Having Agency

Starting a new practice and launching a journal has made for an exciting 12 months! Like most big moves these two things are the result of a combination of circumstance, timing and the (naïve) feeling that it was the right thing to do.

Early on we created a framework for ourselves: we would produce two journals per year, with each issue focussing on a particular word, and we would describe our business as an agency. For an architecture practice this has been relatively controversial – or at least unsettling – and has generated lots of questions in our direction!

So, what better word than AGENCY to focus the second edition of our journal around. As with PIVOT, we started with our own loose meaning, have delved deeper and have learned so much through the contribution of others. AGENCY is both a noun and a verb. To be an agency and to have agency are two quite distinct things, yet for us we are interested in what it might mean to be and do both.

Architects are the ultimate problem solvers. We are trained to look to the future and to ask the question, ‘how can we build something that uses so many resources and so much money if it is redundant as soon as it is finished?’. It makes sense then, that we should use our professional agency to advocate for things that we think are important. In our experience, this is not always in places where we wear the ‘architect’ badge, but rather when we use our skills to seek solutions to problems that are not answered in buildings.

And this brings us to the allure of ‘the agency’. We have always loved the dynamic and collaborative nature of the advertising agency model.  It is a world of structured pairings, of freelancers, networks and teams.  There is a generosity in the development of ideas and a freedom that comes from being part of a flexible and dynamic team.  As an Agency, we are creative thinkers, but we also make a declaration to be part of a team. Sometimes we might take the lead, sometimes we create a team and sometimes we are part of something greater than ourselves. With each arrangement, we find energy from working with others.

To have agency is to find a kernel of power, to pair this with opportunity, to find a way to move (sometimes by stealth) towards a better outcome. It is a way of seeing things differently, of interpreting our past and influencing a better future.

So far so good on The FULCRUM AGENCY front – we thank you all for your support.

Happy New Year!

Emma and Kieran