Here’s a little story that actually happened some years ago:  an architect friend of mine – after a couple glasses of wine – suggested that all advertising sucked, and that we ad-agency folks should be voted off the island, so to speak.

This got me thinking about architecture and bad buildings. I noted that there are plenty of bad buildings around, but the problem is, you can’t change the channel and get rid of them. Pity.

We need buildings, and we need to get along with them better than we do now. There’s really no excuse for a building that doesn’t serve our needs…after all, we’re the only reason they exist.

So, what should an office building do for us? Plenty, like…

Not make us sick. Indoor air quality in many commercial buildings is awful and makes us sick. Anybody in favor of windows that actually open? Poor lighting (usually too much of the fluorescent variety) gives us headaches, and computer screens cause eye strain. Not to mention, building materials like paint and carpet are off-gassing VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Be comfortable. It’s a sure bet that everybody complains about the temperature. It’s either too hot or too cold, never just right. There must be a better way to manage the temperature.

Be gentle on the environment. Commercial buildings use a huge amount of energy, and until very recently, they were not designed and built to conserve natural resources. Of course, we occupants don’t help much, by not turning off lights or reducing the trash output from fast-food lunches, Styrofoam/plastic cups and so forth.

Appeal to a higher visual aesthetic. There must be another color besides beige, another light source besides wall-to-wall fluorescent lights, and office furniture that doesn’t make you feel like a mouse in a maze.

Be more collaborative, less hierarchical. All high-functioning buildings are designed for a purpose, with thought and care for enhancing the work that takes place within. When you enter such a space, you know right away that you are in a special place. If it doesn’t feel right, chances are it wasn’t designed right.

Help make us more productive. We go to work to work. Buildings that don’t help us be more productive actually make us less productive.

It’s perfectly OK, in my opinion, to ask a lot from our office buildings. They are expensive to build and maintain. We spend a good portion of our lives in them. They fulfill a necessary human need for collaboration and a sense of community.

Increasingly, these structures are at the center of a productive knowledge-based economy, and they need to evolve to adapt to our changing business needs and requirements.

Next time you walk into your office, start thinking about the ways it should – and could – be made better.

After all, we deserve a nice office.

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Approximately 100 sales and marketing executives from 32 national building-products manufacturers recently gathered at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis for Miller Brooks’ 2010 Marketing to the Architect and Design Community Symposium. In its second year, the event once again provided an excellent opportunity for these sales and marketing executives to “engage, interact and connect with architects and designers.”

Through speaker presentations and a panel discussion, attendees learned about new trends and technology currently impacting the architecture and design industry, as well as best practices for cultivating stronger, more mutually beneficial relationships between manufacturers and design professionals.

Presentations from industry leaders

Three speakers, who know this industry firsthand, shared their insight:

Claire Conroy, editorial director of residential architect, Custom Home and Custom Home Outdoors magazines:

• The objectives of custom home designers often differ from those of custom homebuilders. Combining this knowledge with understanding and respect will build trust and result in more successful projects.
• She encouraged marketing representatives to work toward a better understanding of their custom home architect customers and their specific needs. The result? You’ll build a more solid relationship.
• Relationships breed business. “If you’re just coming to their office to sell to them, they will see right through you.”

Keynote speaker Rex Miller, founding member of the Mindshift Consortium — a building and design industry think tank — and author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolution presented “Mindshift: A New Way To Look at a New Problem”:

• Today’s digital culture is being driven by technologically savvy young minds. Miller encouraged audience members to embrace the ideas of younger employees and incorporate the new trends – such as social media and Building Information Modeling (BIM) – into their companies’ business models.
• Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a growing trend intended to minimize the waste of time, materials and labor. Project teams organize themselves before the project, selecting teammates based on talent and ability to cooperate, instead of low bids. The architects, designers and contractors work together as a unit — not as individuals — and share risks together. Project design and coordination using BIM is the tool that makes this operational style possible. “BIM helps the trades to interact better on projects and produce better results.”

