Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Lukez.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After graduating from MIT’s School of Architecture, where I was introduced to so many great teachers and practitioners, I realized that architecture could have a major impact on shaping our environment, our cities and the people that inhabit them. After working for five years for some excellent firms in Boston, I set out to start my own architectural studio in a loft building in the North End occupied primarily by artists. I had $500 in the bank.
I entered a major urban design competition and was one of the winners. In addition, I got a commission for a small project in Martha’s Vineyard. And finally, I was granted a great opportunity to teach architectural studios at Roger Williams University. Fortified by a burning desire to engage in Design, I was off and running, despite having no formal business plan.
Focusing on making each commission as great as it could be, through referrals the firm was able to build a portfolio of finely detailed residential and small commercial projects. As the studio evolved and grew as a professional practice, I returned to MIT as an assistant professor in 1999. During my eight years at MIT, I wrote a book on Suburban Transformations published by Princeton Architectural Press. This book illustrated strategies for transforming suburbs into more sustainable communities with a stronger identity linked to the landscape and its underlying ecology. While at MIT, I was also able to lecture and / or teach at other universities around the world. As a visiting professor in China in particular, these opportunities generated architectural and urban design commissions.
Over the last 10 plus years, we have worked in China and other locations on a wide range of exciting projects of all scales and types. Projects included designing a 40,000 SF “sustainable pavilion” that features cutting edge sustainable design concepts and technologies. In addition, we designed a 1.5 million SF multi-use building as well as large master plan projects for over 3,000 units of housing.
Our work in China in turn allowed our firm to build the capacity to take on larger and more complex projects in the US. Since then, we have had the privilege to work with a variety of corporations, institutions and universities on a range of projects including learning centers, research labs and offices, and innovation centers.
Today we continue to serve our clients (commercial, institutional and residential), while expanding our capacities and abilities to work on sustainable projects that integrate cutting edge sustainable technologies.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The challenges we have faced over the years have in hindsight generated new opportunities for growth and advancement.
I believe that one of the biggest challenges for design driven firms is to make sure that there is a strong business oriented infrastructure in place that works well will with a design-driven firm’s goals and processes. Over the years, we have built the support infrastructure and practices that allow us to meet our client’s design goals effectively. This has required a lot of self-study, outreach to experts / mentors as well as investing into staffing and systems.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Paul Lukez Architecture story. Tell us more about the business.
Our business is built on the strong referrals and recommendations we have received from past clients. Our strength is that we believe that the pursuit of Design Excellence and Client Service are not mutually exclusive. We invest all of our efforts in working with our clients to make sure that there is a good fit between their project goals and the final design. We also enjoy sharing with our clients the excitement and joy that comes with bringing to life new spaces and forms that can be inhabited every day, while shaping the experience of its inhabitants and users.
As a multi-disciplinary firm built on strong research oriented skills, our firm brings similar processes to the four sets of project types that we focus on in our portfolio. These include:
– Innovation Spaces (lab /research spaces, workplace environments, learning spaces,)
– Sustainable Housing (Single Family and multi-use projects)
– Urban Design and Master Planning
– Special Custom “one-of-a-kind” projects, representing special design challenges (i.e. Research projects, product development, sustainable design research etc.)
We are very proud of the relationships we have built over the years with our clients, and the multi-disciplinary teams that help realize projects. In addition, we are very proud of the pro-bono projects we have designed in Honduras for communities in-need.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We believe that we can help create our own “good luck” by the attitudes and beliefs we carry each day. This requires being open to all kinds of new opportunities and ideas that are constantly presenting themselves in our lives. It also requires putting ourselves in environments and positions where we can push ourselves to learn more and challenge our own limits as individuals and as an organization. And finally, we need to be ready to fully engage the opportunities, ideas, and people we encounter provided that they are aligned with our own values and aspirations.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1310 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02144 - Website: www.lukez.com
- Phone: 617-628-9160
- Email: info@lukez.com
- Twitter: @PaulLukezArch
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lukez-faia-leed-ap-b404015/
Image Credit:
Robert Benson
Peter VanderWarker
Paul Lukez
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