SOCIAL MEDIA ZEITGEIST

Our extensive research for the Beedier Social Media Zeitgeist has meant that we have visited the websites of almost every studio in the country. Not every practice includes team sheets and photographs, but most do – and we spotted an intriguing trend – the inclusion of dogs in your office and design teams.

Many have been given purposeful roles – Chief Barker, De Stresser, Guard Dog, Recruitment, Health and Welfare Officer, Adviser, or simply ‘Office Dog’, and the humble Architectural Assistant. Some even have their own email address. We also spotted one cat and a goldfish, but we can confirm that at least one hundred dogs in total are working in architecture in the UK and Ireland. Ever inquisitive, we had some questions.

We approached a selection of the studios that have dog ‘staff’ in their team. We wanted to to know what they bring to the working environment – how does the wider team relate to having a dog around – what are the pros and the cons?

Joanna Parascandolo, from A+J Architects in Wetherby, West Yorkshire tells us: ‘Our office dog, Ted, will make you get up off your chair and go out for a quick walk which is good for mental and physical health especially as architects can get rather engrossed in what they are doing.  This is probably the most important aspect, but they also make you laugh. Some disadvantages? Very loud spontaneous barking when trying to make a phone call.’

‘Ted collects scrap paper from one bin and then gives it to you to put in another bin.  Silly but can be entertaining’

At Edith Garland Architecture at Leigh on Sea in Essex, Joise Colquhoun explains: ‘We love having Dolly in the office with us, she’s very loving and always wants attention so she’s great company on a coffee break. When clients come in we always pick her up and ask if they’re okay with dogs, I’d say 95% of time they say yes and she’ll say hello. She also loves to sleep, so she’s known to disturb meetings with her snoring, but in a good way! She recently had a back operation on her spine, and we received so much love and support from our amazing clients. Thankfully she’s made a great recovery, it wouldn’t be the same at EGA without her.’

Mark Folkes, Co-founder of Folkes Architects in Storrington, West Sussex tells us: ‘We have a stencil of Fred on the front of our studio, a “Folksey” not a Banksy. There are great benefits of having a dog in the studio. He is not always in the office as he likes it at home too, but he does enjoy a nice change and coming into the office for some treats from his work colleagues. Having a dog in the office provides a less formal and relaxed atmosphere, breaks down barriers and of course provides entertainment, albeit he likes to chat to passers-by now he is in his older years.’

At Darwent Architecture in Derbyshire, Sarah Darwent ensures us that: ‘Having spoken to many staff members over the years I can absolutely confirm that having Lady in here is a huge bonus to everyone’s working day. She enables the team to take 5 minutes here and there just to give her a cuddle which leaves both them and her feeling better and helps promote a calm, happy work space.’

‘We’ve even had staff take Lady for walks to give them some fresh air throughout the work day. We think without a dog people might feel less inclined to take this time out to reset themselves if they feel they need to, but having a dog to take for a trot is the perfect excuse.’

Richard Portchmouth of Portchmouth Russum Architects in North London concurs with this sentiment: ‘Illy joined us as the visiting Health and Welfare Officer. What she lacks in verbal communication she more than makes up for in raising moral and encouraging activity and exercise.  One suspects however she may have an ulterior motive in the form of the rather dashing Dachshund, Tyson, who works on the upper mezzanine.’

At Nimtim Architects in South London, Nimmy Attanyake explains that the office dog, Corbi, ironically, helps to humanise the team: ‘He adds a bit of humour and softness to the website and the office vibe. He brings a warm and sometimes much needed distraction to our day to day routine. Most of our team enjoy his frequent visits to their desk where he usually puts his paw up – requesting a stroke.

‘His presence brings a familiarity and domesticity to our office culture and he is missed on those rare days when he isn’t in. Research has shown that dogs can boost wellbeing and reduce stress.’

‘Our former employees always ask about Corbi first before any of the people. Some of our team keep their own dog treats on their desk for him or deliberately share some of their lunch with him.’

Cameron Spencer, Studio Manager of Freedom Homes in West London agrees: ‘We have an office full of dog lovers, with most of our employees either owning dogs or having dogs in the family. Having dogs in the office is our stress relief and our way of maintaining team morale. Its not always the best idea when they’re barking during phone calls, but its definitely a net positive to our working environment.’

