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FIUDepartment of Architecture

ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

P2: Architecture Firm Business Plan

The Architecture Firm Business Plan is worth 35% of your grade. Each plan shall be completed by two students.
This project seeks to envision a possible professional future. This plan is both an analysis and envisioning exercise. At
its core, it asks to assess who you are, what is the environment you seek to operate in and what do you want to do for
the future. As a collaborative exercise, it requires that you do it with with a colleague, one that shares your interests,
values and aspirations. (I recommend that this person is someone in the same Master Project studio if applicable) This
colleague will also serve as a “testing ground” for ideas, solutions and feedback.

This plan shall be 8.5” x 11” horizontally formatted PDF.

Submission 1: March 16, 2021 Items 1-7
Submission 2: April 22, 2021 Items 1-8

This Project will cover the following items:

D.3 Business Practices: Understanding of the basic principles of a firm’s business practices, including financial
management and business planning, marketing, organization, and entrepreneurship.

D.4 Legal Responsibilities: Understanding of the architect’s responsibility to the public and the client as determined by
regulations and legal considerations involving the practice of architecture and professional service contracts.

D.5 Professional Conduct: Understanding of the ethical issues involved in the exercise of professional judgment in
architectural design and practice and understanding the role of the NCARB Rules of Conduct and the AIA Code of Ethics
in defining professional conduct.

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Supporting Readings:
Reading, Chapter 1.4: Regulation of Professional Practice
Reading, Chapter 3.1: Firm Identity and Expertise
Reading, Chapter 2.1: Starting and Architecture Firm
Reading, Chapter 2.2: Firm Legal Structure

Contents: Internal Material
This is the material you need to plan and organize your firm

1. SWOT Analysis

2. Vision, Mission and Values Statements

3. Market Analysis

4. Aspirational and Competitor Firm Reports

5. Business Structure

6. Income / Expense projections

7. Promotional Strategy

Contents: External Material
This is the material you need to sell your firm to get work
8. Firm Brochure / Portfolio

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

1. Firm SWOT Analysis

Prior to writing your Firm Vision, Mission and Values Statements, you need to complete a SWOT analysis:

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis is a tried and true assessment for envisioning
any organization.

Simply put, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors that define the firm while opportunities and threats are
external context in which the firm resides. In the world of an organization things are either helpful or harmful.

Each SWOT analysis shall be composed of summary of bullet points followed by a description of each bullet point.
The format of the SWOT is:

Page One: The four component elements with bullets

Page Two Strengths
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Three Weaknesses

Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Four Opportunities
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Five Threats
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Firm SWOT Analysis: Bullets

Strengths: Characteristics of the firm which give it advantages over its competitors
Things your firm does well
Qualities that separate you from your competitors
Internal resources, skills, knowledge
Tangible assets: property, capital, technology

Weaknesses: Characteristics of the firm which give it disadvantages to its competitors
Things your firm lacks
Things your competitors do better than you
Limited resources
Unclear vision and mission

Opportunities: Elements in the external environment that can help the firm
Underserved market
Few competitors
Emerging needs or services
Media coverage

Threats: Elements in the external environment that could harm the firm
Emerging competitors
Changing economic environment
Negative Media
Changing trends

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

2. Firm Vision, Mission and Values Statements

1. Vision
250-word Vision Statement describes the desired future position of the company.

2.Mission
250-word mission statement should address the following: why the organization exists, what its overall goal is,
identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of service it provides, its primary customers or market and its
geographical region of operation.
Who is this for? The target audience
Contribution: what service do you provide
Distinction, place

3. Values
In essence, your company values are the beliefs, philosophies, and principles that drive your firm. They frame the firm’s
attitude internally and externally: to your employees, clients, consultants and partners.

Each value will have a 100-word description

Note all these items shall reflect the AIA ethics NCARB Rules for the profession and your professional, personal and
aspirational goals.

FIU’s Vision, Mission and Values:
https://www.fiu.edu/about/vision-and-mission/index.html

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

3. Market Analysis

Describe national, state, and/or local data that supports your firm. Reference national, state, and/or local plans or
reports that support the need for the type of work you are planning to do. Provide data in a graphic / chart that
supports the decisions you are making.

