Blog
What is Competitive Intelligence?
January 12th, 2012 by
Do you know about Competitive Intelligence and how it can help your A/E/C firm succeed? To learn more, click below on the link below for “What is Competitive Intelligence,” my article in the December issue of the SMPS Marketer. WhatIsCompetitiveIntelligence_KristaSykes_Marketer_December2011 I’d love to hear thoughts, comments, or questions. Thanks for reading!
Webinar: Competitive Intelligence in the Architecture Industry
November 17th, 2011 by
On November 16, I had the pleasure of leading a webinar on Competitive Intelligence co-sponsored by the AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community (AIA PMKC) and the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Foundation. We had a great turn out — 625 registrants — many of who offered insightful and provocative questions concerning Competitive Intelligence and [...]
The First Impression: One Great Reason Why Your Web Site Matters More Than You May Think
June 19th, 2011 by
“You only have one chance to make a first impression.” More than ever, this old standard holds true. What’s different today, though, is that a first impression often comes not from a face-to-face encounter, but from a quick encounter with your web site. Your web site talks for you. Do you know what it’s saying? [...]
Architects: Five Tips for Better Web Site Content
June 13th, 2011 by
Architects, we have an unfortunate situation here. Actually, it has been going on for quite a while. Overall, architects’ web sites are embarrassingly wretched… particularly for a profession that should be at the top of the design pyramid. We have work to do. Here are five tips to get you thinking about how, with a [...]
In Distraction: Cambridge City Hall
January 24th, 2011 by
Aside from the mild winters, the Boston area is blessed with another great perk—plenty of amazing architecture. (Okay—clearly I jest about the mild winters, but I speak the truth about the architecture.) We walk by a lot of it every day, in distraction, zipping from point A to point B. I think we can change [...]
Viewing The Carpenter Center Anew… Again
January 17th, 2011 by
As I drive through Cambridge every morning, I purposely chart a course by the Fogg Art Museum, or what remains of it during this considerable expansion. The massive “Transformation,” as Harvard describes it, will unite the three university art museums (the Fogg, the Busch-Reisinger, and the Sackler) while providing additional exhibition, study, and visitor spaces. [...]
Cool Spaces! and Hot Tubs
January 10th, 2011 by
Cool Spaces!, a new program proposed for PBS, promises a positive twist on the ubiquitous trend of reality TV. In lieu of poorly behaved 20- and 30-somethings á la MTV’s Jersey Shore, Cool Spaces! offers a glimpse into the “reality” we walk by everyday, often in distraction and without a second glance. The host, Stephen [...]
Atlantic City Stars in Boardwalk Empire
September 20th, 2010 by
As an architectural historian and Atlantic City native, I have been anxiously awaiting the premiere of Boardwalk Empire, which aired last night on HBO. Steve Buscemi is great as Nucky Thompson, but for me, the real star of the show is Atlantic City herself, “the World’s Playground” wonderfully recreated in all her 1920s glory. While [...]
Politics and Partial Truths: Gingrich on Cordoba
September 2nd, 2010 by
In a July 2010 commentary titled “No ‘Megamosque’ Near Ground Zero,” Newt Gingrich declared: “‘Cordoba House’ is a deliberately insulting term. It refers to Cordoba, Spain – the capital of Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world’s third-largest mosque complex.”* Gingrich’s statement is both [...]
The Context of Architectural Context
April 29th, 2010 by
Over the past fifteen years I have come to the conclusion that, all too often, architectural notions of context focus on a project’s physical site and surroundings. I have no concrete proof for this, only anecdotal evidence and gut feeling supported by tidbits such as the following: In 1950, a young Robert Venturi declared that [...]