What Drives an Architect to Work
Internationally?
Introduction
The intention of this case study
for Collaborative Global Practice was
to come to a conclusion to the question “what drives an Architect to work
internationally from for both profit and non-profit organizations?” I am
interested in potentially finding overlapping similarities and differences as
to why the individual Architect desires working internationally within these
two fields.
Case Study Matrix: Introduction
(The general idea behind the case
study – what is the link between the desires for working for profit and
non-profit?)
Outline how you plan to support your idea
When I first began thinking about
my case study I had to come up with a way to directly compare architects that
work in the fields of profit and non-profit and in some cases both.
The way I approached this case
study was by asking a number of architects with backgrounds working
internationally within firms and architects who volunteer for non-profits the
following questions:
1. Why did you want to be an architect?
2. What is your favorite work of architecture and why?
3. As an architect what are your goals?
4. How did you end up working internationally?
5. Will you continue to work internationally? Explain.
6. List some of the pros and cons to working internationally? (Optional)
7. What is the benefit of working with a non-profit organization?
I asked a number of architects
these questions and received four responses. I found it intriguing, because
each of the Architects come from different backgrounds that lead to similar and
different answers. (Please
refer to Appendix A to see the responses of four Architects.)
In addition to asking the questions, I attended two seminars on Collaborative Global Practice at ABX
this November. One of the seminars focused on small firms, while the other
focused on large firms that work internationally.
To further support my case study I was able to compare the drivers of a
small firm versus a large firm. In the small firm it seemed that the focus is
geared towards opportunities and relationships, while the large firms focus on
the financial reasons for working internationally. This was an assumption I had
made earlier in the development of my case study, but I was pleasantly
surprised when the question was asked to the large firms, “What are your non-financial
reasons for working internationally?”
The answers to this question were rich, and spoke more about the
individual architects versus the goals of the firm. One of the panelists, Peter
Steffian, FAIA , Principal at Steffian Bradley Architects responded by saying
“you get opportunities that you would not get working in the United States”.
Michael Grove of Sasaki Associates made another compelling response and he
stated, “ I want to create work that makes a difference – making progress and
affecting change from your design”. This revealed that even though a firm has
goals the individuals that work within that firm have their owner personal
goals are even more compelling than that of the firm itself.
Conclusion
Once I received the answers from
some Architects, I was able to find some similarities and differences to why
each of them chooses to work internationally.
According to Architect 1 she
practices architecture because she wants to “make the experience on the earth and
under the sky a little more exciting, beautiful, meaningful and attainable to
all.” Architect 2 practices architecture because he wants to “make meaningful
work”. (Refer to Appendix A) Each of these architects has a desire to make the world
a little nicer through their work.
While the goals of each of the architects
are very similar, their reasons for working internationally vary. Below are the
reasons why Architect 1 will continue to work internationally:
I will absolutely continue to work internationally.
International projects are exciting in that they offer a different vantage
point for work and provide the ability to interface with foreign consultants
and clients. I am also very interested in the culture found in the exploding
"Global Cities" that make the cities themselves more similar cross-culturally
regardless of the location. That is to say, New York City shares more in
common with cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai, Cairo, and London than it does
with much of the United States. Exploring the Global City and its
relation to population growth, infrastructure, commerce, and society is
something I continue to research and learn about.
There are some pros and cons to working internationally that
Architect 1 has listed out which are:
Pros: Travel, interfacing with international clientele and
consultants, broadening the spectrum of work beyond the familiar.
Cons: It can be very difficult and challenging to control the
built work beyond the design. Oftentimes, what is built is not what was drawn
as local architects, in most cases, take on the CD process. It is also more
challenging to respond to requests in different time zones and site visits are
more sparse. In that sense quality control can be a big issue.
The other three architects are originally from other countries,
which is why they continue practicing internationally. That is with the
exception of Architect 3 who prefers working locally.
Tying this together with non-profit work I was able to come up
with the conclusion that architects work for non-profits internationally to
fulfill a personal need to help others. I discovered that people don’t work for
profit or for non-profit they will participate in both areas. The drivers for volunteering for the non-profits
is purely because the architect has the desire to helps others in need, or the
architect is trying to fulfill a personal desire to work internationally if you
are not currently able to do it in their work for a profit. According to
Architect 1 the benefit of working with a non-profit organization is:
Non-profits
are a great way to really explore ideas. I founded the Houston Chapter of
Architecture for Humanity, believing in our ability as designers to make
thoughtful, educated decisions that involve the community and minimize waste.
Not only is non-profit work for an organization like Architecture for Humanity
a great way to help others, but it also provides amazing networking and
exposure. The issue with non-profit work is finding the time!
In conclusion
through the seminars and interviews I found that most Architects have good
intentions and want to create meaningful and thoughtful work. In order to work
internationally it also has to be a personal goal or desire for the architect.
There is a direct link to the architects own personal goals in connect to
working for profit and non-profit. In some cases it seems an architect will
work internationally for profit if the opportunity presents itself, but if they
have a desire to helps others they may volunteer their time to a non-profit
organization. On the other hand if an architect works for profit but does not
have the opportunity to work internationally and they desire to, they will
potentially look towards a non-profit organization to fulfill that goal.
Case Study Matrix: Conclusion
(The conclusion behind the case
study – The Architect has the option to fulfill their desires to work
internationally and help others through both profit and the non-profit and in
some cases both, it’s a personal choice how they go about choosing.)
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