Because we are the architect acting as the developer, we eliminate the change orders, we eliminate the RFIs, we eliminate the job directives - there's basically no chocolate mess, we don't have anybody to answer to.
In this video from Breadtruck Films, San Diego architect Jonathan Segal speaks about how his business model of acting as a developer for his own architectural projects helped in the construction of his latest mixed-use project. The building - a seven-story concrete and glass structure which he named "Mr Robinson" thanks to its location at the corner of Robinson Avenue and Park Boulvard - was constructed in just 14 months as opposed to the 2 to 3 years that he would expect with the usual setup of architect, client and contractor (or "the bad triangle" as he calls it).
Now an expert in the "architect as developer" arena, Segal's firm is a family-run affair, with his son helping him to design the buildings, his wife taking care of property management and his daughter Brittany helping to rent the units out. Brittany, though, is also an artist; in this second video from Breadtruck Films, she explains how her father's work has influenced her own creative talent:
