THE ITALBEC INTERVIEWS

How has covid-19 impacted your business and your industry?

As far as impact, there are the regular challenges of people working from home. We do many renovation projects; this was especially difficult at the beginning with the logistics of visiting construction sites that were occupied and all the sanitation steps to take in order to visit projects. We also do work in Québec City and Toronto; the traveling became more complicated as well.

The hardest challenge for me and my team was the requirement of working from home. In the beginning, we were all very afraid of what covid-19 was going to become and it greatly affected the dynamic of the office. I was doing exceedingly long hours, even more than before. When I would get a call from a client in regards to a request, I would have to take a note down and remind myself to call my team member. By the time I wanted to contact them about that particular project, it was too late in the evening to call my team member. For that reason, I would end up doing the client’s request myself. Whereas before, I would simply run out to the studio and delegate to my team. Due to these circumstances, the staff members became more disassociated with the projects. After a couple of months of going through these hurdles, we adapted and overcame. Also, our staff members have been very flexible and wanted to get the job done. They did not use covid-19 as an excuse to not work. This has been something that I’ve seen in other types of industries where people take advantage of the situation. We have not experienced this here and we are very appreciative of our employees. In addition, I don’t think that these types of challenges faced by our industry, architecture or interior design firms have been vastly different from ours.

Are you designing differently than when you were pre-pandemic?

There was already a tendency of having flex-space, open areas and unassigned closed rooms/private offices before covid-19. When designing office spaces during the pandemic, I’ve noticed that they are planning fewer places for staff members that occupy the least amount of footprint because now, most of their team is working from home. There is this extreme amount of flexibility that clients are expecting because they don’t know what they expect themselves. It is now putting a lot of pressure on the designers to come up with that perfect solution for a problem that is not clearly defined.

Do you feel like people are returning to the office now?

Most of our employees have returned to the office. Luckily, we are a small group of 14. Our staff members have expressed early on that they want to return to the office. I’m truly happy because this creates a great work environment. They like being in the office for many reasons like exchanging with other people. Once they’ve left work, they feel like they are going into their private lives and it doesn’t cause this overlap.

I read an article in the OAQ publication stating that many offices want their employees to be at the office 3 days per week. This becomes a whole other challenge because we need to ensure that there is enough overlap between employees that are working on the same projects. Also, if all employees come into the office on the same days, you need an office that has enough space for all employees. If there are not as many coming in the same days, we need to make sure that the office can also function better at a lower capacity at any given time. There is a tendency of people wanting to have that hybrid solution where they are going to the office on a partial basis. I believe that this is going to be a big challenge for the configuration of office spaces.

What elements are and will be a staple for exterior spaces due to the global situation?

Green spaces and rooftop terraces were already coming into play before covid-19. People were trying to make their buildings more attractive and the amenity spaces in residential buildings have also increased in the past years. The office buildings and office spaces have to attract employees and need to be more engaging. Now, we are seeing places offering more benches, free wi-fi, more places for people to sit; not just a big open plaza. If you look at the European buildings with public spaces, they are taken over by pedestrians and people that are socializing. I’m not certain that covid-19 is driving this trend but there definitely was an aim towards these changes.

When you are designing new spaces or renovating existing spaces, are there any allowances or attentions being brought because of covid-19?

Definitely. When we were designing public bathrooms, we would always take into consideration having the paper towel and garbage close to the door. Also, touchless faucets and soap dispensers are now something that is essential to public bathrooms. Building owners are willing to invest, even if it is more expensive. There is definitely more awareness and sensitivity towards the needs of the public and another level of thinking of how much space people take up.

As an architect, what are the challenges that you’ve had specifically in designing during the pandemic?

One of the things that I want to mention is the new people entering this industry. How we train them, how they become absorbed to these environments and the accessibility of asking questions at the office in comparison to learning virtually becomes a real challenge. In terms of hiring new staff members that would require virtual onboarding, we would try to hold off on hiring the person because it would add another level of obstacles.

Going through these past 2 years, Is there any big takeaway from a professional and personal level?

On a professional level, it was a test of resilience for a lot of people. As a team, we were able to adapt to better serve our clients. We never experienced a blip in the service that we gave our clients. In that sense, I know that we can get through anything as a team. In fact, our entire company did a great job getting through these past years with their own personal challenges.

From a personal standpoint, I always knew that personal contact was important to all of us. I remember having friends over the first time it was allowed and sharing a drink with them. In that moment, there was a sign of relief because it reinforced that time shared together is something you can’t take for granted.

Do you think that the pandemic will continue to affect your industry in the next 5 years?

Architecture was always difficult to project in Montreal and Québec. When I first started in the industry, we all had this notion of being lucky to have a job, let alone a project. I believe that it is different now due to the resurgence of architecture and interior design. People want to have nice designs and being proud of having a nice office space, maybe even more so now that they have to attract their employees to come to the office. We are going to have a huge amount of continuous demand, like we are seeing now. The other consistent challenges will be the supply chain issues that we have been experiencing to this day. We’ve encountered this problem several times when we’ve designed a space where 9 of the 10 materials are delivered, then the contractor advises us that the last material will not arrive and that they will substitute for another material. Unfortunately, it is not an acceptable substitution because the 9 other materials are a tinge off in terms of the colour. In these cases, we are constantly left scrambling to find the best solution for our client.

Have you noticed a difference in the way your clients interact and do business with you?

Considering a big portion of our business comes from repeat private clients, we have seen little to no difference in the way our clients interact with us, due to their firm business culture.

There have been challenging interactions; meeting new clients for the first time with a mask on. It is more difficult not seeing their facial expressions and not clearly understanding what they are saying due to those barriers.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned in your career?

The biggest lesson that I have learned is how to make decisions. When you have to make a decision, you have to evaluate quickly the things you need in order to make that decision. Getting your ducks in a row will allow you to make that decision as quickly as possible. This type of skill is the most important thing I’ve learned in order to be proactive in all aspects of design and business.

What advice would you give to someone starting in your industry?

As an architect in our industry, I would advise you to work in a big and small office for 1 to 2 years each. In the beginning, do not pre-conceptualize a job, go to a place where they will give you the most amount of work to do and work hard. Do not try to design anything but understand what is coming and how the industry works.

What is something essential that is part of your morning routine that you wouldn’t want to give up?

Something that I’m going to have to give up soon is driving my kids to school. Even if they are grumpy in the morning, I love doing it and I feel like I’m contributing to my family. Since my kids are getting older, their schedules will be very different with Cegep; I know that this special time with them will come to an end. One thing that I could never give up is my espresso machine. I have a nice espresso machine that I use every morning to make my coffee. While it's heating up, I do 40 burpees. The funny thing is that I haven’t noticed any difference in my body at all!

When you were growing up, what made you decide to be an architect?

I am not one of those people who grew up knowing that I wanted to become an architect. In fact, I didn’t know what an architect did at the time. I did well in school and had the marks to get into several programs. When it came time to fill out my McGill university application, I left the program choice blank until the last day and I chose architecture; my second choice was computer science. Who knows what would have happened, I could have become a dot com billionaire or even invented Google! Yet, I saw myself as someone who liked science and math that also had an artistic side. Somehow, I had an instinct that architecture would broaden my horizons.

Lastly, what Is your message to our readers today?

Let’s just take advantage of the fact that the restrictions are lifted and coming to a close. Go out and appreciate what you can. Whether it be working in a group, going to see a hockey game or going to a restaurant, just grab life and enjoy it!

For more information on Vinod Gupta, founder and senior architect at Gupta Architecture Inc., visit the website below : www.g-architecture.com