As an architect, there are a few key things you can do to help ensure a steady stream of clients. Below are 7 strategies for attracting new business.
As an architect, you are in charge of your own marketing and promotion. A great way to get more clients is to develop a strong personal brand. By ensuring that your name and face are well known, you will be able to attract more business. You can do this by defining your ideal clients, positioning yourself on the market accordingly, and creating content that showcases your work or thought process. Investing time in developing a strong personal brand pay off in the long run, so it is worth taking the time to do it right!
You need to be active online and espeically on social media if you want to get more clients. It’s not enough to just have a presence on social media – you need to be engaging, and share interesting and relevant content regularly. Make sure potential clients can easily find your profile by including links on your website and in email signatures. And don’t forget to interact with others in the industry – comment on their posts, share their content, and join in the conversation!
As an architect, it is important to get your name and face out into the industry in order to gain new clients. Attending industry events and networking functions is vital in making these connections. You never know who you will meet or what opportunities will arise from attending these types of functions. Plus, it looks good on your resume when potential clients see that you are actively involved within the industry.
There are many benefits to entering architecture awards. Not only do you have a chance to gain additional publicity, but you can also receive recognition for the excellence of your work. In addition your work might get published in the award’s yearly book. These competitions provide a great opportunity to network with other professionals in the industry and make connections that may lead to future projects. Clients also look to work with award winning architects. Look for industry specific awards, such as the Architecture MasterPrize for architecture awards, or the INT Interior Design Awards.
Writing articles in industry publications or giving talks is a great way to build up your credibility as an expert in your field, and it can also help you reach new audiences who may be interested in hiring you. Networking with potential clients is another great way to get more business – by getting yourself out there and meeting people, you’ll be able to better sell yourself and your services.
By sharing your knowledge with others, you can not only attract new clients but also build up your reputation as an expert in your field. Plus, teaching classes is a great way to promote your architecture practice and showcase your work to potential clients.
In order to increase the number of potential clients, architects should consult with other professionals in the design field. This will allow you to make new connections and learn about different marketing strategies that could be useful in obtaining new business. Additionally, by talking to other designers and architects, you may be able to gain referrals from them.
You can order the AAP Architecture Prize 2016 Winners Book on Amazon. View here.
The 2016 AAP Winners Book showcases the winning projects of the inaugural AAP Architecture Prize. The highly acclaimed international jury awarded designs in over 40 categories from the fields of architectural, interior and landscape design. This book celebrates and honors the greatest architectural works from all over the world. The AAP Architecture Prize’s mission is to promote the appreciation of quality architecture worldwide. The AAP celebrates creativity and innovation in the fields of the architectural, interior and landscape design.
Los Angeles, USA – The AAP Architecture Prize has announced the winners of its Firm of the Year Award 2017. Global interest was high for the inaugural award, with applications from over 40 countries all over the world. AAP’s jury recognized the work of over 20 visionary companies, awarding titles in the disciplines of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture. View all the winners here.
The AAP Architecture Prize is a global platform that honors the greatest achievements of architecture firms. The mission of AAP is to celebrate excellence, creativity and innovation across architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. The Firm of the Year Award recognizes the full portfolio of firms, taking into consideration the company size, specializations and resources.
The winners of the Firm of the Year Award 2017 were selected by AAP’s esteemed jury, comprised of 32 architecture experts and professionals. The following firms have been chosen as the main category winners in 2017 for their accomplishments and vision, and will be receiving the AAP trophy:
In addition to the 3 main disciplines, 19 subcategory winners have also been selected. The winners include:
The AAP also recognized the achievements of 31 shortlisted firms, including:
The complete list of winners and the shortlist is available here.
Winners are invited to the Winners Event taking place in New York City this October. They will also get extensive publicity showcasing their designs to a worldwide audience throughout the next year. While the 2017 Firm of the Year Award winners have already been selected, applications are still open for the AAP Design of the Year Prize, where individual projects will be evaluated and recognized by the AAP Architecture Prize jury.
Gabelleni Sheppard Associates were honored with the Platinum Prize for Hospitality Design in the 2016 AAP Architecture Prize. AAP sat down with the firm to learn more about their winning design of the infamous NYC Times Square Landmark, the Knickerbocker Hotel.
