We were lucky to catch up with DEVIN ROBINSON recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi DEVIN, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started sooner or later?
Kinetic Design Lab, LLC (KdLab) was officially commissioned in 2015′. However, I have been doing independent small scale work under the company acronym since Hurricane Ike hit and devastated the Houston/Galveston Metropolitan area in 2008′. There is a term in the A/E/C industry (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) referred to as ‘moonlighting’ and since entry level Architectural Internships pay very low on the professional services scale, I had to seek alternative types of commissions when and where I could to supplement the cost of living.
In 2012’/2013′ I was fortunate to meet and start building business relationships with people such as Mr. Mark Davis of Davis Commercial Real Estate and other commercial real estate firms here in town, which opened the doors to many larger and more high profile projects such as the historic 19th Street Theater (Heights Theater). It is associations such as these and my experience with the City of Houston and the many departments that address planning, development, engineering and construction issues, which affords me to branch out and utilize my experience to build the strong foundation of a company that aspires to have a substantial and lasting positive effect on the built environments of my hometown.
As far as the timing, I feel it was the correct trajectory for me at the time. After the housing bubble in 2008′ and then another slight economic downturn in 2012′ and being laid off during these transitional economic cycles, I found that being dependent on, or relying upon others for one’s own economic welfare, was not in my best interest.. Unfortunately, in Houston there is a history of two schools of architecture that keeps the market saturated and competitive with regard to architectural professionals. That said, I was however also very fortunate to learn from a few small offices that have an evolution of professional historical training passed down from one generation to the next and I am very grateful for that mentorship, as I did not realize how important it is at the time. I now seek to encourage this in KdLab team members and pass that knowledge onto the next generation of architectural professionals, so that they receive the same logic and skill sets I was afforded.
This I believe is the strength of KdLab and our most important asset, that of tradition.
DEVIN, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I learned about architecture at a very young age, at about five to seven years of age my Mother was going to University of Houston main campus (taking me along) in the late nineteen seventies to early nineteen eighties, and I was mesmerized by these huge Goliaths (what they seemed to be to me at the time) of Architectural expression on the downtown skyline. When entering the original Republic Bank Center atrium by Phillip Johnson one afternoon for my Mom to do her banking, I was sold. The idea that upon entering a building a sense of ease and contemplation can wash over the human spirit by the basic, but thoughtful use of; materials, colors, forms, textures, sounds and light/shadow astounded me. As I did not know it at the time, this is the essence of architecture. I just thought ‘I want to do whatever that is’!
Later I learned it was called Architecture, but it was hard and required commitment, long hours, education, internships, etc. This I knew was something I was going to have to dedicate my life to, so I might want to sow a few wild oats first, which I did. Upon moving back to Houston in 1996′ I dedicated my entire focus to Architecture and started junior college and San Jacinto Colleges South Campus and ultimately getting accepted to the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture in 1998′. I am beyond honored to have been a part of the School Of Architecture at this time, I learned almost all that I know from the lineage of Architectural thought and practice engrained in this institution.
I have taken all of this acquired knowledge and associated design skill set to advocate for our Clients. We are always their professional representative and advocate in a very complicated and diverse major city that still has a frontier spirit. For example, the City of Houston has no zoning and in regard to the building codes, it operates relative to what are called ordinances and provides for modifications to the building code, or rather, ‘amendments’. It can be somewhat difficult to learn and navigate what issues these ordinances address, items such as; parking, building setback lines, occupancy of a structure, variances to the codes of ordinances, platting and property acquisitions, etc. KdLab assists with feasibility studies for our Clients prior to property purchase. Upon purchases of properties we then come in and provide consultation on any number of issues that might come to light regarding such issues. This is what we refer to as our ‘bread and butter work’.
On the other side of the spectrum is our design work. A lot of times, once we have successfully accomplished the goals of the developer, or Client, for the building shell, structure and/or property and having built a trusting relationship. We work with them on their business model for design. A few great examples of this are; Urban Bicycle Gallery, Genara Housewares, Lindsey Leigh Jewelry and Wolsmiths Coffee & Cycles. Here the Client brings to us a concept and a list of goals and aspirations, we seek to take it entirely to the next level while working in tandem with them and our trades/sub-contractors. I think this is the most beneficial element of a Design + Build firm, that and being able to adjust and modify design on the fly and in the field, or on-site rather.
KdLab provides design services and consulting on projects of all scopes and natures. We bring together a diversified Team of talented individuals all with differing expertise, we meld and manage all of these differences in skill sets and personality types for the most effective and rewarding projects regardless of style or size.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
This is a great question, as having been brought up in a military family we have a saying ‘live together or die together’ and that being said I have always believed in the idea that we are stronger together than we are individually. I was fortunate to get into management at a very early age and outside of the professional A/E/C industry. At around eighteen years old I was already managing Teams at the assistant and general management levels of corporate industry, even managing some veterans from the first Gulf War who took some time to convince me that although young, I had tenacity and was responsible.
You see I have found that people just want to feel included in things, appreciated and valuable to their Team. I would never ask anyone to do anything I would not do myself is a motto I like. However, as you get more experience and over time your role changes and you have to adjust. This in turn means you need people you can count on in your organization and if they feel included and valuable, then you can count on their best being given to the success of the project or enterprise when they have ‘skin in the game’. I have also found that there is not much loyalty in business these days and when it comes to employment, it seems to me that over the last couple of decades, the idea of building a relationship with an organization in which one is committed to the success of that organization has waned over time. The idea of being with an organization for the long haul is not much of a focus today.
For KdLab this is not much of a challenge. As when it comes to morale we try to be very inclusive and address the needs of Team members as they arise, so long as they align with the goals, priorities and core values of the firm. That said, there does have to be a hierarchy and ultimately any thing, or situation, that goes sideways is ultimately my responsibility. We teach that it is okay to make mistakes and everyone does from time to time, but you have to address it immediately, truthfully and honorably.
That form of candor is the right fit for the Teams we have built around our business model and it seems to finally be paying off in spades.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2012′ during the economic downturn and while moonlighting for a medium size residential practice in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, I got laid off. I was doing small projects here and there on the side, but by no means was I making the revenue I needed to address living expenses, pay off student loan debt, etc. So I got a job waiting tables, just as I had done when I was studying architecture. However at thirty-eight years of age this was painful work, waiting tables is a young person’s game. That said, I did not want to go back to work for another firm/practice where I would not be authoring the design work and I would more than likely not be reimbursed for my skill set, based on the fact that at this point in my career I had ‘out experienced myself’. In other words because of the saturated market of professionals in Houston, one might employ two interns for the cost of one of me. Waiting tables to supplement my income and continue to commission small projects and moonlight was my only path forward.
Doing this for a couple of years afforded me to put monies back into the development of the firm and groom our Client base. I did this from 2012’/2013′ completing the Moon Tower Inn on the east side of Houston out of one of our specialties, which is Shipping Container Construction Assemblies, after this project and a little publicity via social media and being published in Houstonia Magazine we have not had to look back.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kineticdesignlab.com
- Instagram: kineticdevin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-robinson-7650031
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/kinetic-design-lab-llc-pfvwus-pf~1326271392 https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/kinetic-design-lab-llc
Image Credits
Mr. Jason Koon (Urban Exposure Photography)