To succeed in building product marketing, it is helpful to stay in touch with trends in the industry. If your product is specified by architects, that requires you to read or scan architectural websites or blogs. A new website,
phaidonatlas.com, may be helpful in this regards. It claims a database of over
130,000 images of more than 3000 buildings from 115 countries and more
than 1500+ architects. All the projects were completed in the 21st
Century, and the numbers above suggest the complexity of the
contemporary global market for architecture.
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| Southern California? Nope, Angola. |
Any database
or collection reflects the interests of its editor or curator, and the editor of this website is clearly looking at a very narrow range of buildings.
The website says it presents "architecture for architects". This means, apparently, that it is
about buildings designed so that other architects will look at them as
say, "My, isn't that interesting. I wonder how he gets away with doing
something outlandish like that? Maybe I should copy this and I
will be considered a great architect as well."
The database comes with
filters to help you search the site; interestingly, there are not
filters for "style" - so don't look for "traditional" designs - nor for
"cost per square foot or square meter" criteria. There is almost no
discussion of building performance, and discussion of building materials
and performance are given short shrift. In other words, the database is
for architecture as still life.
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| Tessellated Facade. |
The editor also fails in accuracy and consistency. The filters allow you to search for "concrete" and "cement",
apparently unaware that cement is a component of concrete. And while a
photo featured on the home page has a tessellated facade, it is not
listed under the "tessellation" filter.
Building Product Marketing
Still,
the site may be helpful to some building product companies or reps. If,
for example, you are preparing to call on an architect to discuss the
use of your material on their new airport terminal project, you can look
at other recent examples of airport terminals or bring up an example or
two of the firm's work. If the project happens to be in Kazakhstan, you
can see photos of two recent projects in that country. By studying
these and other projects, you may be able to ferret design trends that
can influence your product development targets or marketing messages. This will help you keep up with the buzz, at least with the buzz of the designers on the team.
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| Kazakhstan |
Of
course, you can probably do all of this just as quickly and perhaps
more thoroughly with Google, if you are willing to forgo the editor's
taste making sensibilities. The website is published by
Phaidon, a
major publisher of high-quality books about art and architecture, and costs $240 per annum.
Maybe your local university library has a subscription, or Phaidon's 30 day free trial will meet your needs.. Then you can save enough money to purchase one of
Phaidon's coffee table book so you can put it in your office, browse the pictures at your ease, and
impress your boss, coworkers, and visitors.
