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Architects love innovation; they are usually on the lookout for the latest innovation in materials and products which they can incorporate into their inevitably innovative designs. And yet, there's one place where they rarely innovate: their own business. This article, originally posted on Archipreneur as "Branching Out: 9 Architects Who Created Innovative Products," explores the world of architects who are innovating in other ways.
For decades the architectural business model has remained unchanged. While other industries have taken cues from the increasingly popular start-up mentality seen in the technology sector, architects have stuck to the outmoded practice of trading time for dollars. In a competitive global economy, this model is highly susceptible to changes in the real estate market and has limited opportunities for growth. These realities have propelled some architecture graduates to consider alternative career paths in which their unique skillset offers them a competitive advantage.
In contrast to the current business model of most architecture firms, we’ve gathered nine examples of architects who have created innovative products and services. These endeavors offer numerous advantages when it comes to growing a business because unlike the consulting model, product creation is highly scalable and has the potential to provide a continuous passive income stream.
1. Frank O. Gehry
Established in 2002, Gehry’s proprietary software and consulting business Gehry Technologies was developed to adapt technology used in the aerospace and automotive industries to complex architectural forms. Not only has Gehry Technologies played an integral role in developing the architect’s signature style, it has also provided consulting services for Herzog and de Meuron’s Beijing National Stadium, Ateliers Jean Nouvel’s Louvre Abu Dhabi and many others.
2. Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels has achieved tremendous success in his own architectural practice, but that has not stopped him from exploring new avenues for design and product creation. In a joint endeavor involving Friday Lab, BIG, and d line, Ingels has taken inspiration from the saddle roof for the design of a lock that seamlessly pairs with your smartphone. With technology playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives, the Friday Smart Lock is just the beginning of a technological revolution in architecture that could dramatically expand the reach of the profession.
3. Jonathan Segal
Jonathan Segal has taken a unique approach to his architectural career by developing a vertically integrated business model for architecture. By pursuing a successful career as a developer, Segal does what so many architects dream of doing and is able to finance and design his own projects. Additionally, Segal has capitalized on his unique success in a hybrid career and set out to educate others through his Architects as Developer Seminar series.
4. MIMA Lab
Marta Brandão and Mário Sousa have utilized their design expertise to capitalize on an old idea: prefabricated modular housing concepts. All too often, attempts to monetize the production of prefabricated homes have resulted in less than stellar architectural results. Fortunately, the two concept homes produced by MIMA Lab, the MIMA House and the MIMA Essential, have come a long way from the likes of Levittown. Brandão and Sousa will bring high end design to the masses, using their architectural expertise to create a growing business.
5. Eric Reinholdt
Eric Reinholdt first realized his desire to build something of his own when a troubled economy forced him to take a pay cut while working for a small six-person firm. At that moment he learned what so many others fail to realize, that being employed by someone else does not necessarily mean job security. By founding his own design practice, 30X40 Design Workshop, Reinholdt now has the freedom to choose his own hours and experiment with alternative business models such as selling floor plans by the bundle. Reinholdt has also written a book based on his experiences entitled Architect + Entrepreneur, in which he hopes to elicit positive changes in the industry.
6. Greg Henderson
Ever since he was in graduate school, architect Greg Henderson has sought to develop technologies to make buildings more resistant to natural disasters such as earthquakes. His research brought him to further investigate the possibilities of Magnetic Field Architecture and he has since realized the opportunity to develop an exciting retail product: the world’s first hoverboard. His 19-person startup Arx Pax has been working to improve the product for the past several years and is currently involved in a Kickstarter campaign to further fund its development.
7. Compaan and Labeur
The B-AND-BEE project began after two design firms, Compaan and Labeur, won a creative competition to design a temporary housing solution for music festivals. They subsequently teamed up with Achilles Design and one Small Step to begin product development which involved focus groups, prototyping and testing. Their innovative solution involves stacking honeycomb shaped sleeping-pods that can be easily transported and disassembled. Having already undergone pilot testing at several music festivals, the team hopes to begin mass production.
8. Architecture 00
Established in 2005, Architecture 00 focuses on action-led research and urban design strategy while seeking to develop innovative and collaborative processes to alter the built environment. one of their newest endeavors, entitled Wikihouse, brings the concepts of open source technology used in coding and software development and applies them to architecture and construction. This system uses digital manufacturing to enable anyone to download and “print” their own kit of parts for a customized, low-cost, and high performance house.
9. Archilogic
Architects are increasingly reliant on digital tools to visualize and develop complex spaces, and yet, so much of our physical world only exists in two dimensions when it comes to the digital realm. Made up of a team of professionals from a vast array of backgrounds including architecture, applied computer science, 3D computer visualization, strategy, finance, legal, and marketing, Archilogic aims to reproduce our physical environments wholly and fully in the digital world. With their combined expertise they are poised to offer digital modeling services that will be in high demand as 3D digital environments become prevalent.
Beginning your own start-up practice may seem like a daunting task, but it begins with one simple idea. Many of the architects discussed in this list began by discovering a perceived problem or need, and subsequently considered how architecture or design could offer a solution. It is important to remember that it is very difficult to get anything right on the first try, and therefore lean start-up methodology is an essential approach.
