Business Philosophy
Media5 Architecture's business philosophy stems from five core concepts.
1. Longevity, tenacity, and resolve.
In 1972, the founders of Media Five Limited lit a flame that still burns bright almost forty years later. Most of us have been with the firm for more than 10 years, some more than 20 years, one more than 30 years. In various incarnations, the firm weathered the economic downturns of the 70s, the 80s, the mid-90s, and the latest Great Recession.
Surviving and prospering over that length of time takes more than luck: it demands tenacity and resolve. Media5 intends to be around for a long time, and will soon embark on planning for the firm’s second 40 years. Look for that plan to be unveiled in celebration of the firm’s fortieth anniversary, in 2012.
2. Experience and expertise.
As might be expected, four decades of practice has allowed Media5 to build a portfolio of projects impressive enough to compare favorably with most other firms. We’ve done everything from award-winning architecture to design so self-effacing it just seems to have always been there. Our projects span across Hawaii, the Pacific islands, Australia, Japan, and the continental US. From home remodels to complex multi-building campus complexes. From projects with budgets of a thousand dollars to projects with budgets over $250 million. From “make it a landmark” to “just keep the rain out.”
What does this mean to our clients? It means you can depend on Media5 to know the questions that need to be asked, and to provide the answers we know to be true. It means we’ve solved problems on dozens of projects, and we’ll solve the problems on your project. It means your project will be a success, now and into the future.
3. Change-seeking.
Change is the only constant. Some people avoid it or attempt to ignore it on the flawed premise that what worked before should work now and always. Others grudgingly accept change knowing that it’s inevitable, as if change is some invading enemy.
Media5 has adopted a third path: we are seekers of change. This is the path that enabled us to become one of the first firms in Hawaii with multiple staff members accredited in sustainable design, to design the first building in Hawaii with titanium-clad roofs, and to reinvent the firm’s business model and business practices at a time when most firms were just looking to survive.
When our clients envision projects, they, too, are seeking change. When you propose to remodel an office building, to construct a new school, to develop a new housing complex, you are proposing change. Your architects should be your partners in making that change happen. We at Media5 are your partner in change.
4. Design as an avocation.
That architecture is at least a business is inarguable: we look to our practice to feed our families, to keep us clothed and sheltered, and to enable us to contribute to our community. But, architecture is for us much more than our job or a 9-to-5 occupation: it is an avocation. It is the defining passion of our lives. Our clients benefit from this passion simply because it is our passion. Yes, we need to be compensated for our services, and yes, we run our projects at a modest (sometimes, too modest) profit. But we realize that it’s not just “show me the money,” and that, often, the work itself is its own reward.
5. Driven by values.
Media5’s practice is one driven by values, some of which are difficult to define, and some of which are in no need of definition. Honesty, integrity, equity. Conducting ourselves in ways that are fair and ethical. Balancing self-interest and selflessness. Realizing that our colleagues are people, too, and are deserving of our support, our confidence, our respect. Having the courage to say what we believe to be right, even if it might be controversial. Looking for invention and innovation to find practical solutions to difficult problems. Knowing that our clients depend on us, and being dependable. The list is perhaps endless, and certainly not set in stone, but these are the principals that have guided, and will continue to guide, Media5 from day to day, and for a long time to come.