iHeartMedia | New YorkDesigned by: Architecture + Information and Beneville Studios

9


Doing good through designMore firms are discovering the benefits of applying their expertise to a philanthropic cause.

B E S T P R A C T I C E S


Yes, you need to pay the bills, but is it possible to make payroll and do good, too? More and

more firm leaders seem to think so. Pro bono work or working for change can enhance a firm’s public image and boost employee morale.

SERVING SOCIETY. According to Michael Murphy, co-founder and executive director of MASS Design Group (Boston, MA), a nonprofit design firm, “In-creasingly, architecture is serving the wealthy few. We’ve come up with new models to deliver funda-mental services to communities that have been un-derserved.”

While still in graduate school, Murphy happened upon a lecture by Paul Farmer, founder of Part-ners in Health. Intrigued by his work in delivering healthcare to underserved communities in Africa, Murphy was surprised to discover that he had been building hospitals and clinics without the expertise or collaboration of an architect.

As a result, Murphy and Alan Ricks founded MASS Design Group in 2008 and began working with the group to bring a creative, design-based approach to re-conceptualizing a hospital and, later, a school in Rwanda. Today, the designers hope that their suc-cess in improving people’s lives will serve as “an ex-ample for how designers can rethink their role in the world.”

“Our diverse staff collectively enables a dynamic work environment, and we’re always learning from each other,” he says.

PRITZKER PRIZE SENDS A MESSAGE. Last year, the jury for the Pritzker Architecture Prize – an international award presented each year to a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a com-bination of talent, vision, and commitment, which

has produced consistent and significant contri-butions to humanity and the built environment through architecture – sent a clear message by choosing Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect who uses paper tubes and other novel materials to cre-ate paper-tube houses.

“Whether you work for a private client or on a house for an earthquake victim, you’ve always got some problem to solve by design, the only differ-ence being whether you get paid or not,” he says, having more than once put up money for emergen-cy projects when the bureaucracy of relief ground too slowly.

That’s what happened in Kobe, Japan, which was hit by an earthquake in 1995. Ban built a paper-tube house on his own dime, to show that it worked and could be constructed by anyone, then raised mon-ey with help from a local priest to construct dozens more for local Vietnamese refugees. He also built a temporary paper church, which became a symbol of resilience and pride.

Nearly 20 years later, after being used for a decade and then moved to Taiwan, the church remains in operation. Ban said that young architects seem more and more interested in what he’s doing. “Ev-eryone used to want to be star architects. That’s no longer the case.”

READY TO MAKE A CHANGE? � Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility. This organization works for peace, environmental protection, ecological building, social justice, and the development of healthy communities. ADPSR programs aim to raise professional and public awareness of critical social and environmental issues, further responsive design and planning, and honor persons and organizations whose work exemplifies social responsibility. For more information: adpsr.org

� AIA Advocacy: For more than 150 years, the members of the American Institute of Architects have worked to advance the quality of life through design. From designing the next generation of energy-saving buildings to making our communities healthier and more vibrant, from helping neighborhoods rebuild after disasters to exporting American design know-how to the rest of the world, architects turn dreams and aspirations into reality. For more information: aia.org/advocacy/

“Increasingly, architecture is serving the wealthy few. We’ve come up with new models to deliver fundamental services to communities that have been underserved.”

See DOING GOOD, page 10


10

And, that growing desire among designers to help the less fortunate is wel-come news to John Peterson, founder of Public Architecture (San Fran-cisco, CA). Ten years ago, this nonprofit firm, with support from a National Endowment for the Arts program, launched 1+, a program that encourag-es firms to donate 1 percent of their total working hours to philanthropic causes.

PUBLIC-INTEREST DESIGN HAS A FUTURE. Thomas Fisher, dean of the College of De-sign at the University of Minnesota, says that nontraditional job opportu-nities for architects have never been better. He reports that humanitarian design, often funded by grants, is on the rise, proving work and a sense of purpose for a growing legion of (mostly young) practitioners.

Fisher says that architects who look beyond the traditional studio – to con-duct research or collaborate with other disciplines or to design in the public interest – are likely to find that the way they’re trained to think is highly val-ued. But for now, however they practice or connect to the world of design, there are lessons to be learned and inspiration for building social change.

