“Given the pandemic, architecture has pretty much become a non-contact sport." Sharon Exley, Co-Founder, Architecture is Fun, Chicago, IL
As the pandemic stretches into fall, architectural firms are finding that slight adjustments help keep projects moving forward, but not without a few challenges.
Architects at the Birmingham, Alabama-based LIVE Design Group and Architecture is Fun in Chicago have both found that online tools and advanced graphic software are doing much more of the heavy lifting during the design process, and clients generally seem on board – and a bit impressed with their versatility.
Craig Krawczyk, President, LIVE Design Group: “It’s a powerful and eye-opening experience for clients to view their project this way.”
“We already utilize virtual walk-throughs and animation pretty heavily to convey design ideas to clients,” says Craig Krawczyk, president of LIVE Design Group. Still, they have added another dimension to expand their clients’ understanding of their projects.
“One thing that we have done more of is real-time virtual walk-throughs of projects,” Krawczyk says. “Where once the clients went on a predetermined walk through a space, LIVE Design Group now asks them where they want to go while on a platform like Zoom or Teams.
“It’s a powerful and eye-opening experience for clients to view their project this way,” Krawczyk adds.
“It is more important than ever to keep to schedules, and to add in more time to check-in and follow up,” says Sharon Exley, co-founder of Architecture is Fun. “A good strategy we’ve adopted for a current client is to have the group meeting, followed up with a phone call with the client team leader to see that we’re all using the same design vocabulary, and then more than ever, to show more ideas virtually.”
Sam Grant Photo
Sharon Exley, Co-Founder, Architecture is Fun: "We’re turning our desks and homes into media stations."
Both firms had been using online tools before the pandemic but say that the current work climate has led to greater reliance on them. Architecture is Fun is using tools like Groupboard that enable real-time co-sketching, while LIVE Design Group has found that their tools, based on gaming software, bring a fresh, eye-catching vividness to client viewing.
The frustrations
At the same time, both firms find social distancing to be less than ideal.
“Given the pandemic, architecture has pretty much become a non-contact sport,” says Exley, adding that the formality of web group meetings hampers a rapid exchange of ideas during a brainstorming session.
Krawczyk agrees: “Being able to get up and sketch on something, react to someone’s body language or facial response, being able to jump in a conversation without having to turn off mute, are valuable aspects of in-person collaboration that we have lost online.”
Both firms find themselves paying closer attention to each person’s comments, and both say they have added additional phone calls and other touch points to ensure that client comments and direction are fully understood.
“Before Covid-19, many of our conference calls were voice only. Because of the separation the pandemic has caused, we now realize the importance of being able to see each other during our communications.” Craig Krawczyk, President, LIVE Design Group, Birmingham, AL
“Our team compensates by listening even more, prodding and driving focus, making sure direction and consensus are built,” notes Exley.
In addition to adding more meetings, Krawczyk has also steered meetings online. “Before Covid-19, many of our conference calls were voice only,” he says. “Because of the separation the pandemic has caused, we now realize the importance of being able to see each other during our communications.”
Finally, the very nature of isolation introduces a potential new irritant, adds Exley. “Let’s face it, we’re doing Zoom, Go To Meetings, FaceTime, et al., constantly. We’re turning our desks and homes into media stations. When there’s a tech hiccup, it is frustrating or just plain challenging.”
The future
Like architects, officials at the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) have undergone a series of adaptions to meet client needs in a socially distanced environment.
While some clients are adding additional equipment, others are simply becoming more ingenious, including one who had church members each speak in a different language, in a different frame, while presenting the story of the Tower of Babel, says Peter Hansen, economic analyst at AVIXA.
“If you have a clever idea, all of a sudden you are going a long way to creating a feeling of community,” he says.
“We need to rethink what engagement looks like.” Joe Lloyd, Senior Director of Communications, AVIXA
Hansen adds that there are two understandings that are central to creating an enhanced experience online: “A pure willingness to accept a change,” and an acceptance that the work needed to bring it about successfully has increased.
“We need to rethink what engagement looks like,” says Joe Lloyd, senior director of communications at AVIXA. In part, AVIXA is also considering how far to go in envisioning the place for pandemic adjustments in a world that no longer needs them.
When things return to normal, how many of today’s adjustments will remain?
Hansen believes that many who have embraced innovative technological solutions will want to return to their previous practices, but not all. He thinks there is a possibility that the added exposure to online possibilities may open the door to expanded understanding and usage of such tools. “People will get used to connecting in new ways,” he says.
While the pandemic’s new approaches to interacting with clients may lead to a greater reliance on them in the future, it is clear that they are needed now.
Says Exley: “Working remotely is fine – it’s just that this time it isn’t a strategy or a choice. It’s essential.”
