The position of a commercial director is quite specific for an architectural bureau, after all, we are all accustomed to the fact that architects are creative people. Why do you need your own sales department?
Natalia Nefedova: Historically, architecture has always been tied to the personality of the architect, and the classic development of the bureau has gone through the personal brand of a particular person. But in modern business it doesn't always work. I like the example of a barrel with walls unequal in height: you can pour just as much water into it as the height of the lowest wall. It is the same in business - if a department or direction lags behind the rest, it will slow down the entire team and the result will be average, even if other departments or a single architect have very strong positions. My task is to monitor the state of the internal balance in the bureau and to achieve an evenly high level in all areas, this is the guarantor of the success and stability of the business.
In the case of T + T Architects, we focus on teamwork and the uniqueness of the product, rather than a specific person in the team. This builds the loyalty of clients and partners, and this, by the way, is part of my job. The sales department is definitely needed, since you have to be constantly at the forefront - to assess the movements taking place in the commercial real estate market, coordinate fellow architects in terms of developing relations with customers, and jointly build presentations and project defense.
Before joining T + T, you were not involved in architecture. Do you think general business laws work here?
Before joining the bureau, I worked in international finance. I see architecture as a standard business. T + T Architects works in the B2B sector and the rules for this sector are the same: time control, quality, teamwork, budget tracking, high-quality workflow. Business dictates clear rules of the game for everyone, of course, if we view architecture as a commercial product, not a hobby.
Is the commercial director's role purely a managerial role? Are you involved in the creative process of the team or are you working only with economic standards?
This is definitely a creative process! Previously, my professional experience was clearly determined by the presence of certain knowledge, certificates and career growth was quite logical and understandable. This is not in the current role. I myself must set the criteria for professional growth and areas for working out and improving professional and personal competencies. On the other hand, the position of a commercial director is rigidly tied to financial performance. And no matter how much we want to go into the world of beauty, numbers always return to earth. One of my favorite phrases is “numbers don’t lie”, our activity is commercial, aimed at making a profit. A P&L report is always in my head, without financial literacy and architecture you can't go anywhere.
Often, architects are ready to make strong concessions, if only they were given the opportunity to implement the idea. Years are spent on the project, and the customer is declared bankrupt in a couple of months. The Bureau operates at a loss. Have you ever had to convince architects to value their work?
Yes, this is about painful situations, situations are different - and I have to persuade, and somewhere my colleagues stop me. By creating the financial model of the project, we include specific risks, which is reflected in the cost price. The second point is to collectively decide how interesting the project is from a professional and financial point of view. Of course, there were projects with a final minus sign as a result of the closure, but the professional result turned out to be more important. There are no quick wins in architecture, big projects take years, and completed projects are always a gift for architects. In our team, everyone is working for serious results, even if these are not always serious financial results. Sometimes recognition from customers, the professional community and society as a whole is also a significant result.
While working in a team with architects, you have developed some of your own principles of work, for example, do not give any drawings until you have paid or spend finances that you do not yet have?
Yes, that's the only way we work, money in the morning - chairs in the evening. Working with the B2B market simply obliges you to adhere to these rules. In terms of not spending money that does not yet exist, this is not even discussed: the last thing a business should afford is to go into debt. I am always opposed to such a scheme, both in personal finance and in work. The only digression is that this can be done if you clearly understand the length of the cash gap and the high feasibility of such spending.
And yet: did you have to save projects at your own expense in order to bring the work to the desired quality?
The design process is a machine that cannot be quickly stopped, and if the project is started, we understand one thing - it must be brought to the final result. I did not save projects at my own expense, but at the company level there were situations when the cost of work exceeded the cost of the contract, but everyone understood that it was impossible to quit and should be done at any cost. A similar situation occurs more often on projects of "large architecture". Such projects for me are comparable to children - everything is not fast, sometimes difficult, sometimes very difficult, but the result is always impressive. This is fundamental, a contribution to the development of the city and country, the understanding that your work is a part of a large and important aspect of people's life. For example, one of the favorite projects implemented by the T + T Architects bureau is the Azimut Smolenskaya hotel, a serious teamwork. Driving along Zubovsky Boulevard, I always mark our facility among other buildings.
What are the roots of the success of the T + T company, which entered the market of large projects relatively quickly?
T + T Architects has a very cohesive team, the main backbone of employees has been working since the founding of the bureau. And this is valuable. The bureau has two departments: "large architecture" and "interiors". Commercial interior projects - offices, hotels, MOPs in residential and business centers - are implemented much faster, which is extremely valuable for the team; everyone wants to see the implementation. The portfolio is replenished, the external market always reacts to this and gives new projects. In terms of "big architecture", the incentive is persistence and desire to work in this market. Entering it is not at all quick - all customers want to see the experience, the implemented objects. In this sense, T + T Architects has already passed the most difficult period of formation: a high-quality amount of materials in the portfolio has been recruited, a serious number of projects have been implemented, and the team of executors has been retained. Previously, we deliberately associated ourselves with a young architectural bureau, but now "T + T" is already moving into the status of an active, established player in the architectural market.
Why do you think there is a whole section at the interdisciplinary forum Woman Who Matters dedicated to architecture and urbanism? And why did the Ingrad developer become interested in supporting this story?
Architecture and urbanism are an extremely important part of our being. Each of us dreams of a beautiful, comfortable, functional space, be it the place where we live or work. In light of this, there is a direct connection between woman and hearth. Since ancient times, questions of the arrangement of everyday life have been on women's shoulders. Men thought globally, and women created the very details from which the feeling of comfort and coziness is formed. Women just feel good about the problem, because every day they encounter it in everyday life. And the developers are looking ahead here. The main buyers of commercial housing are individuals, mostly families. Now let's think about how it is made and who makes most of the decisions about buying a home - of course, women! It is the woman who first feels the need to change the location or to change the area of the apartment, or the need for repairs. It is she who gets to feel all the pros and cons of the infrastructure of the area where the family lives. It is she who clearly feels the needs of the family and forms the request for developers - what a private buyer needs. Developers like Ingrad know how to listen and hear the needs of the market, and where else than on a forum to discuss these issues with the target audience …
Do you share the opinion that gender biases are still strong in the profession of an architect, and men more easily deserve authority, receive orders and bonuses than women?
The inequality of women and men in the architectural environment seems to be undeniable. How many names of women architects can you recall offhand? Probably only the name of Zaha Hadid. If you turn to the Internet for famous architects, you will find lists of male architects in the results. To see women, the query must contain the phrase "women architects". But after all, an architect is one profession, so why is it divided into two categories: architects and women architects? On the other hand, architecture is a profession that needs to be lived and not be distracted by everyday life, and by its nature it is easier for men to do this. Let's be honest, from the moment the family and children appear, it is extremely difficult for women to distract from everyday issues, of course, this also affects their work. And even if each of us will have a hundred nannies and housekeepers, but when your child is sick, and the work requires full dedication, the choice is extremely obvious. Nobody canceled bonuses, regalia, recognition in the profession and, of course, there are women who know how to masterfully combine family and work, but this is a personal choice of each of us.
We remind you that the forum at which the prize will be awarded will be held on November 15-16 in Moscow.
This year, most of the forum and two nominations for the award at once will be devoted to projects in the field of architecture and urbanism, created by women or in support of women. One of the largest developers in Russia INGRAD became the founder and partner of the architectural block.
