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Overview
Architecture and engineering collaboration fails when firms treat it as a technical problem instead of a relationship problem. Most A&E professionals become business owners through passion, not business training, creating blind spots that undermine even good partnerships.
Build Trust Before You Need It
Personal relationships drive partnerships. Steven from Angus Young showed up at Studio GWA's office with beer and wine on a Thursday. They've been collaborating ever since, even though they sometimes compete for the same projects. Face-to-face connections create trust that virtual coordination alone cannot build.
Set collaborative expectations early. The most successful projects start with teams aligned on the same goal, knowing there will be times when each party needs help from the other. When this collaborative mindset doesn't exist, projects become combative and everyone suffers.
Integrate Early, Communicate Often
Give teams financial awareness. When staff can see where they are in the process financially, it helps them identify the time they have left and what they're gonna focus on. Without this visibility, teams perfect details that don't matter while burning through budgets on 5,000-hour projects.
Communicate changes immediately. One restaurant project went through five iterations because the client kept changing requirements. Teams need to tell consultants immediately when changes happen. Delayed communication turns manageable adjustments into project-threatening surprises.
Use Technology to Enhance Awareness
Share project visibility across teams. Studio GWA uses Monograph's shared schedule links to keep consultants updated in real-time. While Angus Young tracks their 384 projects through Deltek analytics, the vision is architect-engineer teams that can see holistic project fees and work more cohesively toward the same goals.
Technology supports but doesn't replace relationships. AI will likely bring transparency through better tracking and metrics, but it won't replace the communication skills that prevent problems or the trust-building that happens in person.
Firms solving both the business awareness gap and collaboration challenges gain competitive advantages. Those ignoring either problem keep struggling with the same partnership failures and budget overruns.
Studio GWA is an award-winning architecture and planning firm, honored in 2024 with the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Award for Historic Preservation. Led by Principals Jennifer Spencer and Aaron Holverson, the team focuses on adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and urban revitalization. Jennifer brings decades of experience in historic rehabilitation and real estate development, while Aaron blends traditional architectural principles with hands-on problem-solving and a passion for timeless design.
Angus-Young is a full-service architecture, engineering, interior, and landscape design firm with over 60 years of experience delivering integrated solutions across sectors. Led by a team of principals including Steven Genin, the firm thrives as a general practice—applying insights from industrial facilities to civic buildings to deliver thoughtful, versatile design. Steven brings deep expertise in mechanical systems and plays a strategic role in firm operations, project delivery, and business development.
