Do architects make good business and marketing people? It probably depends on the architect. But we thought we'd ask someone who knows: architect Tyler Suomala, founder of the Growthitect newsletter and podcast.
We've learned a lot from Tyler's newsletter and podcast. So much so that AISC is excited to be a sponsor of the Growthitect podcast, which you can tune into at podcast.growthitect.com.
Kicking off our association, we had the opportunity to ask Tyler about his background, architecture journey, and his thoughts on the business of architecture and the state of the practice. We found the exchange engaging, fun, and surprising at times. Let us know what you think.
Tell us about your background: Who is Tyler Suomala? What is your personal history?
Funny enough, I actually thought I wanted to be a neurologist, not an architect. I spent three years at the University of Michigan studying neuroscience, shadowing a neurologist from my hometown, and preparing for the MCATs. Then I signed up for an elective architecture course my junior year and it completely flipped my world. A few weeks before the MCAT, I got accepted into the architecture program at Michigan and made the switch.
I still carry a lot from my neuroscience background into what I do today, especially in sales and marketing, but I'm deeply grateful for my architecture education at Michigan and later at Princeton.
After grad school, I joined a large international firm, then returned to Michigan to start my own small studio. I ran that for a few years before realizing how little I knew about business. I burned out, decided to fix that, and jumped into sales and marketing headfirst. That led me to Monograph, a project management software startup for architects. I joined early and worked my way through a variety of sales and marketing roles.
Along the way, I started sharing what I was learning with architects, translating business and sales strategies into our industry. That became Growthitect, which I went all-in on earlier this year.
Outside of work, I'm a husband and dad first. My wife and I have been married for 11 years, and we have two kids--our son is 4 and our daughter just turned 3. My wife's been by my side through it all, so we jokingly call her my "wife-itect."
How did you become interested in architecture? Was there a specific moment when you knew architecture was the profession you wanted to pursue?
Absolutely. It was an intro-level architecture drawing course taught by Melissa Harris, one of my favorite professors at Michigan (she still teaches there today), which I took as an elective while studying neuroscience. Her passion for seeing the world through the lens of architecture completely changed the trajectory of my life.
I'd always been interested in design and drawing as a teenager, but medicine had overshadowed that. Melissa pulled me back in and helped me realize architecture was where I belonged.
Were mentors important to you early in your career?
Definitely. Melissa Harris, mentioned above, was huge for me. Not only did I take multiple courses with her, but I even returned my senior year to help her teach the very class that had inspired me. Another key mentor was my professor, James Tate (I just call him Tate). He gave me the advice and confidence to pursue the best graduate schools. Thanks to his guidance, I was accepted into Harvard GSD, Yale, MIT, and Princeton--with scholarships--before ultimately choosing Princeton.
I'm still close with both Melissa and Tate today, and I'm extremely grateful for their influence.
Was becoming an architect what you thought it would be?
Not even close. After my first semester of architecture school, I landed an internship at Disney World's architecture department. I spent nine months there and quickly realized how technical the profession actually is. I had gone in thinking design studio was the core of architecture, but I came back convinced that construction and detailing were more important.
That disconnect between school and practice stuck with me. Over the years, through jobs and projects, I kept wrestling with it. Ultimately, I found my sweet spot with Growthitect. Now I get to stay in the industry I love but focus on what I do best--sales and marketing.
How did you settle on the name Growthitect?
Lots of sugar, a giant list of words and half-words, and plenty of trial and error. I kept testing which names inspired me most when I wrote them out or mocked up a logo. Growthitect stood out every time. It's a mash-up of "growth" and "architect," and it perfectly fit the weekly growth hacks I share with architects in the newsletter.
In a nutshell, what is it that you're trying to do with the newsletter and your podcast?
Give architects the skills, strategies, and support they need to win the projects they want, with clients they love, for fees they deserve.
Collaboration is a word we hear architects use a lot. Is it an overused term? Are architects good collaborators?
The best architects are always good collaborators. They go hand in hand. As much as the ego of the profession likes the idea of a lone genius, architecture is a team sport.
That said, I like to focus less on the word "collaboration" and more on "communication" because it's the mechanism that produces the outcome. Collaboration falls apart without strong communication. If you can't clearly express your value, your ideas, or your client's needs, then collaboration, and the outcome, will suffer.
The transition of architecture firms from starchitect-based firms led by one high-profile architect to people-centered firms where each individual plays a role in the success of the firm seems to represent a shift in the way firms operate and are managed. What's your perspective on this? Is it a good thing? Are there any drawbacks that you see?
Honestly, I don't think the model has changed all that much--I think the transparency has. We've always been taught the names of starchitects, but behind them was always a whole army of designers, staff, and consultants making the work possible. On the other hand, the big three-letter firms have long operated as people-centered organizations, and by sheer scale their impact on society is probably even greater.
It doesn't matter much to me which model a firm chooses. What matters most is how you treat your team, how you represent the profession, and whether you're delivering the best outcomes for the people who actually occupy your designed spaces day in and day out.
Artificial intelligence is a subject on the agenda at every architecture conference we attend. How do you see AI impacting the business of architecture now and in the coming years?
It's still too early to pin down. "AI" is one of those terms that gets thrown around so much that I'm not sure we're all even talking about the same thing.
Architecture tends to be late to the party when it comes to adopting new technologies. My hope is we break that trend this time. From my conversations, most firm owners still aren't using AI much at all - so there's a big gap between the hype and the reality.
But here's the thing: for $20 a month you can basically have a superpowered assistant. That feels like a magic moment worth paying attention to, and I don't think it will be the norm moving forward. So it might be worth exploring now. :)
AI, the climate crisis, embodied carbon, the economy… What keeps you awake at night thinking about the state of architecture these days?
It's the idea of architects losing their role in shaping the future--not because AI replaces them, but because they let it happen.
Too many architects respond to new tools by saying "that's our job, not AI's." But the truth is, we live in a free market. AI will be part of every industry moving forward, not just architecture. We can either sit back and complain, or we can lead the charge and shape how it's used in our profession.
I'd much rather see architects drive that evolution than leave it in the hands of someone else. We should be building with AI instead of reacting to it, for the benefit of everyone.
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