best practice

Meet Garrison Architects — a Brooklyn-based architecture firm that specializes in sustainable, modular building design through highly refined modernist aesthetics across private residential and large scale public projects. 

In 2023, the firm left ArchiOffice for Monograph to streamline and improve project tracking, staffing, and billing, while reducing the cost associated with managing their systems by 50%.

Here's what happened: 

Before Monograph

- +$34k annual cost on project management and billing systems

- 40-48 hours a month on monthly invoicing

- 45-60 days time-to-payment

After Monograph

- 50% reduced cost on project management and billing systems

- 66% less time on monthly invoicing

- 2.6x faster time-to-payment

Read the story here - https://bit.ly/49nlNJp

New to Monograph? Start here - https://bit.ly/4bI3S1N

Meet the design-build firm Woodhull — an integrated architecture, construction, and millwork firm delivering thoughtful and enduring residential and commercial projects throughout New England. Their holistic ethos and business model relies on transparency, communication, and collaboration to drive successful internal operations. Everything starts with the 80 active projects in Woodhull's 25-person design studio, which switched from BQE Core to Monograph to improve speed and accuracy across the entire business.

Here's what happened: 

Before Monograph

- 4-6 hours per week on reporting latest project schedules

- 5-10 days invoicing process due to back-and-forth between PMs and bookkeeper 

- 50% errors on retainer fee invoicing, causing client refunds

After Monograph

- 95% less time preparing project reports for firm owners

- 53% faster monthly invoicing process

- 100% error reduction on retainer invoicing, avoiding client refunds

Read the story here - https://bit.ly/3OBJ7Lj

New to Monograph? Start here - https://bit.ly/3w8y4mx

We are getting to know all of our therapists at Freedom Physical Therapy Services. This week, we get to know Karina Folliard. Karina joined the Freedom team this July and acclimating well to the Freedom family. Host, Joe Ogden, and Karina discuss how she got into the PT field, where she is been, and how she ended up at Freedom PT. 

In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Eva speaks frankly about how contracting Covid has given her more time to think about the impact the last two years have had on the social parts of our lives, as it is the community that plays a vital role in building a fair and equal society. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Systems are essential to organizing your workplace and maintaining order during a project. But how can you build systems to win new work? In this Best Practice interview, MVRDV Managing Director Inger Kammeraat and Strategy and Development partner Jan Knikker explained how they structure their firm to facilitate a healthy pipeline of new projects. They talked about how they use PR to drive business development, how they balance profit with their mission and how they close the cycle at the end of each project.

Interview Takeaways

• Document new systems
• Build a supportive culture
• Don’t kill creativity
• Use PR to showcase your wins
• Close the project cycle
• Check in regularly
• Align with the client’s goals
• Balance profit with mission
• Overbook your projects
• Set boundaries

Show Links

• Connect with Jan Knikker on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Inger Kammeraat on LinkedIn
• Check out MVRDV
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Forming the identity of a young business is difficult. Whether you’re branching off from a parent company or launching your own startup, without a consistent set of principles and practices, it can feel like you’re living in the Wild West. If you want your business to flourish, you need to establish law and order—namely, a consistent set of workflows and processes that will keep everyone on the same page. In this Section Cut interview, Adam Gayle, Director of Architecture at Level Architecture + Interiors, shared how you can help your business level up by organizing your practices and processes.

Interview Takeaways

• Establish your identity
• Create consistency
• Start with good documentation
• Guide your employees
• Get the right people
• Be transparent
• Identify your weaknesses
• Break down projects by phases
• Form intentional habits 
• Generate staff buy-in

Show Links

• Connect with Adam Gayle on LinkedIn
• Check out Level Architecture + Interiors
• Connect with Nathan Malone on LinkedIn
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

One challenge architects face is the pressure to deliver their signature creative style while also serving the client’s needs. This push-and-pull relationship between creative practice and professional service never goes away, but there are a few tactics you can use to help strike a balance. In this Section Cut interview, Principal Steve Perce of bldg.collective explored how to deliver an excellent client experience while also honoring your creativity. He talked about the importance of guiding the conversation, educating them throughout the process, and creating moments of delightful design.

Interview Takeaways

• Get in the right mindset
• Guide the conversation
• Connect over creative opportunities
• Create moments of delightful design
• Communicate the impact of client decisions
• Align on goals and scheduling
• Educate clients through the process
• Tailor your conversations to the client
• Treat your work as an ongoing practice
• Balance creativity with feasibility

Show Links

• Connect with Steve Perce on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out bldg.collective
• Connect with Nathan Malone on LinkedIn
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Industry expectations and standards are constantly shifting. If you want your company to keep up, you have to adjust with the changing times. But to be ready for whatever lies ahead, you have to institute a flexible, agile mindset within your company and be ready to adapt to new practices. In this Section Cut interview, Lorena Galvao, co-founder of Defining Design Practice, shared her experience working in the changing architectural industry and how companies can prepare for future shifts.