Firm Profile:
The work of the New York-based firm, founded in 1991, is distinguished by a sculptural command of space, light, and material. Organized as a multi-disciplinary atelier, Gabellini Sheppard Associates has designed buildings, interiors, furniture, urban places, exhibitions, and adaptive reuse projects in over 15 countries worldwide. From large-scale plans to exquisite details, the firm creates refined spaces and objects that elevate both functional and aesthetic value. Gabellini Sheppard Associates frequently collaborates with other designers as well as creative and technical specialists in exploring the potential of each project. Sustainable design and building practices are embedded into the firm’s holistic approach. The firm and its partners have earned dozens of awards and honors from the American Institute of Architects, the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, the Municipal Art Society of New York, and other international design, lighting, and wellness journals and organizations.
The reconceived Knickerbocker Hotel recaptures the old-world glamour and luxury of the original hotel, while fostering an elevated scene for social networking and indulging in the very best of NYC. The programmatic narrative was developed to burnish the past within a tailored contemporary frame.
Varying ceiling heights on some of the floors posed challenges in addition to sound proofing the building up to modern standards due to the hotel’s location in Times Square. We were able to do this by installing triple-glazed windows throughout the hotel, making the interior insulated from the sounds from Times Square.
The 330 guest rooms all have a unique layout with custom designed millwork, including vanities, wainscot, closets, and mini bars for each individual room type. We came up with different approaches to traditional millwork design in order to solve this challenge.
Inspired by the aspirational character and vision embedded into the original Knickerbocker hotel, our renovation vision of this landmark building is premised on burnishing the past, and moving it forward through time. The traditional character and spatial lineage coalesce and converge to recapture a concept of old world glamour but with an unwavering contemporary eye to seamlessly incorporate an elevated bespoke environment, within a 5-star hospitality experience.
Contrary to many large business hotels, guests at the Knickerbocker can enjoy a “made to measure” experience. Each room is designed with a customized layout to elevate the functional needs of their stay; from sleeping, bathing, dressing, working and lounging. By positioning the closet in the middle of the space, the “floating armoire” concept permits enhanced room movement and amenity placement between the sleeping and bathing areas. Privacy glass in the bathrooms creates the feeling of a larger spatial environment and augments the overall serene aesthetic in the rooms.
For this project, the anticipatory and emotional aspects of the hotel were accentuated through the use of ambient light sources through glowing volumes and undulating ceilings. Bespoke elements were designed specifically for this project, honing in on the 4th floor public areas, such as the Frappuccino marble bar and the custom mica interlayered glass screens, that act as semi-private illuminated partitions, defining the spaces maintaining a “see and be seen” quality throughout.
Design details are a unique combination of materials and finishes that exude an old world glamour within the modern framework. The Signature Suites design concepts are derived from prolific guests that stayed at the hotel during the original opening in 1906, continuing the programmatic narrative throughout the hotel.
In honor of International Women’s Day, enjoy a selection of AAP winning projects from female architects.
Photo Credit: Paul Warchol
Dean/Wolf Architects was commissioned by the design excellence initiative process implemented by the NYC Department of Design and Construction. The EMS station occupies the northern edge of the existing Queens Hospital campus facing onto the residential scaled Goethals Avenue. It is large in plan to address the scale of the hospital and small in section to achieve a residential scale as it faces the neighborhood. The sloping of the street is mirrored in the gentle slope of the low roof which relieves the height of the street wall on the low end of the site. Engaging this landform invigorates a dissipated site, respects the scale of the neighborhood, and expresses the restless energy inherent in emergency services.
Kathryn Dean has been an architect, scholar, and educator since the inception of her career. She first was selected for the American Academy Rome Prize Fellowship in 1987. Upon returning to New York, she took a position as a senior designer at Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, where she quickly established herself as an emerging talent, designing a series of large-scale projects for international markets. In 1991, Kathryn formed Dean/Wolf Architects with partner Charles Wolf, and achieved immediate recognition for her designs of the “Spiral House” and “Urban Interface Loft.” Since that time she has lead the design efforts of the firm, garnering recognition for the consistent level of quality in several award-winning projects for private and public clients at a variety of scales. The author of Dean/Wolf Architects: Constructive Continuum, as well as Constructive Practices: Between Economy and Desire, she is committed to both professional practice and teaching. She has been an assistant professor and taught advanced studios at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and was a Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and the University of Florida. In addition to her role as design principal for Dean/Wolf Architects, she is currently the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor of Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Kathryn is the first woman to have held an endowed chair of their Graduate Program.
