Gary Unger - Your Architecture Career: How to Build a Successful Professional Life

More Praise for Your Architecture Career

Your Architecture Career provides important information and helpful tips for those launching a career in architecture, emerging professionals, and experienced architects. Topics include starting and progressing in a career in architecture, excelling in a career position, and the process of starting a firm with much detail.

Lee W. Waldrep, PhD, author of Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design

Many times, I have sat at a table opposite Gary Unger as he led a team through an innovative design, beginning with a goal. In Your Architecture Career , Gary leads you through your most important design to your most important goalyour career as an architect.

Joel Rollins, AV technologist and futurist, host of The Week on rAVe Radio

In Your Architecture Career , Gary Unger presents unique insights collected from a successful career as the founder and leader of Stamford-based architecture firm CPG. The practical guidelines within this manual would be invaluable to anyone hoping to follow Garys lead in having a successful and fulfilling professional life.

Doug Winshall, founder of ClearRock Properties

Copyright 2018 Gary Unger

All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and Pan American Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Allworth Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Allworth Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Allworth Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

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Published by Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Allworth Press is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

www.allworth.com

Cover design by Mary Ann Smith

Cover art by adimas/AdobeStock and Vladitto/Adobestock

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Unger, Gary, author.

Title: Your architecture career: how to build a successful professional life/Gary Unger.

Description: New York : Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017058989 (print) | LCCN 2017059319 (ebook) | ISBN 9781621536352 (ebook) | ISBN 9781621536345 (hardcover: alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: ArchitectureVocational guidance.

Classification: LCC NA1995 (ebook) | LCC NA1995 .U54 2018 (print) | DDC 720.23dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017058989

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-62153-634-5

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62153-635-2

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

I dedicate this to my mom, who passed away at 101 while I was writing this book.

To my dad for encouraging me to pursue the practice of architecture and to convince me to stay the course during my dreadful freshman year at Washington University.

To Mom for taking an extreme interest in my career when I started my firm by asking questions about each new client, about our design concepts and new ways of working.

I am so grateful for my familys considerable sacrifices to provide the funds that allowed me to finish six years of architecture school debt-free. Dad was an accomplished planner and treasurer of Prudential Insurance Company, and he surely needed to use all his skills to keep me in line.

To my wife, Betsey, for giving me the encouragement to start my own venture and for helping me for the first 10 years set policies and employee programs that have endured the test of time for our 35 years.

I would also like to recognize very special employees who have passed and played major roles in the firms success:

Dennis Tardy
Karina Saari
Dean Forst
Roger Morris
Carl Mirbach

A Note to Readers

This book is intended to inspire:

Students in their last two years at a college or university studying architecture and interior design

Seniors or recent graduates who are looking for their first job in an architectural or interior design office

Those who are already working at an architectural or interior design firm or at a company in a corporate real estate or facilities management capacity

Everyone who is considering starting his or her own architectural or interior design firm

Clients who might find inspiration and understanding from the ideas I share

Realtors, owners reps, project managers, and all other project consultants

I also hope this book will enable professionals to make their journey in architecture more successful, more enriching, and, most important, more profitable.

If I can just reach one student, one architect, or one owner, inspiring them to have a more satisfying career, then I will consider this book a success.

Table of Contents

Chapter 11 | Purposely Not IncludedNo one wants a Chapter 11

Foreword

I wish this book were available when I was in school. It would have made my last two years in architecture school much more productive and my initial search for the best job so much easier. The concepts presented represent clear thinking with practical experiences for all to follow throughout their career to maximize their potential for success.

Most self-help books are read, then put on a shelf, never to be opened again. Your Architecture Career is a book that should be kept close by for easy reference. What is nice about this book is that it is well organized for the reader to follow as their career progresses.

It is a great reference book for those just starting out and impresses upon the student/intern/architect the importance of being aware of their career opportunities. It is easy to come back to chapters to review specifics, to share ideas, or test ones own development.

I think of this book as being similar to current Kickstarter programs designed for those bringing a new product or service to the marketplace. We all need a boost when we are starting outKickstarter programs give entrepreneurs the financial boost they need. Your Architectural Career gives professionals the career boost they need with tried and tested ways of working to succeed in the world of architecture.

I describe how the process of architecture and interior design is similar to a relay race and how important handoffs are for both the individual and the firm. Being a good team player is being a great architect. The other theme I describe is the benefit of being a strategic partner with your clientnot just a good vendor.

I will definitely recommend this book to schools, students, interns, architects, and firm owners as a guide to helping professionals enjoy and prosper in this wonderful profession.

Gary Unger
2018

Introduction

To each new employee we bring into the firm, no matter what level or discipline, we give a detailed orientation of our processes, procedures, likes, dislikes, and most of all the unique ways in which we deal with our clients.

Since our business divides into three primary parts, so does our orientation to new employees:

Business Practices/Professional Practice