Most Important Skills for an Architect and Partner at Frederick Fisher and Partners
Marisa, a Partner at Frederick Fisher and Partners, emphasizes "design thinking," encompassing "curiosity, research skills, intuition, empathy, and collaboration," as the most crucial skill for an architect, alongside the ability to translate needs into physical spaces. Effective communication, both verbal and written, tailored to different audiences, is also vital for successfully conveying and implementing designs.
Design Thinking, Communication Skills, Collaboration, Research Skills, Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Marisa Kurtzman
Architect, Partner
Frederick Fisher and Partners
Wesleyan University, BA 1999
Yale School of Architecture, B.Arch 2006
History, Art History
Architecture, Construction & Design
Creative
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Design thinking: This involves curiosity, research skills, intuition, empathy, collaboration, and the ability to turn ideas into reality.
2. Translating needs into physical environments: Architects must understand how people's needs translate into the built environment, both operationally and philosophically.
3. Communication skills: Effective verbal and written communication is crucial for conveying design ideas and persuading stakeholders, as the ability to communicate effectively is vital to success in architecture
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
I would say the most important skill is design thinking. That's a term that's getting tossed around a lot these days in many different industries.
Essentially, design thinking requires a combination of curiosity, strong research skills, intuition, and empathy. It also involves the ability, willingness, and desire to collaborate.
Furthermore, you need technical and practical strategies to turn big ideas and innovation into reality. As a concept design director, I find understanding how to translate people's and institutions' needs within a physical environment is a crucial learned skill.
This translation needs to work both operationally and philosophically. It's a combination of thinking and acquiring specific skills, like creating a space program. I often use Excel to determine how many square feet per person are needed for someone to stand at a cocktail party.
I think it's an interesting mix of practicality and empathy, and those are really important skills. Something else critical, and perhaps not seen enough in architecture, is communication.
It's not enough to be a good designer; you need to know how to communicate verbally and in writing. You also have to understand your audience. You can come up with a design and try to sell it, but if it doesn't land, it won't work.