DOES SIZE MATTER?
THE RIBA PREDICTED THE DEATH OF THE MEDIUM-SIZED ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE, BECAUSE IT WAS NEITHER A BOUTIQUE FIRM WITH LOW OPERATING COSTS NOR A LARGE FIRM WITH ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
If you talk to the leaders of an architecture firm about their business strategy, the conversation typically starts with a discussion around size. In general, architects want to be large enough to attract the big, city-shaping and legacy-building projects, but not so big that they are deemed too corporate to be design-centric. They generally want the prestige and market presence that comes with being a large firm, while enjoying the culture and entrepreneurial spirit we typically associate with a small firm.
In conversations with architecture leaders of different sized practices, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon. Small