And Alex Oliver, CEO and founding partner of Los Angeles digital media firm Igloo Studios:

• Some monumental digital design tools have been developed in the past 30 years, from AutoCAD^® to Revit^® and Google^® SketchUp, over the past 30 years.
• Now? 3-D digital modeling software is seeing huge growth. For example, approximately 1.3 million unique, new applications of Google SketchUp pop up every week online.
• Each tool has its merits for designers, and they should use the tool that is the best fit for the project. “There’s more than one software solution, and there’s more than one set of tools,” Oliver said. “Users of Revit don’t just use Revit. Users of Google SketchUp don’t just use Google SketchUp. There’s interaction between all of these programs.”

An interactive panel discussion

Moderated by Conroy and featuring Miller and Oliver, the panel included a diverse group of architects and interior designers:

• Sara Busby, CKD, owner of Sara Busby Design in Traverse City, Mich.
• Lynda A. Anderson, IIDA, LEED AP, associate principal at RATIO Architects in Indianapolis
• John Senhauser, FAIA, owner of John Senhauser Architects in Cincinnati
• Thomas A. Cheesman, AIA, principal at RATIO Architects

Panel members fielded questions from audience members, delivered both by text message and microphone, about issues affecting the relationships between architects and the marketing and sales departments of manufacturing companies. What issues generated the most discussion?

• Reaction to New Digital Technology — many of today’s veteran architects have embraced digital modeling but still sometimes prefer to receive physical product samples from manufacturers. This provides them something tangible to present to clients.
• Trade shows — Trade shows are still important to architects, as they allow them to see new products up-close and speak with manufacturer representatives face-to-face.
• Architect-Manufacturer Relationships – Manufacturer representatives should get to know their architect customers better in order to help them do their jobs and educate them on the uses and benefits of a particular product.
• Time Is Money — Architects are very busy, so manufacturer representatives must make efficient use of this time during sales calls.
• Setting Ground Rules — Architects need to set ground rules with manufacturer representatives, letting them know what it takes to get their products specified.

Response from attendees

So, was the symposium useful? What did attendees have to say when it was done?

Amy Lee, marketing manager for CertainTeed Gypsum‘s group: “The symposium provided useful information, not only about how to market to and communicate most effectively with architects, but also about current trends in the architectural field. We learned from the speakers and the panel what’s most important to architects, what kind of information they need from us, how they want to get it and when they want to get it.”

Mark Johnson, director of sales and marketing education for KraftMaid^® Cabinetry: “This event offered incredible learning in a very short period of time — I really appreciated how these top-notch people made such good use of our time. If the architects share what their needs are, as they did at this event, hopefully the marketers will listen.”

And one attendee even blogged about the experience afterward! Check out Eric Nilsson’s thoughts on the CertainTeed blog.

Many, many thanks to everyone who was a part of this event. Do you have additional thoughts, questions, or comments to share? Let us know below!

Tags: Communication, Events, Marketing, Miller Brooks
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Marketing to Architects 2009

Eighty sales and marketing executives from 18 Midwest-based building products manufacturers gained a stronger understanding of architects at the 2009 Marketing to Architects Symposium, sponsored by Miller Brooks at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.

Billed as “a better way to engage, interact and connect with architects,” the event’s aim was to initiate dialogue between manufacturers and architects and, ideally, spur the two groups to collaborate more in the future on product specifications and new product development.

We call it a grand success! Read the whole story for all the details.

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Featuring guest speaker Ned Cramer, editor-in-chief of Architect Magazine and a panel discussion with leading residential and commercial architects.

Miller Brooks has arranged for a special symposium to help building products manufacturers understand and better communicate with residential and commercial architects, and you are cordially invited to attend this special event.

Ned Cramer, our featured speaker (who is also an architect, by the way) delivers an insightful, eye-opening presentation on how to understand and better serve the needs of this influential group.

Following Ned’s talk, he will host a roundtable discussion with a group of architects who will share their views on a variety of topics and give attendees the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues for candid discussion. This is designed to be an open dialogue with lots of interaction.

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