The ability to bring positive change to communities and public places is part of what distinguishes Gonzalez Goodale Architects’ diversity of work from the rest. They focus on the importance of listening and understanding clients needs and objectives in order to help guide them through the design & building process of a project.
Armando Gonzalez & Ali Barar of Gonzalez Goodale Architects focus on the two guiding principles to stand out from their competitors in this business. One is an interest in being involved in many different building types, more as a generalist, and two is on bringing in a specialist when needed. This prevents a company from narrowing their client base. From the business point of view, the ability to offer this kind of variety provides stability through recessions that occur when certain building types are not being funded at that time or funding is not available.
Reputation with clients and significant repeat work sets GGA apart from others. The principle of listening and understanding a client’s needs, even before starting any part of the design effort, is key to client happiness. Many clients have multiple stakeholders, and in the interest of an entire project, creative compromises need to be made in order to meet the big-picture goal. The Gonzalez Goodale Architects team expertly facilitates that process.
The diversity of work is based on a common thread that has to do with public places and community-based work, in the areas of civic, educational and mixed-use residential.
The hopes of Gonzalez Goodale Architects is that the work that they do brings a positive change to the community through design. Ideally, the firm hopes to attract clients that are not formula-driven, but ones that have a progressive mind and are willing to engage the firm to use their expertise to create environments that enrich public life.
episode 3 – interview with
Armando Gonzalez, principal
Ali Barar, principal
Gonzalez Goodale Architects