- How I contribute to the team at AMB Architects:
For me creativity is not solely how well one can put together a beautifully curated finish palette. I utilize my inventiveness in all aspects of my job. As an Architectural Project Manager my main contribution is steering a project to ensure the client’s vision stays within budget and on schedule and still meets their goals. On smaller projects I provide the space design and architectural services required as well.
My focus at work is commercial business interiors for tenant improvement, medical office interiors, and high-end corporate interiors. It takes an internal team of colleagues, consultants, and the client’s team to complete a project. I work nicely in a team by not only coming through with my portion of the workload but also encouraging the best out of each team member. By taking the time to get to know my team personally I learn best how to encourage their potential, know what areas they will thrive, and how to fill in where the team may lack. I also relish in pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in each situation. Knowing the right questions to ask early during the conceptual phase leads to avoiding costly changes during the concrete phases of the project.
- Favorite part of my job:
Puzzles, problem solving, and creative organizing are a unique guilty pleasure I enjoy. I am curious about unmet potential, unfulfilled potential, or unrealized aspirations. It has been said that without “wonder” in a team or project, the needs of the customers, employees, or the world might go unnoticed. I feel I provide the questions that spark movement within a project. And once there is momentum I naturally encourage and support the needs of the group. This translates into why I find fulfillment in ensuring the client’s vision, budget, and schedule are carried through into the achievement of a project. I view working with my internal team and outside consultants as one big puzzle. When “problems” come up I see them as a challenge that I get to solve with design. For me, it is harder to design something out from a blank page. When I am faced with constraints that is when my creativity is best utilized. I can see opportunity when taking the pieces, I am given and turning them into the client’s overall vision.
- My strongest work skill:
The attention given to details within each project is my strongest skillset. My coworkers come to me most often to review drawings and work on construction documents. Often my colleagues joke how it looks like someone bled all over their project after I am done reviewing a set of drawings (I use a red pen). Typically, it’s not because they are full of mistakes, but missing details. I have learned from experience that adding extra details within the drawing set ensures less problems during the construction phase. At AMB we feel it is important to provide drawings with the general contractor in mind. How we organize the details amongst the plans and within the sheets creates less confusion.
- My favorite design-type websites:
When seeking inspiration on current interiors, new materials, or to gain insight from others within our industry I typically turn to the links below. During my commute I often listen to podcasts, and Knoll’s K-talk provides weekly series about the changing dynamics of work today. I also follow various Instagram accounts of fellow co-workers, peers, and product reps for design inspiration.
https://www.knoll.com/design-plan/resources/research/k-talks https://www.instagram.com/debnerco/?hl=en
