“Profiles in Courage”

“Profiles in Courage” – Andy Pressman, Albuquerque, New Mexico
9/1/2004 by Richard Hamming



I selected Andy Pressman’s firm because he started out focusing on design and was able to build a successful firm without getting lost in the business-side of running an architecture office. [I first read these pages back in 1997 when I was finishing up my undergraduate degree and purchased Professional Practice 101 by Andy Pressman, AIA. I haven’t read this in a while; it is always good to revisit dusty books from my library!] It’s refreshing to read about someone who enjoys design, decides to start his own firm, and is able to make it work by associating with other people/co-workers who will bring complementary skills to the firm.
It’s good that Pressman focuses so much on the client. This is very important in the eyes of the client to see that their business, and their building, actually matter and mean something to you as an architect (and not just as means to a paycheck). Happy clients will spread the word about you and hopefully lead to more work, either from them or from others. Pressman doesn’t go into much detail about how his firm is run and managed, but it almost seems that he personally spends too much time up front with his clients, if that’s possible. At least he is able to create a good relationship with the client so that if they come back at a late time of design and want to change something major, he can dissuade them of it successfully.
If I were just starting out in the work force, I think that I would enjoy working at Andy Pressman, AIA Architect. Pressman, having written a book about professional practice in the architecture field, is well aware of what architecture students go through and need to gain experience in (including what they’ll be lacking from college education). He enjoys design and desires to teach it to others, so that would create an ideal work environment to the prospective intern.
An aspect of this firm that I would improve is to expand its realm of project types (do more of a variety of building types than those mentioned in the text). It’s great that Pressman is able to do projects around the U.S., but it seems that he focuses on residential and commercial interior projects. [I could be wrong since I haven’t done any background research on the firm, but these few pages seem to focus on houses]. The firms that I have worked at specialized in a variety of building types that I find keeps better levels of interest and prevents getting into a rut.
The principal, Andy Pressman, seems to be well aware of how to properly balance business with practice in his firm. He stresses the importance of developing the construction documents from the conceptual design, developing an excellent relationship with his clients to maintain good communication through all phases of the process, and is aware of the importance of the business aspects including getting more work through referrals and repeat commissions. I think that in order to be successfully run, architecture must be business. If you want to get paid for what you enjoy doing, you cannot ignore the business-side of the profession. Andy Pressman is aware of this principle since he has been in business on his own since 1983.