TZL 1397 (web)

The combination of landscape and architecture is paramount. We want and need a connection to the outdoors, whether it comes from incorporating natural materials, or including a connection to outdoor areas within a design. One project example that comes to mind when speaking on this topic is an early //3877 project – MatchBox – where we incorporated many different, natural materials, but we didn’t hide that materiality; we let these materials and finishes shine within the space. TZL: How do you anticipate COVID-19 permanently impacting your firm’s policy on telecommuting? DSB: Just like the majority of business owners, we’re still mapping out the road ahead. It’ll likely be a hybrid approach – splitting employees’ time between remote work and in-office work. It’s undeniable that 2020 dramatically changed the way everyone works, on a global level. On both an individual level and a professional level, we’ve all experienced a massive learning curve, where our limits have been put to the test. We have to find a silver lining in this collective experience. If remote work is more productive, efficient, and beneficial for the office culture, why not continue some element of that in the workplace “norm” of the future? TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? DSB: By being honest. We tell them from the moment we start the project process that we’re not superheroes. There will always be bumps in the road, but that we’ll solve them. It’s also important to talk about fees, cost, and money up front. TZL: What skills are required to run a successful practice? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? DSB: Looking back over the past 10 years, the first thing I wish we knew before starting //3877 is just how challenging it is to not only find the right employee, but also how to measure if they will integrate within our established company culture. We want everyone to fit into the overall picture of //3877. You may find the right person for the job on paper, but it’s difficult to know how they’ll acclimate. I also didn’t realize how much time was going to be spent working on interpersonal dynamics (and taking people for coffee breaks to work through these). See HUMILITY, page 8

and using him as a sounding board was very important during the big moments of my architecture career. ❚ ❚ My parents. I will never forget the moment in high school, when I barely made it through biology when my mom and I were sitting with my guidance counselor. Unlike a lot of parents, she didn’t force me to fall into the “marching line” of doing things a certain way because they’d always been done that way. Instead of forcing me to do biology – a subject that I didn’t enjoy and wasn’t good at – she encouraged me to take up art. This type of guidance helped me on my path of becoming who I was meant to be. It’s important for parents to embrace the weirdness. ❚ ❚ My daughter. I’m going to leave this world a better place than when I came here because of her – she’s the driving force behind that. “That old-school business mentality of the ‘big boss’ who leads their team through an emotionally-disconnected management style is so outdated. Leadership is about creating and maintaining a two-way street of open communication.” TZL: You have a quote in your bio that reads, “Good architecture is landscape in drag.” Love it. Can you give me an example of how this translates into a past or current project? DSB: For me, this quote has two meanings. As a part of my position at the Catholic University School of Architecture and Planning, I’ve traveled and held lectures in Italy, including at the magical Casa Malaparte in Capri. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of this piece of incredible architecture, I arranged a week-long workshop led by one of my heroes, Antoine Predock. Antoine gave numerous lectures, led design session and unique sketching exercises. He called me on his last day in Italy and said, “I’m calling you from my cell phone so that we can continue to stay in touch.” I couldn’t believe my hero was actually calling me. It was a realization that great leadership is about humility; no one is ever too important, we treat others as equals. To this day, Antoine is still a mentor, friend, and hero of mine – that connection is so important to me.

HEADQUARTERS: Washington, D.C. NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 20 YEAR FOUNDED: 2011 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 1 ORIGIN STORY: In the fall of 2010, close friends David Tracz and David Shove-Brown began the process of realizing their decade-old dream of forming a professional architecture and design partnership. Through over two decades of experience, the duo developed goals of not only working with clients interested in the design process but also teaming with partners who can help provide the highest levels of design, construction and presentation. After months of planning and development, Washington, D.C.-based //3877 was born. //3877 is a multi-disciplinary architecture and design firm specializing in restaurant, hospitality, single- family, multi-unit residential, and commercial projects. The award- winning firm has been featured on the Washington Business Journal ’s ‘Best Places to Work’ list for three consecutive years, and in 2020, became the first Washington D.C. design firm to become B Corp Certified. In 2021, it became a NEWH TopID firm. //3877 understands that without people, the spaces they design would not exist; their team remains invested in the communities that they help to create long after the construction process has ended.

NE 21, 2021, ISSUE 1397

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