Most marketing teams in the AEC industry are stuck paying a tax they never agreed to. Nearly a third spend less than a quarter of their time on strategy and brand building, even though that's exactly what firms hired them to do. In this episode, Patience and Brian break down why this keeps happening, why it's a structural problem and not a people problem, and what firm leaders can do to give their marketing teams the time and trust they need to actually build the brand, not just check boxes.

AI search isn't coming soon - it's here. People are already shifting from using "traditional" search engines like Google to AI agents like Gemini and Claude. How does that impact business development for architecture firms? In this episode, we reveal what answer engine optimization (AEO) means for architecture firms, why it affects far more than just clients (think RFP committees, lenders, press, and job seekers), and what it actually costs a firm to be invisible to AI. They walk through how people phrase AI searches differently than traditional ones, how LLMs decide which firms to trust, and how to make sure your firm doesn't get overlooked.

CannonDesign CEO Brad Lukanic, AIA, LEED AP and Principal Natalie Petzoldt, AIA, LEED AP, EDAC join As Built to discuss how the firm scales without losing its identity. They discuss the Ennead Architects and Cityfi acquisitions, internal programs like Open Hand Studio and AMP, the firm's employee ownership model, and how their guiding maxim "do good, do right" shapes real decisions. They also share how Billie, their in-house AI platform, supports the team without replacing human judgment.

One of the most common questions architecture firms ask themselves is also one of the hardest: should we niche down, or stay generalized?

On Episode 128 of As Built, Patience and Brian discuss the fears that hold firms back from committing to a niche, the real advantages of staying generalist, and how to tell the difference between a strategic pivot and chasing a trend.

One key insight from the conversation: the decision doesn't have to be a leap of faith. Your firm's project history, client relationships, and staff structure are already pointing in a direction. The goal is to read that signal clearly before making a move.

They also address the temptation to niche down when billings are slow, the risk of over-niching into too narrow a market, and why niched firms aren't inherently better than generalist ones.

Whether you're leading a firm, managing its marketing, or both, this episode gives you a practical framework for approaching the decision with your eyes open.

Ten years into building one of the most unique AEC firms in the world, City Collective Managing Partners David Cooke, RAIA, MPIA and Justin Kearnan, AIA talk about what it actually takes to move the needle on the problems cities can't seem to solve.

City Collective was built around a simple but radical premise: that the only way to solve a city's toughest challenges is to bring every discipline into the same room. In this conversation, Managing Partners David Cooke, RAIA, MPIA and Justin Kearnan, AIA walk us through the firm's holistic design approach, from writing their own economic pro formas to unlock housing deals, to championing the "missing middle" housing typologies that were effectively regulated out of existence for half a century. They share how City Collective operates as a single design culture across Australia and the United States, why they hire for people with roots in at least two disciplines, and what it looks like to bring sports and community infrastructure into the same equity-driven framework they apply to affordable housing.

If your architecture firm's About page sounds like every other firm's About page, this episode is for you. Hosts Patience Jones and Brian Jones break down why so many firms end up with generic, forgettable positioning statements and, more importantly, how to write one that actually works.

We discuss:

• Why vague language like "excellence" and "collaborative" fails to differentiate your firm from competitors

• How to identify what makes your firm worth hiring

• How to create a framework for building an effective positioning statement that doesn't copy from competitors

Whether you're writing your About page for the first time or overhauling one that's been collecting dust, this episode gives you a clear starting point. Subscribe to As Built for more practical marketing guidance built specifically for architecture and construction professionals.

Wanting to break into a new building type or market sector is exciting, but it comes with a real challenge: how do you win work you or your firm has never done before? In this episode of As Built, Patience and Brian tackle one of the most common growth obstacles for architecture and construction firms, and lay out a practical roadmap for making the transition.

We explain how to:

• Identify transferable skills and processes from your existing portfolio

• Use photo and video storytelling

• Quietly expand into a new sector without alarming your current clients or signaling inexperience to prospects

If you're feeling like you're stuck in a cycle of "wanting to do it but haven't done it to prove you can do it," this episode is for you. Subscribe to As Built so you never miss an episode.

Project sheets might not get your blood racing, but they can make or break your next RFP response. In this episode of As Built, co-hosts Patience Jones and Brian Jones dig into what it actually takes to upgrade your project sheets from a static archive into a strategic tool that wins commissions.

Episode Highlights:

• The two core purposes every project sheet must serve

• Why a "kitchen sink" version is the right starting point for tailoring submissions to specific RFPs

• How storytelling, context-driven photography, and linking to dedicated project pages online can help your firm stand out from the competition.

Patience and Brian also tackle why listing your project partners is a sign of strength, not a liability, and how to think about QR codes and hyperlinks that extend your document beyond the printed page.

If you want to stop scrambling every time an RFP lands and start submitting materials that actually communicate your value, this episode is for you. Subscribe to As Built so you never miss an episode.