May 10, 2018

Meet Sean Canning of Ten Seventy Architecture in Downtown / Barrio Logan

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Canning.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sean. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved to San Diego w/ the goal of designing waterfront modern homes.

I’d been planning to open a boutique architecture firm on the west coast while I was finishing up architecture school in NJ. There’s a lot of preconceived ideas about modern architecture where I grew up so I knew I had to come out here to really get my hands dirty.

The recession was actually a huge catalyst to opening my architecture practice. My major had become the most devalued college degree nationwide. Architecture firms were going out of business all over the country, but labor was cheap + people that had money saved were opportunistic + wanted to build. I became a licensed architect pretty soon after that + @ 28 years old I was one of the youngest in California.

Ten Seventy Architecture was probably one of the 1st of the post-recession architecture firms to open it’s doors.

The construction industry was like a house fire + I ran right into it. I knew that my rates had to be affordable b/c I was so young but I was willing to cut my teeth those first few years. So I found that niche + ran w/ it.

These days I work on much larger projects so those initial projects were kind of like loss leaders for my business. I still get referrals today from those initial clients + contractors I met almost 7 years ago. That period was really the bedrock of Ten Seventy Architecture.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Here @ Ten Seventy Architecture we run our projects through 8 Phases. We don’t manage all of them, but we’re always expanding.

Any architecture project in San Diego will probably go through (1) Site Analysis, (2) Schematic Design, (3) Design Development, (4) Construction Documents, (5) Permitting, (6) Bidding, (7) Interior Design, + (8) Construction.

We handle 1-5 for our clients. Most architecture firms do not handle the permitting of their projects (this is generally left to the General Contractor or Owner). Permitting is defiantly the most frustrating part of our work.

Many of our projects have unique spaces that are not well defined by the Municipal Code. Dealing w/ the egos of the City’s employees can be a huge challenge + if not managed well, it can result in a huge delay.

In a few cases the City has actually gone back + revised their code based on a project we got approved. It can be like a game of cat + mouse, but as an Architect, I work as an advocate of my Clients.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ten Seventy Architecture – what should we know?
Ten Seventy Architecture is a boutique architecture firm specializing in modern residential design.

We take the Clients through a tried + true architecture process to determine their needs, then design according to those needs. I like to say that we have a traditional design process w/ contemporary tools.

One of the things that really sets Ten Seventy Architecture apart from other firms is that we design exclusively in 3-dimensions. Other firms draft, we model.

As a young architect I find that I have a significant technological advantage over my colleagues. I was never happy w/ the traditional architecture workflow, where you design in 2d, then build a model for a rendering after that. I found it inefficient. So I redesigned the traditional architecture workflow to design in 3d, then export Construction Drawings in 2d (as required for permits / bids). The advantage is huge while we’re designing, but it’s particularly noticeable from the Clients point of view.

I remember wrapping up a 90-minute meeting w/ a husband + wife couple I had been working w/. At the very end of the meeting she turns to me + asks politely where the front door is located on the floor plan!

This is when I realized that the way I see 2d architectural drawings is different than the way my clients read them. After all, I spend 8-hours a day reading blueprints.

In the near future I’ll be able in incorporate these 3d digital models into a digital virtual reality experience for my clients. That is when things are really going to get serious!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I find that I’m the most successful doing the type of work that I would be doing in my free time anyway. For example, I carry a sketchbook (so cliche) + am constantly sketching ideas of modern spaces that would be cool.

I post a lot of my sketchbook on my Instagram.

So the passion (or obsession really) becomes a learning tool + a marketing tool. I’m sure I’m similar to other architects + designers in that there is some sort of work / live overlap.

Pricing:

I set aside time every Friday to discuss budgeting + architecture fees w/ prospective clients. Email: info@1070architecture.com to schedule a phone consultation.

Contact Info: