Design & Development in California

[Corbin Jones]

Hello Community! 

The intersection between architecture and real estate development is where I have spent the past three years of my life, researching and designing in an academic setting, and now I am ready to put my skills and theories to the test. 

Architecture has been my passion ever since I was a destructive young boy, and like most enthusiastic and idealistic emerging architects, there is a moment of reckoning when you discover the disconnect between how imagine architecture and the realities of the profession/industry. I remember the first time I saw a project delivery diagram, it dawned on me who really makes the decisions in the building process...the owner. So I asked myself "Well who exactly is that? Do they 'hire' the architect?", questions that changed the course of my professional outlook for good.  Over the course of two years went back and fourth from real estate lectures to design studios.  I learned that there is a fundamental disconnect between how the two groups viewed buildings.  To break it down very simply, architects see buildings as environments for people to house specific activities while real estate professionals (developers) see buildings as investments.  Well why can't they be both?

The build environment effects us all in some shape or form (no pun intended) and to approach real estate as both a design AND investment opportunity, i believe you can set yourself apart for the better.  

Architect as developer is an approach I am eager to deploy.  If anyone out there would like to connect on the topic of architectural design and real estate, please reach out!