Stop designing architecture, design your practice!

Abstract

Contemporary practice has proven that design quality is not sufficient for success. Throughout architecture’s history, there has existed the naive perception that best designs came from artists whose practice remained untouched by the imperatives of business. Most architects are entrepreneurs and designers who face business responsibilities without the right training. Architects must learn how to analyze business ideas, identify opportunities and consider marketing strategies at different stages of the design process. But architects have all been taught similarly; this is design based, with very little or non-existent business education. When architects start their practice, they start straight away designing architecture without being aware that what they are starting is a business and therefore their first design should be their own practice. Getting management skills will help them not only to manage their businesses by understanding all stakeholders, but will help architects to learn how to earn opportunities to design. The results shown in this article, proves through a ranking system, that a successful practice is well balanced among design excellence and business management awareness.