David vs. Goliath

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For much of the building sector, the economic downturn meant a large-scale, industry-wide slow down from the breakneck pace of the past. For many firms, that slow down was a welcome reprieve. For 3 Square, the slow down offered a chance to look objectively at the systems and processes it had in place and tweak them to ensure greater productivity in the future.

“When times were buoyant, as a boutique firm it was difficult to focus on mid- to long-term plans as the hectic day-to-day running of the business took up all our time,” says Fernandes.

TRACE is using the opportunity of a slower market to refine the way it approaches its design projects and refocus its efforts on an experimental approach. “In order to overcome the newly emerging economic challenges, we’ve had to rethink new ways of working within the practice and how we produce information,” explains Thabet. “At TRACE, we...use the ‘operating theatre method’ as opposed to the ‘factory line method’. This experimental approach opens the possibilities for a more innovative product.”

Similarly, X-Architects is using the slowdown to distinguish itself through a combined strategy of an increased personal touch and a focus on quality of design rather than quantity of work. “Since we are a niche design firm,” explains Al Ali, “the quality we produce is much higher than that of a corporate firm and it’s also much more sensitive and personalized.”

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Smaller firms making big waves

Well into the future, after the global economy rights itself and the building industry is once again fat and happy, companies that survived the credit crunch will be lauded for that accomplishment alone.

While that happen, architecture firms across the land—particularly the smaller ones who don’t have the luxury of shifting priorities or surviving off deep coffers or a plethora of past projects—need to focus on the task at hand. Namely, they need to figure out how to win that next competition.

For 3 Square, that means a continuation of the status quo. “I think all design firms are looking for that one project where they can showcase their talent,” says Fernandes. “In our case that really involves us continuing to do what we do best: providing our clients with unique design and generating referrals through those clients on an ongoing basis.”

In the case of Draw Link Group, the strategy is opposite. Rather than a continuation of the same, the Tunisian firm is embracing what is new, bold and uncharted. “We are focusing on very specific projects. We are looking to launch new concepts following the new economic situation,” says Chennoufi.

He adds: “We’re looking to create a new lifestyle; we’ve got a new vision for hospitality and commercial projects. We must be different from the others and get out of the old market way of doing and thinking.”

The TRACE strategy is more measured. By using what it considers a specific methodology and unique cultural insight, the TRACE team is focusing on the mass housing typology as a place where it can make waves in the industry.

“To ensure survival, a small practice needs to find its niche product and place in the market,” explains Thabet. “I feel that the demand for residential properties in this region is becoming stronger and the need for appropriately designed buildings will become imperative in the future.”

The last word

A common sentiment among many of the smaller firms in the market is the way in which the economic crisis has levelled the architectural playing field and how all companies—not just smaller firms—will need to concentrate on producing better and higher-quality buildings.

The speed with which the first generation of Middle Eastern buildings has been designed and built is unparalleled, but not without its problems. Kitschy forms and patterns on a building does not make it Islamic architecture and the days of building with standards other than internationally accepted ones are gone. Regardless of size, the firms that heed that advice will be the ones creating the region’s second generation of buildings.

“As the former president of RIBA, Sunand Prasad, said in his keynote address on the future of small companies, ‘a big practice doesn’t make you any happier, it just makes you bigger’,” reminds Thabet.

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