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The Fountainheadache
The Politics of Architect-Client Relations 

Reviewed by Lester Paul Korzilius 
Approximately 505 words 

Published in Oculus, January 1996

The Fountainheadache takes it name from the (in)famous Ayn Rand novel, who the author feels has given the public a distorted view of architects. The book examines the under-discussed aspects of the client-architect relationship. It relies on many interesting case studies written by the architects involved. The insights offered by these different architects gives the book it strength. The contributing architects make many informative observations throughout the book. For example, Hartman Cox view their client as a multiple entity. This includes the owner of the land, the design review boards, the lender, the tenant, and the person in the street. They state they have "never seen a project that didn't benefit from further study." Harry Weese and Associates discovered the importance of involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts in their advocacy of their design for the award winning Washington metro.

Bill Caudill of CRSS observes that "if they (your clients) don't understand you, you haven't said anything." He stresses the importance of communication to clients in a manner they can understand. He feels that architects overate the importance of seductively rendered drawings. William Kirby Lockhard stresses that "architect-client communication is absolutely crucial to the success of any architect, any building project, and, altogether, to the success of our profession as a whole." He feels that verbal explanations of the intentions and rationale for a buildings design are an important part of the architect's services.

Charles Moore and his partners used client group participation in designing St. Matthew's Church. Their contract required a 67% approval from the parishoners on all decisions. They found that it was best not to push ideas onto the group. Rather, it was better to coax ideas from them, and then give these architectural expression. Cathy Simon of SMWM, on a project for a private school, found the benefits of creating a design methodology that involved full participation of the board, faculty, administration, and students. Kent Larson had many prescient observations on dealing with committees including the committee's varying motivations; the path of least resistance leads to banali-ty; the importance of selectively picking the important battles to win; and protecting clients from themselves.

Robert Greenstreet, in discussing legal pitfalls, observes that client-architect legal disputes are mostly a result of poor communication. The two problem areas are programming and the estimation of cost. Jeremiah Eck suggests that architects treat their clients more as patients with a problem to solve, rather than a commission that gives the architect an opportunity to satisfy his own architectural fantasies.

Finally, Duo Dickinson contributes some humorous aphorisms including: "Free advice and worth every penny." And, "good, fast, and cheap - you can only have two - the third is always excluded." 

The book could have used better editing and focusing of the contributor's experiences. The author, a practicing architect, included many examples from his own experiences. The book would have been stronger had these been significantly edited. Nonetheless, the book is a valuable contribution to architectural practice, and should be read by all architects who care about the future of architecture. 

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