Interview Takeaways

• Spend your time wisely
• Prepare tomorrow’s leaders
• Find community
• Recapture your market share
• Think forward
• Focus on innovation
• Give opportunities to younger people
• Keep adapting
• Discover your niche
• Find your communication channel 

Show Links

• Connect with Silvia Lee on LinkedIn
• Connect with Lorena Galvão on Instagram
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

The client experience is at the heart of architectural work. Delivering an attentive experience through every phase is what will lead to a happy client,  repeat business, and referrals for your firm. In fact, this experience starts before you even land a client. Becoming in tune with your potential clients’ feelings, thoughts, and questions will help you to meet them where they are. In this Section Cut session, Lucas Gray and Dena Alspach of Charrette Venture Group explained how delivering an excellent client experience from day one is what will elevate the relationship with your client beyond a transaction.

Interview Takeaways:

• Get in tune with potential clients’ feelings
• Nurture the client relationship
• Set the right expectations
• Strengthen your onboarding process
• Find the best way to share documents
• Document when you reach milestones
• Reach out to the client regularly
• Show where the money is going
• Get feedback
• Check in annually after a project closes

Show Links

• Connect with Lucas Gray on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Dena Alspach on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out Charrett Venture Group
• Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

When growth is rooted in community, it becomes self-sustaining. At landscape architecture firm Studio Balcones, Principal Jennifer Orr and Office Manager Tiffany Rasco believe that being active in their community is essential to their firm’s growth and success. In this Best Practice interview, they talk about the importance of educating others by collaborating with project partners, applying for community certifications, participating in diversity programs, and teaching clients throughout the process to ultimately create designs rooted in the local landscape.

Interview Takeaways

• Create designs rooted in existing ecologies
• Design for the soil in each neighborhood
• Align with the project partners
• Get involved in community programs
• Be prepared to wear multiple hats
• Work with the landscape, not against it
• Educate clients
• Hire the right amount of hands
• Build systems as you grow
• Have the confidence to try something new

Show Links

• Connect with Jennifer Orr on LinkedIn
• Connect with Tiffany Rasco on LinkedIn
• Check out Studio Balcones
• Connect with Silvia Lee on LinkedIn
• Connect with Nathan Malone on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Studio-based organizations can prevent architects from getting their hands on a variety of projects and experiences. Ennead Architects takes on a whole range of different scales, different typologies, and different locales in their projects. They see that as the dream training of an architect. Their teams are able to share ideas and transfer skills through this spectrum of projects. In this episode, Ennead partners Molly McGowan and Thomas Wong discuss how they manage all of their diverse civic projects, build teams, and define success.

Interview Takeaways

• Build better architects with diverse projects
• Merge business and creative goals
• Help clients make the right decisions
• Build trust and relationships
• Be proactive about filling in where needed
• Staff team strategically
• Rely on peers for validation and inspiration
• Create a lasting impact
• Cultivate a culture of client service
• Have a tech leader on each team

Show Links

• Connect with Molly McGowan on LinkedIn
• Connect with Thomas Wong on LinkedIn 
• Check out Ennead Architects
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Silvia Lee on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

In the architect-led design-build model, the architect is responsible not only for design but for construction as well. This represents a major shift from the traditional design-bid-build way of building projects. Yet it offers unique advantages on both the architect and client end, say Thomas Gluck and Stacie Wong, both principals at Gluck+. Most importantly, it makes for a smoother construction process and a better, beautiful building.

Interview Takeaways

• Design for the build
• Be the one point of contact
• Scale by hiring
• Preserve what matters
• Ask contractors for advice
• Price early and often
• Zoom in and out
• Diversity to problem-solve
• Feed your architecture addiction

Show Links

• Connect with Thomas Gluck on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Stacie Wong on LinkedIn
• Check out Gluck+
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Many traditional architecture practices are no longer sustainable. Firms that want to lead the path into the future will need to adopt new ways of thinking. In this Best Practice interview, Christian Stayner, Principal of Stayner Architects, explains how expanding your services, collaborating with consultants, and systemizing client interactions can help you create new models for the future of the industry.

Interview Takeaways

• Compartmentalize how you present your practice
• Showcase projects that attract your ideal clients
• Find alternative approaches to your practice
• Offer wrap-around services
• Expand beyond hourly services
• Continue your education to supplement your services
• Collaborate with consultants who lend credibility
• Research and develop your own passion projects
• Systemize client interactions
• Address the limitations of hourly work

Show Links

• Connect with Christian Stayner on LinkedIn
• Check out Stayner Architects
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

When unexpected opportunities arise, sometimes it’s best to say yes and figure it out later. But in order to see the project through, you need to understand how to get to the finish line successfully. In this Best Practice interview, Nik Lahiri of Essel Environmental explores how to understand your metrics for success, know where you get your energy from, and set expectations for project milestones to build lasting client relationships.

