#203 - PATRICK MACLEAMY, designing a world-class-architecture firm
SUMMARY
This week Patrick MacLeamy, Architect and Former CEO of HOK joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design to discuss his new book, 'Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories, and Strategies Behind HOK'. Patrick discusses the struggles HOK went through, acquiring other offices, maintaining office culture, the key components of a successful architecture office, and much more. Enjoy!
ABOUT PATRICK
Patrick is an American architect who is chairman of buildingSMART International. Previously, he served as Chairman and CEO of HOK, a global architecture, engineering and planning firm. He is the author of the book “Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK”, published by Wiley in April 2020. The book tells the history of HOK, one of the largest design firms in the world, and draws lessons from it intended to help other architects and creative services professionals improve their own practices.
Patrick has served as an industry advocate for the need to leverage new technologies and collaboration tools to improve the practice of architecture. As a founder and chairman of buildingSMART International (formerly the International Alliance for Interoperability), he has advanced the global implementation of building information modeling (BIM) to improve the quality and efficiency of the architectural design process. He also supports the establishment of nonproprietary and interoperable standards for the exchange of data in the design and construction industry. Patrick established a concept, commonly referenced in the design and construction industry as the MacLeamy Curve, to illustrate the escalating cost of design modifications as a project team progresses in the design process. His time-effort distribution curves "are among the most oft-cited sources for researchers interested in mainstreaming building information modeling (BIM) implementation in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry."
TIMESTAMPS
(06:50) Patrick discusses meeting his wife at HOK and moving to San Francisco for the office.
(16:10) The ups and down of most architecture practices and George Hellmuth’s (one of the founders of HOK) four principles to creating a successful architecture office.
(30:22) The failure of the current practice of architecture.
“The world needs great architecture. It needs design more than ever […] Probably this iPhone 11 Pro is the best design work, far better than any architect practicing today. Why? It’s elegant looking, but it also works like the slickest thing you can imagine for putting a whole world in one had. And it’s so affordable that millions of people around the world are using smartphones. The buildings we are designing now are not as well designed as this. They’re too expensive and they don’t perform so well.” (30:22)
We need to organize ourselves differently, so that we step up our game. Because we are not serving the needs of society with great design thinking. Instead, I think architects are playing defensive architecture. Design is in the back set and in the front seat is spending plenty of time with working drawing and specs and so on to keep the contractor form having our lunch. We’re practicing the wrong way. Unless people think about how to practice, we’re doomed to repeat the same mistakes the Hellmuth and Hellmuth made 100 years ago.”
(36:20) HOK’s office culture and the issues they had with HOK Sport.
(44:35) The key tactics used to fix issues at HOK and different HOK offices during his time at CEO.
“I found that if I (HOK) was earning $100,000 a month in fees and I had a backlog of $1,000,000 dollars, that’s 10 months work of a backlog [if I had that] I wasn’t growing or shrinking. If had less than $1,000,000 in the backlog, then I was shrinking. I might not know it yet, but I was shrinking. If I had $1,500,000 in the backlog, then I was growing. So I can plan.” (56:00)
(01:03:25) One of the most challenging projects HOK undertook.
(01:08:25) Bridging analytical information needed to run and office with understanding and motivating people.
(01:13:13) The challenges of growing HOK and acquiring other offices.
(01:23:24) The ‘suggest don’t tell’ way of leading a group of people and Gyo Obata’s way to communicating with clients.
“Most architects, when they go a client to present themselves, what do they talk about? They talk about their work and themselves. “I’ve done this, here’s a picture of that building. Isn’t this a pretty one? Aren’t I great?” And Gyo would say, “You have to really listen to what your clients have to say and they’ll tell you insights about the deign work you need to do” So he did it just the opposite of the traditional architect approach. It’s about the client.” (01:38:22)
(01:46:17) Attending ‘charm school’ to learn how to work with other people better.
(01:52:14) Stepping down as CEO and the evolution of the office and his time in it.
“The world needs great design. It doesn’t need struggling architects. It needs great design.” (01:53:06)
