#327 - CAVIN COSTELLO, Principal Architect of The Ranch Mine
SUMMARY
This week Cavin Costello, Principal Architect of The Ranch Mine joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design to discuss his background; architecture school; starting an architecture practice with his wife, Claire Costello and their working relationship; their approach to finding clients; and more! Enjoy!
ABOUT CAVIN
Cavin Costello is the son of a civil engineer who endeavored to build his own house in rural Connecticut. It is safe to say that this exposure to building systems mixed with a “go get ’em” attitude laid the foundation for Cavin’s future. Cavin pursued his childhood passion at Northeastern University from which he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude. During his schooling he was able to study in and call Florence, Italy home, using that time to explore the country, building his appreciation for history and how culture and context affect the built environment. His enthusiasm for adventure lead him to Phoenix, Arizona where he has become a prominent figure in the community. To date, Cavin has designed over 175 projects around the United States and the world, winning multiple national and local awards, including HGTV’s “Designer of the Year” in 2019 and “The Future of Architecture” award from the American Institute of Architects in 2015. Cavin is a licensed Architect in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Tennessee and North Carolina.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Background.
(07:20) Architecture School.
“[The beginning of architecture school] was brutal. I definitely thought about quitting the first week or two in. […] I think a lot of people are in the same mindset, especially those who come from communities that give you the opportunity to try [architecture before undergraduate school]. It’s such a new thing and you're going to it's going to be terrible at first, but it's a process. I think the biggest thing that you have to learn in architecture is that it continues forever. It’s a marathon. It’s a very long profession. You’re constantly learning you’re constantly doing things you don’t know how to do. It’s kind of the job, here’s a problem and you’ve got to figure it out. And I think that abrupt start to architecture is very similar. […] The biggest skill you can learn is to be confident in your ability to solve the unknown. Which is a very difficult thing to do, because it is the unknown.” (07:20)
(19:35) Moving to Phoenix after graduating.
(23:45) Starting their practice.
“It definitely was organic. Life is essentially like a series of experiments and what you learn from them. I was doing a ton of small jobs very quickly and from that, we really learned how to run a business and how to design for clients at a very rapid pace because, within a year or two, we had 20 completed projects.” (32:30)
(42:30) About the practice.
“One of the top challenges that we have in our industry is that what every client wants is like something that you did before with like 5% difference. They want to ‘kind of’ make it their own, but it's very slow and because it takes years it's very slow to change the trajectory of your business.” (50:26)
(01:11:29) Finding the right clients.
(01:29:16) Almost being on an HGTV show.
“Architects are right in the middle of a lot of things but our roles have been segmented out in a variety of ways as the world has become more specialized. I do think it is a marketing PR issue…It seems like it’s being left up to each individual firm to educate their market.” (01:30:23)
(01:41:06) What’s next?
