An architect, a contractor and a building official walk into a bar…

There’s a funny dynamic between an architectural firm, a general contractor, and the building office.

It goes something like this: architects complain about general contractors being pushy, general contractors complain about architects missing details, and architect and general contractors both complain about how terrible the building office is.

I’ve had the unique experience of working for all three.

It’s like having an insider’s perspective.  You begin to understand that general contractors are pushy because they are being pressured by clients, at the mercy of subcontractors’ schedules, and have contract deadlines that must be met or else there can be big $$$ penalties.

Architects miss details because when it comes to designing and producing working drawings, there are a LOT of required details, building products and technology are constantly changing, and architects also have to meet client deadlines and budgets.

The building office is not actually terrible, but is “the authority having jurisdiction” which means that they HAVE to ensure buildings are meeting codes and by-laws no matter how arbitrary they may seem.

What I’m getting at here is that until we’ve spent the day in someone else’s shoes we can complain all we want but will never truly understand what their day looks like, nor is it a productive use of time or energy.

I’ve frequently said that in the building industry, architects should have to spend time onsite with the general contractor learning their daily challenges and then bring the contractor into the architectural office to see what their day looks like.

And then put everyone in the building office…so they can get bored together.

Haha.  Seriously though, take the time to see that building officials are not trained to be dream crushers.  They are essentially a catch all for all of the government agencies.  Every single thing that goes through the building office is reviewed to make sure that all relevant codes and applicable laws are met.

What does your work environment look like? Are there silos? Finger pointing? Blaming? Passing of the proverbial buck?

Take the opportunity to improve connection, communication and understanding between divisions by hosting a “day in the life of” day where people take turns shadowing each other, or completely taking their places for a day, or else develop a fun interview template for a monthly newsletter where staff shares their typical day.

Inviting people to walk a mile in your shoes at work helps break down silos and build up the team. It gives other’s a greater understanding of what your day looks like, what challenges you face, learn about responsibilities they may not even realize you have and improve morale. Because at the end of the day, who doesn’t want to improve morale?