From my experience, it takes a team of a good developer and good architect that are sensitive to those efforts to pull it off.
I have seen many time where the developer, especially ones who are planning to flip the project, design and build to the minimum code requirements. Even the "High End" projects can be schlocky. Which I find to be a bit annoying because I got into this bushiness to "help make our built environment a better place".
But reality is a different thing. Even is Seattle, the design team does not have control over the purse strings and there is some real crap being build that is marketed as luxury. Work force and low income housing is another whole can of worms.
I work on 80-90% hospitality projects up and down the west coast and mid west. These are driven by the franchise design and specification requirements which force the developers (franchises) to conform to their standards of quantity and as mentioned, customer experience. Not only do we have to have our design pass the building department, but there is an additional multiple reviews of the design from the franchise. The developers and contractors (and architects) who are new to this are kicking and screaming at every step.
depending on the franchise, these development projects can be awesome.
------------------------------
Paul Richards
Lynnwood WA
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 02-28-2020 14:08
From: Mike Mense
Subject: Learning from Hospitality
At a recent excellent panel discussion on Public Spaces hosted by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson as a part of their Gathering Series; Lisa Picard, CEO and President of EQ Office, a forward looking Seattle developer, said something like this: "More and more we ask our commercial and residential designers to learn from hospitality designers. We realize that our most important products are experiences rather than bricks and mortar."
Boy Howdy!
Some of you may remember hearing me rant about "monument to instrument" -How an architect's responsibility nowadays is much more about ensuring that built environments support human activities than documenting, celebrating, reflecting the best of our cultures (this task doesn't go away, and there is no reason that we cannot accomplish both).
Lisa Picard seems to have realized that the hospitality industry knows that if it's environments do support human activity, those environments are more likely to engender more business.
BUT WAIT A MINUTE! Don't we all want our designs to do the same thing! Not for the business, but because that's what we're all about!?
------------------------------
Mike Mense FAIA
New York NY
------------------------------