architecture have any value???????????

[alikashan]

dear all

i was just going to the pantry for a cup of tea or something and there was some renderings out of store a peon cleaning the store and those renderings and presentation boards were from almost all of the top level international architects and interior designers but none of them get the job.

job means the project i am hired for as an in house architect from the client.

so what i want to know is there no value of the architectural work we guys do and its just that if a guy with enough money will except our work then we will get paid or other wise we will try to win some other project giving free presentations.

all those designs and presentation boards were excellent no doubt about that and those guys must had put quite a time and energy in preparing those presentations. just to get hold of the project. and first proposal are always free i think.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[mbowers]

Ali,

 

I think your question is two-fold. To answer your first question, yes, architecture does have value. The value lies in your belief that the project represents your or your firms capability to produce quality work. And the value is of most important to your client. Sure there are some projects that we as architects land that we reallly don't want people to know about, but sometimes we have to put our ego aside and pay the bills, and those small scrappy projects do just that. One thing you must understand is that our business is still largely built on the principal of word-of-mouth. Good news gets you more clients, bad news gets you in trouble. Doing work pro-bono (free) is the first of many steps in order to get your foot into the door. This is hard when your spending hours and hours for something that might not land you the project. Many large firms have large plush accounts for Marketing and PR and can afford to do this. There is a value in it because it always has the potential of becoming something more. Perhaps you should reconsider the pro-bono work especially if you've been burned a lot lately. Consider a fee for your work and be firm about it, there should be no shame in expecting compensation for your work. If your part of a firm that might be a different situation, but if your on your own you need to make that a part of your priorities. Hope this helps.

 

Matt