Good design and good work can both be rewarded.

DOING GOOD, from page 9

Recent TZL profiles of firms that utilize corporate social responsibility include:

� Miyamoto is helping rebuild Nepal (Issue 1120): Kit Miyamoto, CEO of Miyamoto Inter-national Inc., travels the world visiting natural disaster sites.

� Funding the future of safety (Issue 1108): Knife River Corporation and MDU Construc-tion Services Group give $1 million to promote worksite safety in Oregon.

� Pay it forward (Issue 1105): In its first year, the Helping Hand Awards selected four recipients.

� Providing access to a top-notch education (Issue 1104): Syska Hennessy Group partners with KaTO, a nonprofit design-build studio that builds schools in developing countries.

son firm, says that they have seen a surge in research on health and well-being in the workplace, specifically, data that shows how redesigning the workplace can impact the bottom line.

For example, one of the biggest im-pacts to human performance and health, across all job types, is choice or the ability to control how you get your job done. Having more choice in how, when, and where people work directly supports that.

“As designers, we can provide different types of settings for how people work (standing up, walking, in soft seat-ing areas, in a café setting), choices for when they work (flex time or four-day workweeks), and where they work (at the office, home, at a co-working site, or the airport),” she says.

Stringer says that it’s no longer just about working on the physical design of the space. Designers are now work-ing with HR, IT, change management specialists, brokers, and many oth-er specialists to roll out a much more comprehensive and integrated work-place solution.

Like JLG, EYP is also seeing small-er areas dedicated to open space and more “activity-based neighborhoods” in addition to:

� Flexible lab space (sharing of lab space – not just office space – to maximize utilization and cut costs).

� Places for “psychological restoration,” like nap rooms, reading rooms, gar-

dens, and water features.

� Technology that tracks movement, presence, and engagement in space.

Timothy J. Gawel, associate corporate and commercial studio leader with Harley Ellis Devereaux (Southfield, MI), a 290-person architecture and engineering firm, says that their de-sign teams are finding some consis-tent guiding principles from project to project and city to city. They include:

�Make a great arrival. Nothing sets the tone of the day better than the experience we have when arriving at our workspace. We find ourselves de-signing less for the experience of the visitor and focusing our attention on the experience of the employee as they cross the threshold into a different world.

� Nurture a proud community. Cul-ture is formed around socialization and nurtured by the other informal connections and interactions that build a sense of shared values and provide the foundation for the trust that is essential to great collaborative efforts.

� Allow others to place their finger-print on the workplace. There seems to be a sliding scale of change in the workplace. We are designing places that accommodate the flow of activity around a project or problem allowing the team to scale the space, gather resources, change the volume, and de-velop team focus.

� Connect to the natural world. It seems that everywhere we go and at whatever scale we work, we have the

opportunity to make meaningful con-nections to the world outside and, frequently, to influence positive devel-opment beyond the boundaries of our current project.

� Build authenticity. We find ourselves being less interested in the replication of the local than in its interpretation and abstraction. In every place we work, we find differences in light and color, in material sources and their fabrication, in people and cultural contributions, in the topography and landscape. We like illuminating these various differentiations, and making new things for others in other places to consider.

� Orchestrate activity. We find that our spaces reflect the volume of activ-ity within them. We look at our plans and understand by their granularity where the buzz is and where contem-plative work takes place.

� Give groups identity. Within the overall sense of brand and cultural DNA are the many subgroups that work on the diverse matters that make up the company’s work. These are places of interaction and support away from the mainstream of office activity, and each has its own characteristics and process that, in support, shape neighborhoods and stylistic variation.

�Make a great departure. The end of our day also sets a tone, this time in the other direction as we transition to the other environments of our lives. That path from desk to threshold to the outer world can recharge us for the next part of our day and give us stories to tell others.

TRENDS, from page 7

11


A CONVERSATION WITH MARIAN YOUNG.

The Zweig Letter: Were you surprised that you were nominated?

