Doing Small Things for Small People

When I began my architectural internship many years ago while an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, I worked for a talented architect named Tom Gardner. His firm, Gardner Architecture, was located in Strawberry Point, Iowa, a small town in the northeast corner of the state. Like 79% of the members of the AIA, the firm had less than 10 staff. Tom was the sole architect. The firm is in a small barn that Tom renovated on his rural property — a really spectacular and inspiring place to practice architecture. Gardner Architecture developed quite the reputation for producing terrific buildings for small rural communities — libraries, fire stations, community centers, school additions, day care facilities, and visitor’s centers, just to name a few. The firm’s work might be described as simple or unassuming, much like the communities in which it practices. The spaces and buildings that the firm designed were not elaborate, they did not make you feel uncomfortable or make you question your surroundings. Rather, they made you feel comfortable, they were warm and welcoming. Tom had a unique ability to relate to clients from all walks of life who were sophisticated in their own ways but were involved in perhaps their only interaction with an architect in their lifetime. Tom once told me, “I do simple things for simple people. That is what architecture is about.”

I often think of Tom and my time with the firm, but upon receiving word this morning of Tom’s passing, at a much too young age, I have found myself again pausing to reflect on the lessons he taught me, and the lessons that our mentors taught us every day. Firms like Gardner Architecture create incredible insertions into the fabric of our small towns, creating communities that are enlivened and hopeful for their future. Working with communities of just a few thousand people — if that big — to raise funds for a new public library that might cost $1 million dollars. This may not seem like a lot of money, given the scale at which some practices work. But to a community of 2,000 people, that impact and sense of pride and accomplishment manifest in a building created an energy and hopefulness for the future.

Tom was also a firm believer in the power of the mentorship. He trusted his staff and challenged them to reach higher. My second day working at the firm he sent me to work with a group of community members who had formed a non-profit to create an African American historical and cultural museum. These hard-working men and women were passionate about preserving their heritage and yet for years had struggled to secure funding and support for their project. And Tom was their architect. They didn’t have the money to pay the firm, so we didn’t bill them. It wasn’t seen or thought of as pro-bono work — it was simply the right thing to do. During my two years working with the firm, this group became my client, and I worked with them on the most basic of ideas and struggles to strive toward success. I had Tom’s unwavering support and counsel. His passion for his work was remarkable.

Sometimes we get caught up in the struggles of the profession or the affect on globalization, issues of mergers and acquisitions or the effect of the economy on our practices. We wonder, dream, and hope for new models of practice in a sustainable, carbon-neutral world. And yet, there are small communities across our country — much less globally — that need the most basic of architectural interventions.

The loss of Tom to the communities he served is significant. And yet, he transformed the lives of thousands of people, one small project at a time. “Doing small things for small people. This is the power of architecture!” Thank you Tom for your mentorship - you will be missed.

A Source of Optimism in These Crazy Times

In a recent issue of Inc. Magazine, best-selling author and management guru Jim Collins was interviewed about thriving in light of the current economic “crazy times.” As someone who has made it his life’s work to study organizations, Collins exhibits a remarkable - and reassuring - energy about the future. When asked about the source of this optimism, he said,

“A lot of it has to do with the young generation. A general at West Point told me, ‘This is the most inspired and inspiring generation to come through West Point since 1945.’ I see the same thing with the young people who come to work for me. They have a sense of responsibility and service and a lack of cynicism that is remarkable and wonderful. It’s an ethos, and it’s collective. That’s what’s really powerful. It’s connected technologically. It’s not grandiose, but there is a fundamental assumption of being part of a much larger world and a much larger set of aspirations. The world can be a really awful, brutal, turbulent place. And yet I’m hopeful precisely because of this generation of kids. I really think we ought to just give them the keys as soon as we can. Let them run it.”

I think if we were to examine those architectural practices weathering the downturn most successfully, we would see the same optimism for the future - and for much the same reason. Leaders who remain connected to their staff and take time to mentor - and be mentored - are positioning their firms to retain the most talented staff and recruit even more as they continue to grow and succeed.

Firms are only beginning to develop strategies for engaging the collective ethos of the young generation. I am hopeful that as they begin to do so, we can overcome some of the cynicism that at times overshadows our profession and instead put the energy we all share toward improving the future.

Coming from a leading thinker like Jim Collins, this is reaffirming to my work both as a graduate student and with clients across the country. As a member of this young generation, I spend a growing amount of time studying our ethos and talking with fellow designers and architects who see the world in the way Collins describes. The many talented young professionals across the country are constantly energizing me, as are the leaders of firms that allow them to thrive. As with Collins, they too are the source of my optimism and excitement about the future.

I’m interested in any initiatives or cultural qualities of firms that have been successful in beginning to focus on this issue or ideas about how they may do so if they haven’t already. Strategic optimism in the face of the turbulence of daily news is contagious and elevates the profession and all those within it and affected by it.