At EntreArchitect, you’re encouraged to share your knowledge. When we share with other architects, we all benefit. We are able to learn from one another and the profession will grow. One of the goals of EntreArchitect is to provide a platform for other entrepreneur architects to share their stories.
Join us for our series called The Entrepreneur Architect, where each guest has the opportunity to share their story and answer some questions that will provide value to each of you.
This week on EntreArchitect Podcast, The Entrepreneur Architect Series featuring Kurt Krueger.
Origin Story
Kurt’s firm is based in Brentwood, LA, and specializes in modern design-build residential architecture. He grew up in a small town called Mexico, Missouri, and never had any exposure to architects. He was artistic and could draw, but had no idea what to do what that moving forward. During his junior year in high school, a perceptive geometry teacher asked if he’d ever thought about being an architect. He took some basic drafting classes at the vocational school attached to the high school and found the perfect marriage between the artistic side and his propensity for using art for practical purposes.
He went to college at Kansas State University and something clicked. Kurt enjoyed the drawing and design aspect of school when he found a way to combine what he loved with hard work to get good at it. During his third year in school, he interned for an architect in North Carolina. He began to learn more about his love for design and the construction/building side. When he graduated, as opposed to getting an office job, he worked for an architect in Lawrence who runs a studio called Studio 804 where the team does design-build projects. Kurt did hard work for little pay, but knew there was value in being able to learn first hand how things come together.
From there, he relocated to Los Angeles because of the weather and the greater opportunities to get engaged with different architects. There can be some experimentation and craziness that he fell in love with. His construction experience got him a job with design/build architect Marmol Radziner for four years. After that, he worked for a high-profile firm doing the work for some beautiful homes.
What is one big goal you’ve achieved in your career and how did you get there?
Kurt has worked to take the structure of design-build and moving it into an architect-as-developer where they have their own clients and are able to work on projects on their own. He’s been talking about it with his firm for some time, and, for them, they had a leg up since they were already doing the things developers would do. If they had all the pieces in place to get the structure in place and get the numbers right, it was a no-brainer. It finally came down to them stop thinking about it and just doing it to see what works and what doesn’t. Though they’re early on, it’s a goal they’re in the process of getting it to where they want it to be.
What is one struggle you experienced and how did you overcome it?
Of course there’s the struggle of everyday practice. Kurt had a big turning point in his third year of architecture school. The first few years, there’s no computers at all. The transition to the computers and doing things with 3D design and renderings was completely new. He had little experience with computers and doubted that he could pull through. Though he had the talent and work ethic to succeed, he didn’t know if it was...