This new building welcomes the entire production of wine, from the grape to the bottle of Chianti Classico. Born from the embracing hill as it opens over the surrounding vineyards, the building harmoniously integrates with the aesthetics of the Tuscan landscape, sharing its poetry. The main facade is an arched stone wall that follows existing ground levels, with an overlook path on top. Production areas are all underground. The result is a hidden garden in between that hosts tasting and selling area in a glass pavilion.
It all began in 1980 when Isabella Invernizzi (1956), after graduating in architecture at Milan University (Politecinco di Milano), and following a collaboration with Marco Zanuso, set up IIAW, Isabella Invernizzi Architecture Workshop. The office, based in Milan, began to specialize in prestigious renovation jobs and, over the years, completed a large number of projects, both in Italy and abroad.
In 2009 Beatrice Bonzanigo (1984), freshly graduated from the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (CH), began her collaboration with the Studio. She brought to the firm a humanistic design culture, inspired by the teachings of architects such as Peter Zumthor, Manuel & Francisco Aires Mateus and Valerio Olgiati.
In 2014 IB Studio was born. A mother & daughter firm which combines love for preservation with passion for innovation, and succeeds to create an exclusive combination of two different generations.
Isabella’s passion for skiing, climbing, and outdoors and Beatrice’s lifetime devotion for ballet and tango add a unique effect to their international projects.
Photo credit: Andreas Buchberger
Sakura Social Housing is a sustainable and social urban concept located on a busy intersection in Vienna, Austria. The building utilizes flexibility and suitability for everyday use as one of the central components of the planning. This is possible through the ground plan design (flexible living-kitchen area, neutral living spaces, the ability to connect rooms, merging apartments) and the possibility of being able to be part of the designing process of the apartment by its future owners.
Nerma Linsberger, Arch.Mag.arch was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and studied architecture at Akademie of Fine Arts Vienna. She was in the master-class of Prof.Timo Pentillä and Prof.Massimiliano Fuksas. Past work includes a 2006 partnership with INNOCAD architecture and ICNL architecture. In 2010, she founded NERMA LINSBERGER ZTGMBH with a philosophy inspired from a variety of world influences, using research and curiosity to find innovation to provide the best solutions for all. The approach is open minded, analytical and pragmatic to create designs that have meaning and purpose but often go against the grain of conventionality. By thinking outside the box, the office achieves to install sustainable design, as well as atmospheric sceneries for residents and the urban context.
Photo Credit: Daisuke Shima / Nacasa & Partners
Sugamo Shinkin Bank is a credit union that strives to provide first-rate hospitality to its customers in accordance with its motto: “we take pleasure in serving happy customers”. The request was to create a bank where people wish to stay longer and naturally feel to come back again. The façade is designed to be rhythmical that changes expression as people see from different angles. Colors appear in and out from the rhythmical repetition of cubes, dancing like musical notes playing rainbow melody. The melody spreads happiness and comfort to visitors and to the people in the local community.
emmanuelle moureaux is a French architect / designer living in Tokyo. Inspired by the layers and colors of Tokyo that built a complex depth and density on the street, and the traditional spatial elements like sliding screens, she has created the concept of “shikiri”, which literally means “dividing (creating) space with colors”. Using colors as her signature, she designs wide ranges of projects from architecture, space design, and art installations such as “100 colors” series. Principal Architect at emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design. Associate Professor at Tohoku University of Art and Design.
Photo Credit: Paul Warchol
This 5,000 SF loft was designed for a photographer who was seeking a serene live- work environment. A library/reception area immediately off of the entry vestibule allows her to meet with gallerists, present her work, and have her collection of research materials on hand for discussion. The reception area serves as a hinge for two distinct zones in the loft: the east zone flows directly into the ‘private’ domain of her photography studio and back to her private bedroom, while the south zone flows into the ‘public’ domain of her kitchen, dining, and living areas. We crafted raw steel, aluminum, solid oak, and white resin design features throughout the loft. They are designed as minimal art moments as much as they are functional elements for storage, dining and work areas. The wall planes in the photography studio are cleverly sheathed in white magnetic panels to allow the client to display and reposition her work. The bathrooms were designed as an immersive chamber of light and striated stone, a soothing respite from the intensity of the city. Custom resin sinks, shower areas, and niches for toiletries were fused into the bathrooms to create a seamless and fully integrated concept.
