Put the Architect-Builder Conflict to Rest

The genesis of this problem is in the age-old nature of builder and architect practices. These paradigms, dating back as far as 600 to 1,000 years, have become albatrosses around our necks.

The traditional education of the architect originated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris around the 1850s but actually has its roots in medieval stonemasonry teaching techniques. It's based on the notion that the "master architect" is the one with all the knowledge, and it is his or her responsibility to direct the work of the builder.

The builder, on the other hand, comes out of a proud and centuries-old tradition of craft. He was typically not necessarily highly educated but rather a highly skilled tradesman, trained through years of practice. His pride came from the elegance of his craft and beauty of his product. He innately mistrusted the architect as an interloper who imposed a different design sensibility than his own. That history has evolved into a built-in adversarial relationship between the architect and builder in our modern environment.

Of course, dollars matter. We are a free-market economy where cost is the primary driver. But making fine architecture and being a developer are not mutually exclusive. In a truly collaborative environment, much more design work is allowed to flow to the builder than would be even dreamed of by today's American architect.

Our culture's litigiousness creates fear, keeping most architects from letting go of responsibility. In fact, a cooperative approach has worked amazingly well in Japan for decades. Designers are on the job site every day, working in partnership with builders to devise solutions to myriad design challenges that simply cannot be addressed in drawings. It's enormously efficient and cost-effective, and it allows much more flexibility and creativity along the way.

The essence is not for everyone to say, "We work collaboratively in our company," or some other such buzz-talk. Where the rubber hits the road is when architect and builder really stretch to each other's needs, without even thinking about change orders or looking for blame. The change is organic and at the absolutely most fundamental level. It won't work any other way.

joel@group41inc.com, www.group41inc.com