A View from the Top: Principal at Architecture Firm

Raun Thorp is an architect who runs and owns the firm Tichenor & Thorp Architects in Beverly Hills, California, with her husband and business partner, Brian Tichenor. As a principal, Raun loves her work, and has enjoyed the challenge and hard work involved in building their mid-size firm over its fourteen years of operation. She and her husband are involved in virtually all aspects of the firm, which offers both residential and landscape architect services. They have divided up work in certain areas, but Raun describes her job as "a jack-of-all-trades position." She is in charge of most of the business aspects, such as overseeing financial and administrative concerns, legal and contractual issues and database management. Both she and Brian are involved in meeting with potential clients, scheduling projects and staff responsibilities and deciding which projects to accept. Each takes charge of individual projects, with Raun specializing in interior architecture and details such as lighting, plumbing and hardware. Brian focuses more on the architectural design and landscape.

Raun first became interested in architecture at Bryn Mawr college. She had trouble selecting one discrete discipline, since nearly every subject piqued her interest. She ended up choosing an interdepartmental major called "The Growth and Structure of Cities,"the educational requirements of which included some architectural and urban history classes. In addition, she enrolled in an extracurricular class on weekends taught by a graduate of the Yale architecture school. Inspired by this course, Raun sought a job in the architectural field after college, and ended up working for architects for two years in New York. Working in the industry further solidified Raun's feeling that architecture was for her, since it incorporated all her diverse interests. After receiving her masters in architecture, Raun held several different positions, including freelance work, which led her, along with her husband, to open their own business. The major benefit of her job, she says, is "doing something you love and getting paid for it." But pay, as compared to other similarly degreed professions, is low.

A major focus for Tichenor and Thorp, working in the residential arena, is keeping work flow manageable so all clients have access to a principal. Raun and Brian have made a concerted effort to keep the firm relatively small and personal as opposed to expanding into a larger, corporate environment. Their goal is to concentrate on sound architectural detailing and superior service for clients and projects. Raun's favorite aspects of her job are the details involved in design work, but she is committed to being involved in all aspects of a project, which sometimes means firmly concentrating on one project as opposed to participating in many. Her least favorite parts of the job are dealing with personnel issues and difficult clients.

With a wealth of experience in the architectural field, Raun has the following advice for aspiring architects:

1) Only become an architect if you love it, and be prepared to work very hard.

2) Hone your drawing skills. Nothing communicates better than a good sketch, and unfortunately too many schools aren't really teaching this skill anymore.

3) Learn your architectural history. This is another area that schools seem to neglect.

4) Make sure you have good, or at least sufficient, writing skills. Know your grammar, spelling and punctuation.

5) Travel. Photograph and sketch. Develop your interest in things other than just architecture. Everything you do and read will enrich your work.