As designers and builders, we are always under the pressure of both managing and meeting quick deadlines and increasing client expectations. It is a reality of what we do as architects, engineers, and contractors each and every day. I don’t know about you, but I often get consumed by these deadlines, details, emails, challenges, and client expectations, working hard to accomplish each and every one. Amidst this day to day pursuit, I think all of us in this industry often lose sight of what we are really doing.
I recently found myself in Reykjavik Iceland, unplugged from the day to day routine. Only here for a single evening, I decided to walk the cold and windswept city streets. In an effort to escape the wind I found myself inside the famous Harpa Concert Hall. I climbed the stairs, found a nice quiet place to sit and just looked up at the oddly shaped glass filtering the scattered light through the lofty space. I soon found myself, like all of us designers, trying to figure out how they designed it, then how they built it. Staring up into the open space was…well, inspiring! As I began to look around me, I too noticed others, gazing upwards, inspired by the building that they were not just seeing, but experiencing. It was another moment of clarity when I could see that as architects, engineers, and contractors we are doing so much more than just pursuing deadlines and expectations. Together we are creating spaces that protect, engage, and inspire the human experience.
Understanding the overall goal of designing places that inspire humanity, helps me as an individual design engineer, and as a leader in our company to better serve the needs of our clients, community and ultimately humanity. It is at the very heart of everything we do here at Structural Design Studio. Sure, we still pursue the deadlines and expectations with fervor, but at the end of the day, we leave inspired, knowing why we’re doing it. If you are currently finding yourself buried in the day to day pursuit, I would encourage you to step back, find a quiet place to sit and just look around. Without a doubt, you will be able to see the incredible things that you, and all of us in this profession have the privilege to create together, spaces that inspire the human experience.
Jeff Ambrose, S.E., P.E.
President