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Today Jean-Marc and I had lunch with Boon (the principal). We ate chicken rice and talked for about two hours (albeit Boon did the majority of the talking).

J-M and Boon chatted awhile about Rice U., then we talked about how architecture is increasingly becoming just fashion; his main concerns seemed to be about predicting the next worldwide fashion (he’s thinking along the lines of “nothing parallel except the floor” and argued that technology just has to make it financially possible—I think the problem is that whatever shape you cut, unless it’s got four perpendicular angles there’s going to be material wastage and thus money burned). He talked about the situation realistically—his point, basically, was that architecture is essentially like any other industry that puts out a design product, in the sense that it’s just about playing the market and people’s tastes. That’s kind of depressing because once architecture’s divested of its “higher purpose,” then the ratio of pain to gain isn’t as favorable as other industries.

Then we talked for a long time about the merits of starting your own company from the ground up versus joining a Big-Ass Corporation Firm like SOM, HOK, KPF, and other TLAs. He tried to act like he was impartial “as long as you’re happy,” but obviously he was arguing for BACFs and I was arguing, kinda, for starting a new company. His points were basically 1) a BACF is going to have way more clout than the small guy when it comes to getting big projects, 2) at a BACF you can get going immediately because a BACF already has libraries of corporate standard details, legal documents, and other routines, and is already staffed with other talented people who know what they’re doing, 3) a BACF will live on without you while a personal firm will likely die with its founder, and 4) a BACF has the mass to compete internationally whereas a personal firm increasingly has a chance in hell of being important. His grand point was that the probability of hitting the big time and growing into a world-famous firm was next to nothing compared with the probability of either failing completely or failing to become significant; meanwhile the rewards of working at a BACF are virtually assured. That is, the risks are immensely smaller and the rewards are more immediate and more likely with a BACF. All of this is inarguably true.

Boon’s secondary argument against starting one’s own firm with the idea of hitting it big is that “all the ‘next big things’ in architecture have been discovered already,” and so it’s practically impossible to become famous by doing something “new.” Though I see where he’s coming from, I think that’s ultimately just plain wrong. Doing something “new” is valued because it wasn’t obvious; meanwhile, I don’t think it’s possible to run out of “new” things to do, because both technology and culture perpetually change and advance. We can’t run out of “innovation” because it’s an intrinsic human ability, not a quantity; it’s the same as saying that we can’t run out of the ability to breathe.

So, my counter argument is: if all I wanted out of architecture was a simple career, I’d probably be better off in some other field anyway. What I want out of architecture is everything: fame, fortune, influence, power, prestige, and a personal legacy. The gamble is that only by starting my own firm can I even possibly attain international levels of the above—while these things are more likely at a BACF, the degree which they’re attainable is far less. SOM, HOK, and KPF have all been around for decades and literally built hundreds of projects, totaling billions of dollars. Do they have their own El Croquis? Hell no! (Getting published in El Croquis = making it) Thing is, the BACFs and the people working for them might get to work on huge projects, but does anyone love the work of BACFs? No. SOM, HOK, and so on are like the Toyotas of the architectural world: reliable, rich, and high-quality, but “safe” and passionless. Of course the chance of failure is frighteningly immense, but who wants to live a safe life when you’ve only got one chance to make life worth it? Moreover, why enter a field if you don’t intend to be the best?

Anyway, I really appreciated the fact that Boon took the time to have lunch with us. It’s not often that the principal of a multi-national firm gives a shit about the interns! Boon’s unique in that really cares about the education of the young people in his firms. Yeah, of course there’s something in it for him—we’re working for him, so it’s to his advantage to make sure we know our assholes from a hole in the ground. But, the fact that he takes the time to do it himself is really something. He’s got a lot of things I want: the power, the clout, the unbelievably slick social skills, and most of all, happiness with what he does. Of course I intend to shut up and listen—that’s why most of my rebuttal is here on this blog instead of right back at him. (Yeah, I’ve learned a bit of tact over the years.)