I’ve been working on a startup idea to tackle the USA’s housing crisis. My cofounder’s a licensed architect, and from our analysis of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, each company has their own protocol for communicating and getting things done on a geographic and historical basis. This is also accounting for the fact that most individuals and/or organisations use the same tools.
Hence, we believe that the silo of communication represents a totalitarian regime of protocols across multiple segments that results in a clean segment of protocols.
Considering the high degree of standardization in equipment, materials, and labor it’s interesting that there’s a big difference between companies in their communication protocols. Maybe the difference is driven by where the firm sits in the value chain?
Another thought: the regionality of comms protocols are driven by local regulation, and this serves as the basis for some form of competitive moat. The better construction firms are at policy-speak, maybe the more effective they are by avoiding fines and delays. This also poses a barrier to entry to new firms who would have to familiarize themselves with policies or bear the costs of noncompliance
@both: pardon me, missed that typo. Meant to say “clean segmentation of protocols”.
I had meant these silos don’t talk to each other. Organizations (business, government, or otherwise) can be hostile to others, in a way that protects their own way of being.
AFAIK, the AEC sector is an opaque value chain both upstream and downstream:
Potential home buyers have difficultly grasping relevant local building code requirements (there’s https://up.codes/ ) , and matching with architects, builders, suppliers, etc. Every consultation incurs cost, much like the dating process. This isn’t to mention how shitty their workflows remain.
Same for AEC professionals that freelance or work in small companies. Every man for themselves. Hence, they cut costs/corners or squeeze margins out of others upstream/downstream in the value chain… to survive.
Historically, over time, large organizations survive and grow by offering cookie cutter designs en bloc. That’s where you see standardization in “equipment, materials, and labor”. It’s for the large all-in-one AEC businesses, with heavily marketed projects.
This situation is untenable. Over the past decade, USA has seen -37% loss of licensed architects. On average, it’s taking longer to obtain licensure too; almost 13 years!