Going into the new decade it is important to evaluate where the profession is going and how to be an asset to firms and clients.  With disruptive technologies and changing economics, the skills required to be successful in architecture are always evolving.  Based on current trends witnessed at national firms and research this article focuses on top skills needed generally in the profession.  These skills are listed in random order, no skill takes priority over the other but all are top skills for architects in 2020.

Business development…

Since the great recession, the amount of work available to firms has improved since the downturn.  But there is still fierce competition between firms for the most sought-after projects.  It is difficult for firms to differentiate themselves from the competition.  One of the major differentiators between firms is their ability to conduct successful business development activities.  Having a team or individual in place to represent the firm and develop relationships with potential clients is invaluable for a firm in winning more work.  The relationships should be developed before RFPs go out. It is extremely important to have a business development strategy to stay competitive.  As the economic cycle enters its late-stage this skillset will be essential to keep work coming in the door. 

Cutting edge software abilities…

Every year deadlines become shorter, 3D modeling requirements become more stringent, and buildings becoming more complex. Having team members with advanced software abilities are crucial.  Building Information Modeling and Computational design have been evolving over the past several years. They help develop building blocks for most complex projects today.  If project teams don’t have these skillsets it will be very difficult to deliver projects that can be constructed efficiently and be a high-quality product.  A new evolution of BIM (Building Information Modeling) is Building Information Optimization which somewhat blends computational design with BIM.  The advent of this concept really pushes data-driven analysis into the building design realm.  For example, window layouts on a building can be analyzed an arranged automatically for optimal thermal and daylighting performance within the building envelope. 

Perform at a higher level…

Another aspect of having cutting edge software abilities is the ability of project teams to deliver project deliverables within shorter timeframes with higher quality.  These skillsets add value by creating design iterations faster and with more precision.  Ideally, these services can warrant higher fee structures since the design is a higher performance building.

Authentic market and project expertise…

After the recession, clients raised the requirements and expectations for architects pursuing projects.  Clients under financial pressure want to take less risk and hire teams they know to have a robust level of experience.  As this dynamic increases in the industry, firms and individuals have moved many to promote themselves as “thought leaders” etc.  For the most part, many people are very qualified, but occasionally qualifications are exaggerated.  Over time clients have picked up on this dynamic.  This leads to one of the most valuable skills needed at firms today. 

Substantially increase quality…

Having an authentic market and project expertise substantially increases teams’ ability to win more work and deliver higher quality projects to clients.  Most people slowly become subject matter experts overtime in their career, but even people with less experience can become highly knowledgeable in a project type or market.  The best thing to keep in mind is keeping track of your experience and stretching your abilities.  Good practices include keeping good documentation and records of projects and remembering lessons-learned to educate future clients and project stakeholders.

New decade…

With the new decade now fully in gear make sure to take these top skills for architects in 2020 into consideration. The three skill sets listed are bound to offer more value for your firm and clients.

Handshake photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

Coding photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash

Lightbulb photo by Fachy Marín on Unsplash