VIDEO CASE
MACHADO & SILVETTI
About Machado & Silvetti
Machado & Silvetti Associates specializes in creating housing and other building structures for colleges, universities, and cities, both in the U.S. and around the world. The Boston-based architecture and urban-design firm has received widespread acclaim for its unique architecture and boasts an impressive list of clients including the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard University, and the City of Vienna.
View the Video (15 minutes)
View the video on Machado & Silvetti in class or at http://lussier.swlearning.com.
Read the Case
Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti, seasoned professionals in the world of architecture, became partners in the 1970s and began building a business together based on hard work and successful collaboration with others. Like most architectural firms, Machado & Silvetti Associates is organized around its building projects, and employees at the company must coordinate with architects, project managers, and clients to make key decisions related to design and construction assignments. Regardless of how simple or complex the building project, important decisions have to be made concerning materials and dimensions, and great effort goes into reducing uncertainty and risk—especially with regard to budgets. Some decisions at Machado & Silvetti are routine and scripted; others are made on-the-spot by teams of experienced professionals.
For example, one initial design choices are made and a budget approved by a client, employees must figure out how to deliver the design requirements within the budget, or risk losing money. Then come the building details, all of which must satisfy the customer while producing revenue for the firm. As the team develops a new graduate housing facility for a Boston-based university, they must consider the needs of future residents, the overall look or image of the complex, as well as the choice of quality materials including rugs, tiles, flooring, bathroom fixtures, and appliances. They need to determine the number and size of the rooms. They must be certain that the facility complies with local building and environmental codes. They must select and coordinate subcontractors for various phases of the project. And they must deliver the project on a schedule. All of this coordination and decision making is just for one of the firm’s projects.
Decision-making skills are critical to the success of any architectural firm. In a fast-changing world, decisions have to be made quickly, and managers have to keep themselves open to creativity and innovation. Machado & Silvetti Associates demonstrates that a business can make timely, intelligent, cost effective choices and still remain true to its creative vision.
Answer the Questions
1. List some of the important decisions that have to be made throughout the design and construction of Machado & Silvetti's building projects.
2. Which model of decision making do you think is most common to the teams working for Machado & Silvetti Associates: the rational model or the bounded rationality model? Explain.