Marian Young: I was speechless. I was not familiar with the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award and was extremely surprised that I was nominated for it. I was even more surprised to hear that I had won. BrightFields’ CFO, Don Short, wrote the nom-ination, and never said a word about it.

TZL: What does this award mean to you?

MY: I am very humbled to receive the Jerry Allen Award, most of all because Jerry was such an im-portant mentor to Mark Zweig. Mark’s creation of this award was a very inspirational act. It places a person, and an ideal, up on a pedestal for others to look up to and aspire to. It gives the rest of us a reason to stretch beyond our perceived limitations. It provides for real-life role models. The Jerry Al-len Award causes both winners and observers to pause, among the fast pace of our clients and our companies, and to reflect, and think about how we can become better leaders. Winning the Jerry Al-len Award put BrightFields in the spotlight at the Zweig Conference, and gave me a platform to talk about how the BrightFields’ team helps to coach each other through our fears and dig deep to sum-mon the courage within each person.

TZL: What type of leader are you?

MY: I would say I’m an inspirational and enthusi-astic leader. I strive to be a transformational lead-er. I’ve done pretty well developing some of the traits, and I continue to work at others. I have high integrity and high emotional intelligence. I’m self-aware, authentic, empathetic, and humble – for the

most part. It’s kind of hard to write this and sound humble.

I’m highly competitive and fast-paced. I see oppor-tunities everywhere. I’m good at networking and sales, and I feel like time’s a wasting. So, I’m always trying to do too many things, and I struggle with impatience and over-committing. The good news is that these traits turned out to be a good engine to grow a company, as long as there are enough proj-ect managers ready and willing to take on new proj-ects. We’ve grown some wonderful project manag-ers at BrightFields who are very technically capa-ble, great with clients, and who are better planners, delegators, and managers than me.

For those interested in Myers-Briggs, my type is ENFJ. At BrightFields, each new employee com-

Get to know Marian YoungThis year’s Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award winner talks about what makes her a great leader.

P R O F I L E


Given each year to someone working in an architecture, engineer-ing, planning, or environmental firm, to someone who has made

tremendous impacts on their company through courageous leader-ship, this year’s Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award went to Marian Young, president, BrightFields Inc. (Wilmington, DE), a 42-person environmental services firm.

We wanted to learn more about what makes Young tick, so we chat-ted with her about the ins and outs of what it’s like to be a leader and more.

See MARIAN YOUNG, page 12

ONE COLLEAGUE’S PERSPECTIVE ... Jenna Harwanko, vice president, BrightFields, says that Young is a great leader because she cares.“She cares about her employees, clients, community, and in making a difference,” she says. “This caring nature is exemplified by believing in her employees, building relationships, sharing information across all levels, striving for continuous improvement, and hard work and determination.”Seventeen years ago, Harwanko was hired as an intern. Since then, her manager and mentor has been Young.“I have learned so many things from her over the years. In the area of leadership, one thing she has taught me is to take a risk and grab the leadership role even if it seems scary or will put me out of my comfort zone. If you act like a leader, people will recognize you as one,” she says.


