Everyone Makes Mistakes

By Barron Schimberg, AIA LEED AP

Everyone makes mistakes—even architects. Do a Google search for “architectural mistakes,” and you’ll see that even world-renowned architects such as I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry have made errors in their building designs. (See: Ten Major Architectural Failures )

What matters to clients is how we handle mistakes. Be honest about the mistake, admit the mistake immediately, apologize for the mistake and then fix the mistake.

Ideally, we collaborate early in the process to identify and resolve potential mistakes. Those ‘future mistakes’ are easier and less costly to correct. Once the problem has been identified, we can review what we learned from the mistake and how similar problems can be prevented in the future.

Here are three real-life examples of the type of errors that have occurred on various architecture and interior-design projects and what we learned from them.

Mistake 1: The Wrong Bases for Custom-Made Tabletops

Recently, we commissioned an artisan to make 27 rectangular tabletops for a restaurant. To support the custom-made tabletops, we ordered bases from a national distributor of commercial restaurant equipment. Per the recommendation of the manufacturer, we made the mistake of ordering round bases for the rectangular tops. The bases were heavy, expensive, and took four weeks to arrive. Once the tables were installed in the restaurant, we learned that the chairs could not be pulled up to the table due to the shape of the bases.

After learning about the problem, we quickly found a local distributor to provide the cross-type bases typically used with rectangular tabletops in restaurants. Within three days, we had all 27 of the round table bases switched out, and the new ones installed. As the architect and principal of my company, I personally helped the laborers make the switch. I knew just how important it was to the owner to have everything in the redesigned restaurant ready for their scheduled opening.

Lessons Learned: You can’t always trust a salesperson to recommend the most appropriate product for a particular job. Do your own due diligence. Also, Restaurant Table Base 101 – Use cross bases with rectangular tops. Leave the round bases to the round tops.

Mistake 2: Incorrect Dimensions on a Residential Renovation

In the midst of construction, a contractor, following our drawings, realized that an incorrectly drawn dimension would cause a 2’-0” discrepancy. All work in the field stopped and the entire floor plan had to be modified.

In this case, one of my employees made the mistake when drafting. I immediately called the homeowner, admitted the mistake and committed to fixing it as quickly as possible. Within a couple of days, we provided the contractor with an updated drawing and kept the project moving. The client appreciated us making their project a priority and addressing the problem immediately.

Lessons Learned: As an architect, I count on my employees to be accurate in their work. Sometimes they aren’t. As the owner of the company, the problem is ultimately my responsibility. I simply explained the error and helped her fix the mistake. We all learned.

Mistake 3: Overcharging for Furniture

On a commercial project, we charged about $2,000 too much for some furniture we ordered. We immediately let the client know about the miscalculation and sent a new invoice. The client appreciated our honesty, and our good relationship continues.

Lessons Learned: Be honest. No amount of money is worth losing the trust of a client. Use accounting software to accurately track the costs associated with procured items. Then, make sure there truly is a mistake. If an error has occurred, let the client know immediately.

Advice for Clients

If you think the architect made a mistake on your project, call it to his/her attention as soon as possible. Don’t keep your concerns bottled up.

Don’t confront your architect in an accusatory manner. Discuss the problem in a reasonable way. After double-checking your facts, explain why you believe a mistake has been made. If you are correct that we are wrong, we will act quickly to make corrections.

No building project will ever proceed perfectly. Mistakes occur on every job—particularly if we are trying something bold and innovative. As Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”