Things my professor never told me: the many hats of today's architect.

Recently, somebody asked me to describe a typical day in the life of an architect. In thinking about an appropriate answer, I realized that my days are often atypical of what most people consider an architect's area of responsibility. In fact, when I decided to become an architect, I had no idea just how far afield from architecture my role would be in attempting to provide my clients with the highest possible level of service.

Responsible management of today's complex interior design projects requires a sophisticated understanding of technology requirements, real estate issues, engineering systems, construction costs, and the client's strategic business goals. Above all, it requires flexibility and a willingness to do whatever is required to get the job done.

Here are some examples of the many hats I wear in providing my clients with a total design solution:

* In working with organizations which have gone through internal restructuring and rightsizing, I am often involved in strategic business planning sessions where I am asked for recommendations on personnel issues that will result in a more efficient operation.

* To help my clients visualize their space, I have spray-painted the recommended space layout on the unfinished floor of a building - sometimes even before they lease the space. I've also had full-size foam-core mock-ups of workstations built, complete with phones and PC's, so clients can try them out before making a commitment.

* Many years of dealing with unforeseen problems on the job site have given me the ammunition I need to provide solutions for would-be disasters. Finding loaner furniture to substitute for late deliveries, helping the contractor work around piles of debris during a garbage strike, or appeasing local neighborhood coalitions are all in a day's work.

* I've even provided personalized design solutions for tenants with special needs. One interesting example involved a client who was devoted to the principles of Feng Shui (an Eastern philosophy dealing with the nature of harmony and balance) and was concerned about the location of his office, the position of his office door and the orientation of his furniture within the office.

* I sometimes put on my base building architect hat, particularly when called upon to consult on a new facade material for a suburban office building renovation, or to design architectural bridges to connect four separate buildings in a suburban office park with convenient internal circulation.

* In order to accommodate a specific street address for one of our clients, I provided some civil engineering services to create a private road through an existing parking lot.

* I often provide systems support - like recommending a location for microwave antennas or air-conditioning units on the roof of a building, or locating emergency generators in a parking garage adjacent to a tenant's office building. One recent project required the construction of a two-story building with a 7,000 square-foot footprint to accommodate rooftop air-conditioning units.

* In another project, I acted as landscape architect by designing the exterior entry plaza and surrounding outdoor space for a tenant office building my client planned to occupy. My design team also created an attractive outdoor dining environment complete with streetscape furnishings.

* Beyond the design of kitchen and dining space, I am often asked for my opinion on food service operations such as the choice of menu items; the method of displaying food; a system for notifying tenants about menu offerings-of-the-day; and the color of staff uniforms to coordinate with our design.

* During a client's move to new facilities, I've acted as move coordinator with hands-on activities that include help in assembling furniture, establishing set-up procedures, and creating an introductory packet of information for the staff to welcome them to their new facility.

I guess it's unusual tasks like these that help to make my job as an architect so interesting. And I believe that it's an architect's ability to provide these services that keeps clients coming back for more.