Interview Takeaways

• Say yes and figure it out later
• Understand your role and metrics for success
• Hire professionals from different experience levels
• Don’t try to make it up in volume
• Don’t equate past performance with future results
• Know where you get your energy from
• Avoid making assumptions that limit your business
• Meet your potential clients where they already hang out
• Show appreciation when your team goes above and beyond
• Set expectations for project milestones upfront

Show Links

• Connect with Nik Lahiri on LinkedIn
• Check out Essel Environmental
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Not every architect should start their own practice. It comes down to how you want to spend your time. If you want to spend most of your time being an architect, don’t start a practice. Starting a practice requires you to spend time on business processes, marketing, sales, and most of all, thinking about money. From setting fees to planning for the future, there are many financial decisions you’ll have to make right from the start. In this Best Practice episode, Marilyn Moedinger, founder of Runcible Studios, shares her expertise on the money side of starting your own practice.

Interview Takeaways

• Determine whether you should start a practice
• Don’t lead with a sales pitch
• Crowdsource information
• Account for non-billable hours
• Change to project fees
• Show them what they’re getting
• Pull the levers of efficiency and price raises
• Experiment in the first 5 years
• Keep a cash reserve
• Talk money right away

Show Links

• Connect with Marilyn Moedinger on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out Runcible Studios
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Developers need a steady pipeline of projects to keep their businesses thriving. That means juggling multiple projects that are in various stages, from design to starting construction, to completing construction. To stay on target, you’re always balancing what you’re working on now with what comes next. In this episode, Scott Shnay of SK Development told us the rules they follow to steadily feed that pipeline while keeping their work top-notch, like working with great partners and sticking to your convictions.

Interview Takeaways

• Use non-union contractors to elevate design
• Have conviction in your decisions
• Find architects through referrals
• Keep the development pipeline full
• Partner with a large team
• Offer turnkey services as an architect
• Stick to your tasks
• Rely on help if it’s a new type of project
• Find people who approach projects like you
• Stay ahead of new building trends

Show Links

• Connect with Scott Shnay on LinkedIn 
• Check out SK Development
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram

Listen and read more about Monograph 

When you think about design, data probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, that’s exactly what you should be thinking about according to Bobby Fijan of Form Developers. Data, especially on the local level, offers invaluable insight into what people really want in a floor plan and what they’ll spend money on. That’s why you should seek out data early on as you begin a new project. Just keep in mind that it’s not the only important factor.

Interview Takeaways

• Consider the tenant experience
• Listen to the data
• Be the expert
• Speak the developer’s language
• Let the city guide your design
• Prove your expertise
• Share online if you won’t in real life 
• Measure to improve
• Be humble
• Read the code
• Start off product-oriented
• Make the inside count

Show Links

• Connect with Bobby Fijan on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out Form Developers 
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Burnout can decrease workplace efficiency, make employees sick, and even cause people to leave their careers. In the wake of the pandemic, workers are more likely than ever to suffer from burnout, so if you want to prioritize your health, you need to set firm boundaries to keep from wearing yourself and your employees out. In our first Roundtable discussion, four Monograph team members discuss what they do to maintain a healthy work-life balance and keep burnout at bay.

Interview Takeaways

• Look back to build a better future
• Pay attention to your people
• Spend your assets carefully
• Maximize your time with tools
• Know when to say no
• Control your productivity
• Articulate your ideas
• Work smarter
• Take time for your mental health
• Find supportive people
• Develop a healthy work mindset
• Advocate for your needs

Show Links

• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Silvia Lee on LinkedIn
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph 

Owning the means and methods throughout the design and construction process can be challenging. This is especially true for new designers or architects who haven’t been involved in many projects before. How do you go about understanding your role, the client’s risk tolerance, and keep an open mind throughout the process? On Best Practice, NADAAA’s principals Nader Tehrani and Arthur Chang explain how they use collaboration and relationships with contractors to own the means and methods during each project.

Interview Takeaways

• Collaborate as a team
• Keep an open mind throughout the design process
• Be flexible to other ideas
• Understand the role of the architect in the construction process
• NADAAA’s first experience with means and methods
• Defuse the tension between designer and contractor with IDP
• Evaluate a client’s risk tolerance early on
• Demonstrate real world applications for students
• New approach to the means and methods process

Show Links

• Check out NADAAA
• Connect with Arthur Chang on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Nader Tehrani on LinkedIn 
• Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn 
• Check out Monograph
• Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
• Listen and read more about Monograph