This methodology begins with developing a minimum viable product and selling it to consumers. The key to this method is not investing heavily in one idea, but to test it in the marketplace using real consumers. Upon successful feedback from those consumers, one can proceed to build on those ideas and scale up. To learn more about this methodology, consider reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.
Cite:Archipreneur. "9 Entreprenurial Architects Who Developed Innovative Products and Services" 08 Sep 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed 6 Oct 2015. http://www.archdaily.com/773232/9-entreprenurial-architects-who-developed-innovative-products-and-services/
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혁신적 건축가 9
건축가는 혁신을 좋아한다. 최신의 재료와 제품을 찾아 다니며, 혁신적 비지니스를 추구하고 있다. Archipreneur는 Branching Out: 9 Architects Who Created Innovative Products라는 기사를 통하여 혁신의 길을 걷고 있는 건축가슬 선정하여 소개하고 있다. 이들은 현재의 건축사무소의 모델과 다른 비지니스 모델을 갖고 있다. 이들은 다음과 같다.
1. Frank O. Gehry
2002년에 설립된 개리의 소프트웨어 및 컨설팅 비지니스 Gehry Technologies는 항공과 자동차 산업의 기술을 차용하여 건축 형태 제작에 이용하고 있다. 이 회사를 통하여 개리의 특징적 스타일을 구현하였을 뿐만 아니라 Herzog and de Meuron의 Beijing National Stadium, Ateliers Jean Nouvel의 Louvre Abu Dhabi 등의 프로젝트 구현에 앞장을 서 왔다.
2. Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels는 건축 실무에서뿐만 아니라 새로운 디자인과 제품에도 끊임 없는 노력을 하여 왔다. Lab, BIG, 그리고 d line과 함께 다양한 제품을 설계하였다. 오늘날 기술이 매우 중요한 역할을 하고 있는 가운데 Friday Smart Lock과 같은 제품은 건축에서 새로운 기술을 차용한 영역의 확장 가능성을 보여주고 있다.
3. Jonathan Segal
Jonathan Segal은 건축에서 수직적 통합 비지니스 모델을 개발하고 있다. 개발업자로 성공적인 경력을 쌓은 그는 자신의 프로젝트에 대한 디자인과 경제적 독립을 이루는 사례를 보여주고 있다. 그는 자신의 복합적 경헙을 바탕으로 다른 사람을 교육하기 위한 Architects as Developer Seminar series를 만들고 있다.
4. MIMA Lab
Marta Brandão와 Mário Sousa는 사진의 디자인 전문성을 이용하여 오랜 아이디어 실현에 나서고 있다. 이는 프리파브 모듈라 주택에 관한 개념이다. 이들의 초기 개념형 주택은 MIMA Lab에서 생산되었으며 비지니스로 성공의 희망을 보여주고 있다.
5. Eric Reinholdt
Eric Reinholdt는 작은 회사에서 일을 하고 있을 당시 사회적 불황에 따른 봉급 감소로 자신의 비지니스를 추구하기 시작하였다. 그는 많은 사람들이 생각하는 직장을 구한다는 것은 직장의 안정을 의미하는 것이 아니라는 것을 느꼈다. 이에 따라 그는 30X40 Design Workshop을 만들어 일괄로 평면을 설계하고 파는 대안적 비지니스 모델을 추구하고 있다. 그는 그의 경험을 바탕으로 Architect + Entrepreneur라는 책도 출간하였다.
6. Greg Henderson
대학을 졸업한 이래 건축가 Greg Henderson은 지진과 같이 자연 재해에 보다 잘 대응할 수 잇는 건물을 만들 수 있는 기술 개발을 꿈꾸어 왔다. 자기장을 이용한 건축의 가능성에 대하여 연구하였으며, 이를 이용한 세계에서 첫 Hoverboard 제품을 출시하였다. Arx Pax사를 설립하여 19명이 함께 이 제품을 개량하고 있으며 Kickstarter를 이용하여 모금을 하고 있다.
7. Compaan and Labeur
B-AND-BEE 프로젝트는 음악 페스티벌의 임시 주택 공모전 당선작으로 Compaan와 Labeur사가 함께하여 시작되었다. 이들은 이들을 제품화 하는 노력을 지속하였다. 이들은 현재 벌집 모양의 임시 주거로 쉽게 운송과 조립 분해가 가능한 구조물을 만들고 있다.
8. Architecture 00
2005년에 설립된 Architecture 00는 실행 기반 연구와 도시 디자인 전략으로 공간 환경의 혁신적 변화를 추구하고 있다. 그들의 노력 중 하나는 Wikihouse로 오픈 소스 기술의 개발 방식을 건축 및 시공에 적용하는 것이다. 이 시스템으로 디지털 제작으로 누구나 다운로드 받아 부품을 자신에 맞게 조정하여 저비용으로 고성능 주택을 만들고자 하고 있다.
9. Archilogic
건축가들은 점점 디지털 도구에 의존하여 시각화와 복잡한 공간의 설계 등에 활용하고 있다. Archilogic은 다양한 전문가가 모여 우리의 물리적 공간을 디지털 세계로 만들고자 하고 있다. 이들은 디지털 모델링 서비스를 하고 있다.
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