Lawyers say integrated-project-delivery documents have come a long way, but caution is still in order. It may seem unusual to find lawyers agreeing with each other, but there seems to be unanimity on one important issue: Before architects embark on integrated-project-delivery (IPD) projects, they should have their contracts closely scrutinized by legal and insurance professionals. IPD proponents believe collaboration instead of competition within the design/construction team results in better, faster, less-expensive projects. But risk-averse, adversarial relationships are so habitual in the U.S. construction industry that legal structures, insurance policies, and much else needs to change to accommodate these new ideas.

Built on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle boasts a history of fishing and nautical trade.

What’s the buzz about “knowledge management”? Simply put, it’s the creation, organization, and distribution of a firm’s collective information and, often, its wisdom.

Making the worst task slightly easier for all Countless times last year, architects were called into a principal’s office and told they were being laid off: the depressed economy brutalizing the blameless. That thousands of professionals have lost their jobs is bad enough, but the psychological harm to the firm and those lucky enough to remain can also be damaging. With the possibility that more layoffs will occur this year, how can firm principals make staff cuts less painful? To what extent can and should you delay the inevitable? When everyone knows the ax is about to fall, how do

There are many ways to get a client to pay, starting with frank communication and looking out for red flags. How do you cope with a client reluctant to pay what they owe? The best advice is to apply certain preventive measures to avoid the problem in the first place. Whether the client is suffering from the slowdown or is simply a deadbeat, paying attention to your business can forestall future headaches. Illustration: © Shout And yet many architects tend to be more interested in the execution of projects than in managing their firm as a business, says Michael Strogoff,

The traditional way in which architecture and engineering firms partner may be transforming. It is becoming widely understood that interdisciplinary collaboration is critical early in the design process if maximum sustainability is to be achieved. To encourage such novel relationships among owners, architects, consultants, and constructors, the AIA has been promoting “integrated project delivery” and has developed legal documents to support it. Illustration: © Alison Seiffer Some architecture firms are responding by shedding traditional relationships with consultants and hiring their own in-house engineers. Some existing AE firms are changing the way they practice by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration earlier in the

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future,” wisely opined Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. In these days of economic turmoil, construction industry observers may wish they had made better predictions. Might there have been ways to avoid the downturn, or at least mitigate its effect on architecture firms? According to McLean, Virginia—based consultant Raymond Kogan, AIA, looking ahead by projecting major industry trends can help firms avoid being fatally blindsided by future events. Better yet, anticipating what’s coming can reveal new opportunities for profitable work. Illustration © Robert Meganck Most of the trends that Kogan suggests firms

If the new federal stimulus package fulfills one of its promises—greening the built infrastructure in the United States—it will generate a huge amount of work for architects. Even while the depressed economy means fewer new construction projects, there will be meaningful work in building assessment and subsequent renovation, especially in the public sector. Much of the energy analysis of existing buildings will relate to HVAC systems and therefore be more in the domain of engineers than architects. But owners may still see architects as their first point of contact for any work related to their facilities. And architects can deploy

According to Batshalom, most firms that have already begun greening themselves have still not internalized the “all-green-all-the-time” philosophy she espouses. “They’re getting their staff LEED accredited,” she says, “but they don’t understand the management ramifications or the internal commitment they need to make as company in order to do it efficiently and cost-effectively.” The 80-person Portland, Oregon, firm SERA is approaching the “all-green-all-the-time” goal. About 80 percent of its projects are now aimed at LEED certification. In addition to working with mechanical engineers early in design, the firm has hired one to work in-house. According to SERA associate principal Clark

Slumps in the construction economy are good times for firms to rethink many things, including the philosophies that underlie their design work and the way they collaborate with consultants. One strategy that potentially accomplishes all of these things, according to consultant Barbra Batshalom, executive director of the Boston-based Green Roundtable, is to “green” your practice. Many U.S. firms are already encouraging staff to earn LEED certification and research sustainable materials, but she believes this is not enough. Truly greening your firm requires a substantial restructuring of firm culture and design processes. Illustration ' Edel Rodriguez The economic slump may allow