Katherine Chia is a partner and founder of Desai Chia Architecture. The firm’s award-winning work is grounded in a tradition of eloquent functionality and beauty that emerges from a well-tuned practice focused on bold design concepts, sustainable strategies, and the craft of building. Her projects include a wide range of residential and commercial commissions as well as collaborations with artists and product manufacturers.
Chia earned her MArch from M.I.T. and received her BA from Amherst College where she also served as a Trustee. She is co-chair of the Program Leadership Council of the Van Alen Institute. She has also been a faculty member in the architecture department at Parsons The New School of Design.
Photo Credit: Lorenzo Lucca
This 4 star family hotel situated in the heart of the Italian Alps features traditional buildings grouped in small clusters with the main side facing Mont Rosa. The area used to be inhabited by the ancient Valser population whose traditions heavily influenced the project of this hotel, leaving a strong legacy that encourages respect and preservation of these values both in managing existing buildings or in the development of new ones.
Rita graduated from Milan Polytechnic with projects published in Casabella magazine. She collaborated with Gregotti Associati for eight years and participated in several significant projects: Grand Arc to the Defence in Paris, Olympic facilities and stadium in Barcelona, Milan Bicocca project, masterplan in Turin, recovery Fori Imperiali in Rome, and Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.
In 1991, Rita opened her own studio in Milan. The current philosophy deals with the design and renovation of residential buildings and offices, including an office building in Agusta, the Aermacchi recovery area in Varese, a residential complex in Crema, apartments, villas, a cottage on Mount Portofino, a multipurpose building in Borgomanero, the award winning Mirtillo Rosso Family Hotel in Monte Rosa area, and the re-design of Xinchang urban, a historical village in the department of Shanghai.
Photo Credit: Sergei Ananiev
In the interior of this country house neat forms are in harmony with softness and comfort. The work began with the adjustments of the original building layout. The garage on the ground floor was replaced by a guest room, and the public area was designed as a single space. The living room, kitchen and dining room composed an area of a regular square shape, which adjoins a glazed-in veranda. The integrity of the interior is emphasized by a structure of walnut veneer created as per the author’s blueprints. The wardrobe above the extended fireplace and the wall in the kitchen area merge with decorative wood paneling on the ceiling into a single unit and envelop the room with a warm honey color. The design materials characteristic of industrial design – concrete, metal plates and mirrors – do not interfere with this closeness. On the contrary, their use in combination with natural walnut and oak gives dramatic contrast.
Alexandra Fedorova founded her own award-winning architecture bureau based in Moscow in 2004 with a focus on residential and public buildings, as well as works in the field of interior design for residential and public facilities. The philosophy of the bureau is “TIMELESS” architecture and interior design which is up-to-date and relevant in any time create living environments for people in the form of volumetric and spatial compositions which may be supplemented by accessories, as and when necessary, but the essence of the space remains the same.
Photo Credit: Joe Fletcher
Hilgard Garden aims to provide the owners with an extended outdoor living space; a garden room. Due to the steeply sloping site, accessibility to an upper seating area requires navigating a considerable elevation change. To avoid taking up a large swathe of the smaller backyard square footage with a conventional stair, a ramping meandering path through aromatic ground cover and the outstretched limbs of sculptural Japanese maples was selected as a more experiential garden path.
LOS ANGELES, USA
AAP – The AAP Architecture Prize has introduced a comprehensive new award – The AAP Firm of the Year 2017. The mission of AAP is to celebrate excellence, creativity and innovation across architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. The AAP is a global platform that honors the greatest achievements in architecture and interior design.
The Firm of the Year Award recognizes the full portfolio of firms while ensuring company resources and specializations are taken into consideration. Small, medium, and large companies are evaluated on their own terms by the esteemed AAP Jury. The Call for Entries for the inaugural AAP Firm of the Year Award is open now.
