M. Arthur Gensler, Jr., FAIA, FIIDA, RIBA, founder of the world’s largest architecture firm, Gensler, offered important advice to more than 65 young AEC stars attending BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco, which kicked off last night at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.
Gensler, who founded his 3,900-person, $807 million design firm in 1965 "with $200, no plan, and one draftsman," said his keys to success have been to place a high level of value on his firm's work and to hire great people and trust them to do great work.
Gensler said too many architects today give away their ideas and concepts when submitting working drawings in competitions. "Clients value what they pay for, not what you give away for free," said Gensler, who stressed the importance of having "strong interactions with the client."
"We have a 'we' philosophy," said Gensler. "For too many people in our business, it's about 'their' building. To us, it's the client's building."
Here is a slideshow from the last night's U40 Summit kick-off event:
Autodesk Fellow and U40 Summit Lead Facilitator, Tom Wujec, explains the Marshmallow Challenge.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 9, 2018
Work, park, live: Inside Cincinnati’s parking garage turned lifestyle hotel
The Summit hotel and conference center is a converted parking garage that was once a factory.
Architects | Jun 28, 2018
Designing successful maker spaces
The challenge is to design makerspaces that work, spaces that function as a tool for educators to produce better students.
Architects | Jun 27, 2018
Steven A. Lichtenberger joins Leo A Daly as President
He will lead the firm’s global planning, architecture, engineering, and interiors practice worldwide.
Accelerate Live! | Jun 24, 2018
Watch all 19 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s second annual Accelerate Live! AEC innovation conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago) featured talks on AI for construction scheduling, regenerative design, the micro-buildings movement, post-occupancy evaluation, predictive visual data analytics, digital fabrication, and more. Take in all 19 talks on demand.
Building Team | Jun 22, 2018
What owners should know before choosing the design-build project delivery method
Outside of drawing up a well-written contract, owners often overlook a key attribute that can significantly impact the success of a design-build project, writes Skanska’s Julie Hyson.
Architects | Jun 14, 2018
Chicago Architecture Center sets Aug. 31 as opening date
The Center is located at 111 E. Wacker Drive.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 13, 2018
Multifamily visionaries: KTGY’s extraordinary expectations
KTGY Architecture + Planning keeps pushing the boundaries of multifamily housing design in the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Regenerative design — When sustainability is not enough
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), HMC’s Eric Carbonnier poses the question: What if buildings could actually rejuvenate ecosystems?
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: The smart jobsite — Predictive visual data analytics for proactive project controls
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), a trio of experts in predictive visual data analytics presents how design-build giant Clayco has leveraged this technology to achieve production efficiency on several construction sites.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Design innovation at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AS+GG’s Anthony Viola takes us behind the magic curtain to illuminate the firm’s methods for nurturing design innovation.