Derrick Bailey, AIA, wants architects to focus on end users' well-being

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1670964842\/blslxtmnbbxvlq5dhoiq.png","id":"6576826"}]}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.mckinc.com\/","target","_blank"]],["b"]],"sections":[[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Derrick Bailey, AIA, is a program executive at "],[0,[0],1,"McKissack and\nMcKissack"],[0,[],0,", one of the oldest minority and woman-owned design and construction\nservices firms in the U.S. Having spent more than a decade at the firm and three\ndecades in the industry, Bailey has successfully managed a diverse group\nof project types including academic, municipal, hospitality, corporate,\ncommercial, manufacturing, and residential buildings. His day-to-day work\nconsists of architect\/engineer (A\/E) coordination, design reviews, creating\nproject budgets and scheduling, and logistics planning, among other\nresponsibilities. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"We chatted with Bailey about his perspective on the practical skills needed to excell in the architecture industry\u2014including in\nmanagement positions\u2014overcoming anxieties for architects of color, and what\narchitects should consider for the future of the field. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"What made you pursue a career in architecture? "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"My\ndecision to pursue a career in architecture happened at a very early age. My\ndad, who was a carpenter by trade growing up in Toronto, would take us to some job sites to show off what he was\nworking on. My interest peaked in grade 10 when he worked on the Canadian Imperial\nBank of Commerce. At the time, it was the tallest building in downtown Toronto.\nHe would sing the praises of the engineers and\narchitects who would be on the job. And he wanted us, my sister and I, to\nfollow in his footsteps by becoming engineers or architects because those were\nthe folks who designed the buildings\u2014he had an\nadmiration for the architects and engineers because of the power position that they were in."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"You directed the design and construction of\nthe largest public housing modernization program in the country,\nwhich was part of the Chicago Housing Authority\u2019s Plan\nfor Transformation. What was that experience like for you? "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"That\nproject was the largest adaptive re-use program in the country at the time.\nThe key component of the program was the\nmodernization of the senior portfolio, which consisted of 54 high-rise\nbuildings with approximately 10,000 dwelling units. That project gave me an\nopportunity to really impact and change the lives of thousands of individuals\nby transforming what were deplorable, uninhabitable spaces into livable spaces.\nWith a 10-year\nstrategic plan and budget of approximately\n$1.5 billion, my portion of project was\napproximately half a billion dollars."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"What skills are necessary for leadership and\nproject management in this industry?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"From a\ntechnical perspective, one needs to have a sense of how to conduct a value\nengineering workshop\u2014be able to communicate\neffectively with stakeholders and communicate to them what objectives we\u0027re\ntrying to reach in various stages of the project. Being able to understand\nproject budget scheduling logistics, planning,\nand contract negotiation\u2014all of those\nelements, in terms of skills, are wrapped up in communication. Not being able to communicate effectively, especially from a\nMcKissack perspective, is one of the most critical paths for a\nproject to go sideways."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Can you talk about one or two of your biggest\nchallenges during your career and how you overcame them?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"From a\nprofessional perspective, the biggest challenge that I\u0027ve had throughout my\nprofessional career is to ensure that we stay within budget. My engineer and\nmanagement background is pivotal in terms of battling to get architects and engineers to focus on\nthe alignment of the budget and scope. That\u0027s always a battle, always a major\nchallenge. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The\ntoughest challenge that I\u0027ve encountered on a personal note, as a minority\narchitect, is a self-imposed pressure that I\nhave to over-deliver. I always say to myself, \u2018If\nthe race is 100 meters, my intention is to run\n125 or 150 meters in order to be competitive and relevant.\u2019 And so, pushing myself to make sure there is no question about my\ncapability in terms of getting the job done."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Does that need to overachieve ever become\nexhausting for you?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Absolutely,\nit does. But the enjoyment that one gets in\nterms of the work that you do and the impact that you have on lives provides\nthe energy to go the extra 10, 15, 20, 20 meters. It\u0027s a challenge you overcome by seeing the rewards of your\neffort."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"You\u0027ve been in the industry for more than three\ndecades. How have you seen it change and what would you like to see for the\nfuture of architecture and design?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The\nchallenge I see is to make sure that students who are going through the system,\nlearning the craft and nuances of the profession, are\nsteeped in understanding the basic and fundamental elements of architecture\nand don\u0027t get caught up in the niceties of the computer. The computer\nallows you to generate more options, but if you\ndon\u0027t understand the fundamental basics, you may be generating a lot of\nnonsense as design responses to a particular project."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally,\nthere\u2019s been a lot more emphasis on sustainability. I would like to see more emphasis on the wellness of a building in terms of how that building [is] contributing to the well-being of the inhabitants in that\nparticular space. I know the big concentration is on energy renewal assistance\nsuch as solar, but I think there needs to be more of a shift and a focus on\nbuilding wellness and not simply on sustainability from the standpoint of\nbetter energy usage."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Is there anything else important you would like to add about your\ncareer? "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"My biggest satisfaction comes from\ntransforming unlivable spaces into livable, habitable, functioning spaces. In\nshort, the satisfaction of making those spaces better\u2014particularly as it\nrelates to dwelling spaces at the lower end of the cost spectrum. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To make that a reality, my\nbackground has positioned me to do more research into the design responses that\nwould allow us to tackle the issue of low-to-moderate income housing. In the\nU.S., there\u0027s been some talk in terms of generational housing structures where\ngrandparents, parents, and kids are all in the same dwelling unit. But it\u0027s\nbeen slow to take off because Americans, for the most part, are into the notion\nof, \u2018I own my own home.\u2019 So it would take a paradigm shift in terms of the\nthought process of dwelling spaces for some of these concepts to take hold."]]]]}