Winners will receive an invitation to the AAP Winners Event in the fall to collect the AAP trophy, have extensive publicity showcasing their designs to a worldwide audience, and more. The award will be open for submissions for the next few months, but participants are encouraged to take advantage of the current early bird rates.
AAP President Hossein Farmani adds, “It is wonderful to be able to introduce such a comprehensive award into the architecture world. The work of small firms is different from the capacity of large firms to build projects. These unique qualities are to be recognized in the Firm of Year Award.”
The AAP Firm of the Year Award builds onto the AAP Architecture Prize’s existing award platform that recognizes excellence in design. The top winners of the 2016 AAP Architecture Prize include Gensler’s Shanghai Tower (Architectural Design of the Year), McBride Charles Ryan’s The Infinity Centre (Interior Design of the Year), and Turf Design Studio & Environmental Partnership’s Sydney Park Water Re-Use Project (Landscape Design of the Year).
The AAP Firm of the Year Award Early Bird Deadline is February 28th. Read about the entry guidelines here.
Submit your firm’s portfolio today to enjoy earlybird discounts.
About the AAP: The AAP Architecture Prize is based in Los Angeles, California with the mission to advance the appreciation of quality architectural design worldwide.
Over 200 guests including some of the world’s best architects and designers, attended the first annual AAP Architecture Prize Winners Cocktail Evening at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City on October 25th, 2016. The AAP jury, staff, media representatives and other esteemed guests came together to celebrate an evening of inspirational architecture.
Photos from the event can be seen at the AAP Flickr Gallery
October 27, 2016 – Over 200 guests including some of the world’s best architects and designers, attended the first annual AAP Architecture Prize Winners Cocktail Evening at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City on October 25th, 2016. The AAP jury, staff, media representatives and other esteemed guests came together to celebrate an evening of inspirational architecture.
The evening featured an awards presentation with speeches by AAP Juror, Troy C. Therrien from the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, AAP President Hossein Farmani, and more.The coveted AAP Trophy was presented to the top 3 Architects of the Year from Gensler, Turf Design Studio, and McBride Charles Ryan Architecture.
Over 60 platinum, gold, silver, and bronze prize winner teams were presented with their certificates as everyone gathered to enjoy cocktails and appetizers.
Hossein Farmani spoke to the success of the inaugural year saying “We had an overwhelming amount of exceptional entries submitted, and we are grateful to everybody who put their trust and support into AAP. We are dedicated to promoting our award-winning architects and interior designers all over the world.”
Photos from the event can be seen at the AAP Flickr Gallery
Submissions for next year’s program will open early next year.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – October 3, 2016 – The winners of the first annual AAP Architecture Prize have been chosen. The AAP jury has selected exceptional designs in over 40 categories across the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. Each design was evaluated on its own merit based on characteristics of Design Excellence, Innovation, and Function.
Congratulations to the 3 Architects of the Year, each of whom will receive the AAP Trophy on October 25 in New York City at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
In addition to the top three winners, hundreds of projects have been awarded titles of platinum, gold, silver, or bronze along with honorable mentions from our many distinguished submissions. A selection of winners includes:
Browse all the winners here.
About the AAP Architecture Prize:
The AAP Architecture Prize honors designs in the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture with the goal of advancing the appreciation of architecture worldwide.
www.architectureprize.com
On October 25th, 2016, the AAP Architecture Prize winners event will take place in New York City.
The AAP Winners event is presented in association with Archtober: Architecture and Design Month in New York City happening throughout October 2016. Pick up a copy of The New York Times Sunday Edition on September 25 to read the official announcement.
AAP is also pleased to announce its media partnership with Dezeen, one of the world’s most popular and influential architecture and design magazine, and the winner of numerous awards for journalism and publishing. Together, Dezeen and Dezeen Jobs (the internet’s most vibrant architecture and design jobs board) attract over 3 million unique visitors every month. AAP winners will receive media attention and exposure through Dezeen’s global audience.
If you have not submitted your best designs yet, you have until August 31 for the chance to be honored at this event and receive the AAP Trophy and the title of Architect, Interior Designer, or Landscape Architect of the Year.
Count yourself among the best in architecture this year and submit your projects today. The Final Deadline is August 31, 2016.