I have designed a project I call PORTICO for young kids to help educate them on the architectural process. It is a simplified project that allows them in a few short weeks to get from design to a completed portico or entrance way made out of cardboard and decorated.
It is not my goal to produce a bunch of architects, but instead to create educated sophisticated future clients. Those clients are more fun to work for and demand more from the architect. They also appreciate and understand the built environment better.
There is an art to client communication and it seemed to be a big part of my internship.
To relieve the pressure we joked about it.
In reality it requires a degree in psychology and is a necessary subject, for anyone interacting with clients, that is totally neglected in school.
It is completely different from dealing with suppliers or consultants. They understand the process and basically know the routine. You may work differently from other architects, but the overall process is the same. I like to work with consultants and enjoy the give and take that comes from trying to solve problems. I find a good team that respects each other can always push each other for a better outcome.
It is always a bit tricky when you switch project managers mid stream. We had taken it cautiously, but soon I was at the helm. It became obvious to me that this client needed to be educated on the process. Having hired the other architect it told me that he didn't know much about design. He didn't realize who he had engaged by hiring us.
So, I innocently just started keeping him abreast of what was going on and what he could expect. He was used to bullying his way through and standing over pressuring everyone and I wasn't having any of that. So, it became a sort of dance. I would naively send my email and would be responded to by some over reaction. My boss was cc'd, so he knew in real time what was transpiring. At first he intervened. Then we switched to his response coming through me. He was great at holding my hand through this process and by the end was letting me make a first response that he would edit before it went out.
By the time I left I think the client was in a much better place. I'm not sure how long it lasted once I wasn't in charge of the day to day workings, but it was a start.
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