Many small firms, one giant network

Working together to help small firms grow.

Becoming an architect is the dream of many within the design profession, and for those people, all of their effort is focused on learning the ins and outs of the craft, from conceptual planning to technical detailing to construction administration. While becoming a licensed architect requires a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the built environment, rarely is the focus on a greater understanding of business in and of itself. The 2020 Firm Survey Report, conducted by the AIA, showed that approximately 27% of firms are sole proprietors. With over a quarter of the workforce performing all business tasks independently, without staff members, it puts a tremendous burden of accountability on these firm owners because, without them behind the wheel, there is no one else to steer the ship. Between the overwhelming responsibility of sole proprietorship and a profession that traditionally has a limited focus on business practice, many young professionals turn away from operating their own firms. However, a modified business model focused on collaboration and work-sharing could help those seeking firm ownership, with opportunities to navigate the uncharted waters of their gaps in expertise.

Above: Graphic representation of estimated firm and industry size, per the Firm Survey Report 2020 by the AIA .

While every project is different, standards are used to guide the process and production, which allows for a consistently predictable final product. Looking at the operation of many large firms, project teams will be assembled based upon project needs and staff experience. Having the resource pool of varying levels of employees is a large firm’s greatest resource and, in turn, is naturally limited in a small-firm setting. However, if a series of small firms all worked under a similar standard and process, these firms could use a collaborative worksharing method, allowing the assemblage of project teams, similar to that seen in large firms. The seamless integration of team members based upon specialization, project size, and availability would open the door for these small firms to resources beyond their previous reach, and the new limit on their operational capabilities would now be based upon the size and experience available within their collaborative network of industry professionals. Process standardization is critical in making this collaboration work and sets the stage for successful project implementation.

As two small-business owners, both within our first few years of incorporation, we saw an opportunity for collaboration on projects traditionally seen only by colleagues within the same firm. We had shared all our firm standards; including proposals, fee schedules, CAD library, BIM files, general notes, and more, comparing how we could develop a base standard for all work moving forward.

“When I began to have more work than I could handle, I reached out to Matt, and we started to implement our idea.” Vin said, “By utilizing Dropbox, I was able to share my client folders with Matt for seamless integration with my file system. As Matt worked on projects, they were saved directly to my server, allowing me access to them instantaneously as if we were within the same office space. This was another key factor for our idea to work. We both needed to be able to share projects with each other quickly and without the need to email them, avoiding not having access to the latest files when a client called with a question.”

As work progressed, so did our standard process and modes of communication. Knowing that the A/E Industry is ever changing, we began planning for the implementation of new technologies and how to transition all day-to-day practices over to BIM software.

“As I have been using AutoCAD and Matt using Revit, we both agreed that Revit is the direction we wanted to work towards for collaboration, but having developed a highly detailed AutoCAD system over the last two decades, drafting was made much easier.” Allowing all ongoing projects to continue without delay, Vin said, “Matt adopted my company’s drafting standard with the notion that we would then develop a Revit system together that could mimic what I already created with AutoCAD.”

While we both share a similar architectural background, Vin and I had different approaches to the business of architecture and how we manage projects overall. We knew going into the first few projects that there would be some learning curves and we would need to work together in meshing our varying process styles.

“It helped that we are both more tech savvy and were already familiar with using file-share systems.” Said Vin: In terms of handling payment, “we developed a fee breakdown which assigned a percentage to every stage of a project, making it simple to ensure we were each paid properly for our time. We found, though, that the hardest part of ‘hopping’ in and out of

Above: Graphic representation of firms with systems in place for Telework per the Firm Survey Report 2020 by the AIA The American Institute of Architects. “Firm Survey Report 2020: The Business of Architecture 2020”.

projects is whether the other has the time in that moment to do so. We are each after all trying to build our own businesses, and spending time working on each other’s projects does take away vital time to do so.”

While we have come a long way, with lessons learned, we see the potential for this business model to grow, benefiting all individuals involved. As long as a common standard is maintained, all firms and individuals can adapt to new projects quickly and work toward developing the network’s abilities. Among many lessons learned throughout the pandemic, we experienced firsthand how adaptable the design community really is, as nearly all businesses transitioned to telework conditions. According to the 2020 Firm Survey conducted by the AIA, 95% of the firms reported having systems in place for telework-ready employees. With the technological framework in place, this model of collaboration is no longer bound to the bricks and mortar of a single office. As we gain more experience with the inter-firm collaborations, we see new businesses and individuals within the profession coming on board with our network. There are still many strides to take before this network scales both in size and geographically, but it has the potential to become a well-oiled machine, adding an invaluable resource for all of the sole practitioners and small firms who have been previously limited by their in-house capabilities.

Vin Minkler, AIA

Minkler is founder of Minkler Architecture & Design LLC in Red Bank, N.J. Minkler Architecture & Design is a sole-practitioner firm specializing in single-family residential design, multifamily and commercial projects. Minkler is also the chair for AIA New Jersey’s EPiC.

Matthew Pultorak, AIA, NOMA, CSI

Pultorak is the founder of Time Squared Architect LLC in Marlboro, N.J., specializing in residential and small commercial projects. Pultorak works with Rutgers University’s Planning, Development, and Design team. Pultorak is the Young Architects Regional Director for New Jersey.