Knowledge management and the strategic development of the architectural firm: A case study

Market forces are also imposing on architects the requirement to take a more strategic approach to the development of their firms. Many architects have become specialists in order to secure commissions in an increasingly competitive environment. They are therefore entering into the worlds of both strategic and knowledge management. This paper will examine how one architecture firm used an incidental commission for an airport terminal to develop the specialist expertise required to become specialist airport designers, allowing the firm to develop a new market for their services. It will then be shown that their approach coincides with recommendations from the literature of knowledge management. When, in 1993, the Vancouver based architectural firm Architectura won the contract to design the new "Terminal 3" at the Vancouver International Airport, they had no experience with airport design. Architectura's management decided to use this opportunity to develop within a new unit to specialize in airport design, and to move aggressively into this market niche. They selected members of their staff to received specialist training and form the core of their new airport team. Architectura also requested that staff from the specialist airport consultants come into their office to work side-by-side with Architectura's team, ensuring that their new airport team could acquire these disciplines. The terminal design that resulted was very successful - rated as the 4(th) best international airport in the world by IATA in 1999. Architectura now provides both architectural and specialist design services for airports throughout North America and abroad, including joint venture projects with Vancouver Airport Services and Richard Roger's Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Architectura's success resulted from a conscious strategic choice to exploit a unique chance to design an airport and transform themselves into expert airport designers. They invested in both human and social forms of intellectual capital. By both training their staff, and working with them to map out career possibilities, Architectura created the social milieu necessary for the sharing of knowledge acquired through training, and the integration of insights from various disciplines. This coincides with the recommendations of several authors from the field of knowledge management. These authors have provided a means for understanding and describing the actions taken by Architectura and how these actions could lead to the development of the specific capacities required to move into a specialised segment of the market.