Contract Magazine - March 2018 - 26

Disrupting Practice: Findings
from the Practice Innovation Lab
by Evelyn M. Lee, AIA

Evelyn M. Lee, AIA,
writes a regular column
for Contract on business
practices in design and
professional development.
Based in San Francisco,
Lee is regional workplace
manager, west coast lead
at Newmark Knight Frank.
She holds graduate degrees
in architecture, public
administration, and business
administration. Currently
a member of the AIA national
board of directors, Lee
received an AIA Young
Architects Award in 2014.
Her website is evelynlee.com.
Visit contractdesign.com/
businesspractice to read all
of her columns for Contract.

Last fall, 60 individuals from the design and
architecture professions came together with the
intent to identify ways to innovate the dated business
models on which most design practices are founded.
Hosted by the Young Architects Forum of the
American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Practice
Innovation Lab was a series of discussions focused
on enhancing both the value of our services and the
sustainability of the design profession over the long
term. Full disclosure: I took a lead role in planning
for the Practice Innovation Lab.
Participants were selected from a pool
of applicants that were both AIA members and
non-members. Most, but not all, were licensed
architects. Ten teams of six persons each were
formed with the goal of creating 10 new delivery
models for practice. All participants were given
a reading list and as a curriculum to follow prior
to the event, to set the stage for what was essentially
a one-day charette to design a brand-new firm.
Intense team planning sessions were
interspersed by keynote speakers including Susan
Chin, executive director of the Design Trust for
Public Space, and TED Fellow James Patten, founder
of Patten Studio, an award-winning interaction
design firm. Strategist Laura Weiss moderated
the day, reminding individuals that, "Innovation
creates value, and value is the difference between
innovation and pure invention."
On the second morning, each team presented
"Shark Tank" style, and a vote was given for the best
business models. The presentations generally
landed within three themes: Building Networks,
Data-Driven Practice, and Philanthropic Design.

with larger firms that have global reach.
The network concept also supports the growing
appetite for remote work opportunities as an
individual contributor or consultant to a variety
of different projects.
Data-Driven Practice
Given the amount of data being collected in and
around the built environment, it is not surprising
that practices are looking to monetize data
associated with their designs. One of the teams
recommended trading design for a subscriptionbased data model that would support facility
management in larger developments. Another team
looked at how sensors could help inform subsequent
projects but also report to their clients the overall
utilization of space throughout the building.
Philanthropic Design
The desire for practices to have a greater impact
and leave a meaningful impression on their local
communities was central to a number of the
proposals. One team offered more than half of its
office space to co-working and community events.
The idea has two-fold benefits: both keeping the
firm fresh with novel ideas and giving them a strong
connection within the neighborhood through
educational classes and community events.
While I didn't anticipate that any single
proposal would be adopted wholesale, I could
not have been more thrilled with the outcomes.
All participants left the Practice Innovation Lab
invigorated, eager to share their experience with
their own firms or, for firm owners, revisit their
existing business plans and begin to make changes.
The winning People's Choice practice model team
continues to meet virtually to develop a sharedservice network that will enable the team members
to have a farther geographic reach and practice
in more market sectors.
Outcomes from the weekend are documented
and published on the AIA website through a video
and findings report. Additional efforts are being
taken to host the Practice Innovation Lab at a more
local level in hopes of continuing the conversation
and bringing additional innovation to the design
profession. If you are interested in being a part
of the conversation or playing host to your own
Practice Innovation Lab, please get in touch with
me through my website. c

Building Networks
The concept of networks breaks down the
traditional notion of intellectual property held
close to the vest in design practices. Not only
are the networks a method of sharing knowledge,
they enable an exchange of talent, with the core
belief that work done in collaboration with others
is greater than work done alone. One team's
proposal enables small firms to be competitive
26

contractdesign.com

MARCH 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL BOWER

COLUMNIST

http://www.evelynlee.com http://www.contractdesign.com/businesspractice http://www.contractdesign.com/businesspractice http://www.contractdesign.com

Contract Magazine - March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - March 2018