And sadly, at the time of asking we discovered that Exeter’s MRM Design Studio‘s own office dog had passed away, but Director Doug Millar has fond memories: ‘There were numerous benefits of having Albert in the office. He helped create a relaxed and less formal atmosphere. He was a great distraction at times to get us away from our desks and screens including the need for walks at Lunch time and throughout the day. He was a great dog.’

A happy studio, staff wellbeing, opportunities for distractions and exercise – all this is well and good – but at Beedier we are interested in business development. We can’t help wondering whether there are hidden marketing opportunities for having a dog around – perhaps it sparks some clients’ interest to see a dog on the team sheet and around the office?

Darwent Architecture see their dog as being a great conversation starter with clients:  ‘Anything from farmers who’ve had spaniels as landworking dogs in their properties, to small families who are interested in getting a pup themselves and see Lady as a great marker of a lovely and much-loved pet. Everyone seems to have a link to her and likes to spend time telling her she’s beautiful – they’re correct, of course!’

A+J Architects tell us why their office dog is portrayed on the company website: ‘Having the dog on the website shows our human side and ability to not take ourselves too seriously – hopefully making us come across as quite friendly, approachable people.’ And Freedom Homes concur: ‘We have the dogs posted on our website which we feel makes our ‘about us’ page feel more personable and we have often receive comments from new customer enquiries commenting on the dogs they have seen on our website.’

MRM Design Studio provide further evidence: ‘He welcomed clients to the studio with great enthusiasm and helped create a connection with our clients, many of whom have dogs themselves. I think he made us appear more approachable.’

‘We have had many examples over the years where clients have mentioned one of the main reasons they chose to use our services initially was because of featuring a dog on our website. We had one particular example where a client enquiry was addressed to Albert.’

‘I do think that any opportunity to stand out from other practices helps. Albert certainly helped us do this and was a valued part of the MRM family.’

Edith Garland Architecture tell us how their dog has become a local talking point: ‘Having Dolly on our website and in the office helps us portray how personable and welcoming we are as a company. Our office is heavily glazed, so for the most part we have obscured film up for privacy. We cut out a clear square where her bed is so that she can look out onto the street and the children can see her.’

‘We put Dolly stickers and Dolly’s business cards in a box for the children to take as they walk past the office. The children tend to look out for her to say hello… she’s a bit of local celebrity come school finishing time!’

At Nimtim, their dog has a role to play at public consultations: ‘So many people contact us because of Corbi. He makes our office seem open, approachable and accessible, with some potential clients addressing Corbi in their enquiries.’

‘We recently took him to our Becontree Planting day, which was an engagement event, where he quickly became a way to start conversations with the locals and often people felt more comfortable to approach us and get involved.’

Folkes Architects suggest that the inclusion of a dog in the office can give a client confidence in their ability to design good homes: ‘Clients also find a connection with us, as many can relate to having a furry friend, some also bring their dogs into the studio and we of course have a dog bed so that they can use that, all part the service.’

‘Many of our clients are home owner clients so it is very important to understand how they live on a personal level to provide them with the best design solutions.  If you have a dog, or sometimes aspire to having a dog, you need to cater for them in your home too.’

‘A while ago a client of ours came into the office when Fred was working, and he said that he liked our dog and the Schnouzer breed.  A few months later they were looking for and found a dog of their own. Many of our clients have dogs, so understanding how to deal and make friends with them is very important particularly when we are visiting clients in their homes.  Who wants to employ any Architect who doesn’t get on with their Dog?! They are the most important part of the family after all.’

What is clear is that the office dog has become an important part of many studio’s working practice. Dog’s are social animals, and we are sure that they love being part of the office pack on a day to day basis – and many staff also get a lot out of having them around. Some client’s seem to relate to architect’s who keep dogs too, although perhaps there are also some that don’t so much – but every engaged client is a win – and a dog on the team-sheet may well be a way to draw them in! At least, we don’t think it does any harm. Perhaps some of the larger practices should also take note?

Many thanks to all the studios that took the time to answer our questions, and for sharing your enthusiasm for the office dog.