Building Owners

Arthur Gensler to architects: Don't give away your ideas

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.
Oct. 10, 2013
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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:

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Autodesk Fellow and U40 Summit Lead Facilitator, Tom Wujec, explains the Marshmallow Challenge.

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About the Author

David Barista

David Barista is Editorial Director of Building Design+Construction and BDCnetwork.com, properties that combined reach more than 100,000 commercial building professionals, including architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners. David has covered the U.S. construction industry for more than a decade, previously serving as Editor-in-Chief of BD+C, Professional Builder, Custom Builder, and HousingZone.com. He has won numerous editorial awards, including six Jesse H. Neal Awards and multiple honors from the Construction Writers Association and the American Society of Business Publication Editors.


Email: [email protected]

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