12

KS ASSOCIATES DESIGNS RIVER FRONTAGE AREA FOR THE FOUNDRY KS Associates Inc. (Elyria, OH), a civil engineering and surveying firm, is helping put infrastructure in place to support Cleveland’s growing interest in the sport of rowing. KS Associates was responsible for designing the dock area and river frontage for The Foundry, a new state-of-the-art rowing facility located along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. The Foundry is the vision of Mike Trebilcock and his wife, Gina, who purchased a series of industrial buildings in hopes of transforming them into a recreational hub and education center for high school and college student athletes who want to become high performance rowers and sailors. In 2014, Trebilcock, in conjunction with MCPc Family Charities, contracted with KS Associates to prepare construction plans for the Foundry’s dock area. KS Associates’ design included 520 lineal feet of rowing and launch docks, gangway ramps, steel platforms, and anchor piles. KS Associates also provided some permitting and surveying services for the project. Trebilcock and The Foundry are exceptionally proud of the due diligence with the project, including obtaining a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, approval by the United States Coast Guard, and the Northeast Ohio shipping community. The docks, constructed by RowAmerica, and boathouse opened for their first season in August 2015, just in time for the 2015-2016 school year. When fully constructed, The Foundry will be complete with a fitness center, indoor rowing tanks, and park.The Foundry is located on the east side of Columbus Road across from Rivergate Park. With Rivergate Park and The Foundry on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the project is helping make the riverfront more accessible to the growing rowing community. GRIFFIN STRUCTURES CONGRATULATES THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST ON THE AWARD On October 3, the City of Lake Forest received the Parks and Recreation Project of the Year Award from the Los Angeles Section of the ASCE for the Lake Forest Sports Park Complex in Lake Forest, California. “We would like to congratulate the City of Lake Forest on its tenacity and foresight on one of the most important community projects in Orange County. It was a privilege to serve as construction manager on the largest sports park in Orange County,” said Roger Torriero, CEO of Griffin Structures.Included within the 86-acre area, designed by RJM Design Group, this state-of-the-art sports park also includes a 25,600-square-foot recreation center designed by Robert Coffee & Associates in the center of the site. The building is sited on a plateau overlooking the “park commons” and includes recreation office space, a double gymnasium with a two-over-one basketball court configuration, activity and dance rooms, a teen center, a computer and homework center, and two meeting rooms, as well as a teaching kitchen and restrooms.The recreation center is designed to capture the pastoral lineage of Lake Forest, integrating heavy timber porches, plaster walls and stacked stone pillars. The building profile is defined by a broad sloping roof gesturing toward Saddleback Peak in the distance, and uses the materials and forms found in many of the vernacular ranch buildings of the foothill area of the Saddleback Valley. All rooms are oriented to the distant views to the south and the west and have large porches leading out to the shaded activity areas surrounding the building.Griffin Structures is an innovative, award-winning program and construction management organization providing strategic project delivery solutions to its public, non-profit, and private sector clients. Griffin specializes in program and construction management, as well as strategic services such as needs assessment, and has the ability to structure public-private partnerships. Griffin delivered this important community asset on schedule and under budget.

pletes the Myers-Briggs type indicator, and we hold a four-hour class every year or two, taught by a professional facilita-tor, to teach about the different prefer-ences and types, and about how our com-pany appreciates and values the diversity of our team.

TZL: What do you feel are your strengths?

MY: My biggest strength is my abili-ty to quickly look into the future, envi-sion a number of potential outcomes, fig-ure out the steps to get to each outcome, see where the pitfalls are, and then de-cide on the best path to take. I share and test this vision with the stakeholders – our BrightFields’ managers, our team-ing partners, our client, and the regula-tors. From our initial discussions, a plan takes shape that can be further devel-oped and implemented by others.

I’m a very good writer, and I often write and edit proposals, reports, project sum-maries, and challenging technical docu-

ments. I also really care about solving problems for our clients and about grow-ing and developing our employees.

I value discernment, and I strive to un-cover and understand the deeper issues and solutions behind facts, appearances, and superficial statements.

TZL: What areas do you think need some work?

MY: Delegation. As much as I delegate, I always find I have more to do than I can possibly get done. I surround myself with a great team who are constantly pulling work away from me.

I am also told I’m too controlling, too hard to please, too hard on people, and impatient. Interestingly, I recently took a Myers-Briggs in-depth assessment which revealed that for my ENFJ type, I had an uncharacteristically high level of “ques-tioning.” The summary pointed out that asking too many questions too quickly puts other people on the defense because it sounds demanding. So, I’m working to spread out the questions.

MARIAN YOUNG, from page 11KNOW A COURAGEOUS LEADER?The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given each year to someone working in an architecture, engineering, planning or environmental firm who has made tremendous impacts on the company through courageous leadership. Nominees can be in any role and come from architecture, engineering, planning and environmental firms of all sizes and types.The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award winner receive:

� Up to five free Zweig Group surveys

� A one-year subscription to THE ZWEIG LETTER

Entry fee: $195 per nomineeResults: The winner is announced and celebrated at Zweig Group’s annual Hot Firm and A/E Industry Awards ConferenceQuestions: [email protected]

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