Below are some starting reference points:

Where are the jobs:
https://www.bls.gov

Housing starts:
https://www.nahb.org

Construction Spending
https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/c30index.html

Construction news

News

AIA Building date:
https://www.aia.org/resources/10046-the-architecture-billings-index

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

4. Aspirational & Competitor Firm Report

Aspirational Firm Report
What is the firm – locally, nationally internationally that you aspire to be like? Who does the work you like? Who is the
person you admire? Think of your vision statement these firms should represent your vision – in 5 years? 10 years 20
years? (1) Firm minimum

Competitor Firm Report
These are the firms in your market. What is the firm in close proximity to your firm? Proximity can be defined in terms of
geography (they are in the same town or city as your) or in terms of skills, specific market building types that you aspire
to grow in. (1) Firm minimum

Each Audit shall have the following items: Firm name, address, website, When was it established?

Types of projects
What is this company’s claim to fame? What kind of building types / sectors does the firm complete? What is the
percentage of each type of work?

Samples of work
Select 2-3 projects that best represent the work of the firm. Include photo, building data, dates
What sort of work and services does your office provide?

Mission Statement
Why the organization exists, what its overall goal is, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of service it
provides, its primary customers or market and its geographical region of operation.

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Values
Does the firm support adaptive, on-the-job learning and innovative experimental thinking? Or, do they prefer routine
and rote execution?


Office Structure
Which partner owns the majority stake? Is the stake evenly split, or do some partners have larger shares with larger
influence? What are the number of Employees? What is the ownership structure?

Office Operations
How are projects staffed? Are junior employees considered for their individual strengths and professional
development, or are they interchangeable? 


Diversity
Are different backgrounds and perspectives welcome at the firm? Or, is there an adherence to the status quo and an
emphasis on: “This is the way we do things here?” 


Evaluation
What is their competitive advantage in their market?
What products/services do they offer that appeal to you and other customers? 


Clients
Who are their typical clients?

Promotion
How do they market and get new work?

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

5. Business Structure

What form of business ownership will your company be? Why did you choose that form of ownership?

Facilities and Location

What type of facility(ies) will you need?

Where will you be located? Be specific.

Why did you choose that/those locations?

Supporting Readings
Reading, Chapter 4.1: Financial Planning, Financial Management Systems
Reading, Chapter 4.2: Financial Management Systems
Reading, Chapter 4.3: Maintaining Financial Health

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

6. Income / Expense projection

Create an annual Income Projection: See Lecture 5
Chart the following over 12 months:
Existing Projects
New Projects

Create an annual Staffing Plan: See Lecture 5
Chart the salary expenses over 12 months for:
Principals / owners
Registered Architects
Technical employees
Support staff (marketers, business manager, office manager)

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

7. Promotional Strategy

Who is your network?

Outline a marketing strategy that is consistent with your niche (focused customer group).

How will you attract/advertise to your clients?


What media platforms will you use, why, who will see/hear the message.

How regularly will you distribute information advertise

Supporting Readings
Reading, Chapter 3.2: Marketing Strategy and Planning
Reading, Chapter 3.3: How Clients Select Architects

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

8. Firm Brochure / Portfolio
This is the document that “sums up” all the work of project (items 1-6) for public consumption. As you already have a
personal portfolio of academic and a bit of professional work (this varies case by case) this is an opportunity to critically
look back on your time at FIU and pull out the work you think most anticipates your professional future. Your selection
of Master Project Seminar and Studio should have already begun this inquiry.

1. Firm name and Logo
Create a firm name and design and develop a firm logo

2. Firm Mission and Vision

3. Services
How do you work? What technologies do you use? What is your expertise?

4. Portfolio of work
Select 5-10 projects that “sell” the firm and / or its services

5. Personnel: Partner Bios and Head Shots
250-word biography: Job title, University degree and other qualifications, Hometown or city of residence, Personal or
professional goals, Mission statement and values, Skills and expertise, Interests and hobbies

First draft

by Aminata Sillah

Submission date: 05-Mar-2021 07:58PM (UTC-0800)
Submission ID: 1525620572
File name: 223186_101875803_1066586694_First_draft (98.9K)
Word count: 1094
Character count: 6276

20%
SIMILARITY INDEX

16%
INTERNET SOURCES

19%
PUBLICATIONS

12%
STUDENT PAPERS

1 7%
2 4%
3 4%
4 2%

5 2%

6 1%

First draft
ORIGINALITY REPORT

PRIMARY SOURCES

academic.oup.com
Internet Source

www.mdpi.com
Internet Source

www.tandfonline.com
Internet Source

Jing Fan, Akshith Ullal, Linda Beuscher,
Lorraine C. Mion, Paul Newhouse, Nilanjan
Sarkar. “Field Testing of Ro-Tri, a Robot-
Mediated Triadic Interaction for Older Adults”,
International Journal of Social Robotics, 2021
Publication

Ophélie Glachet, Mohamad El Haj. “Emotional
and Phenomenological Properties of Odor-
Evoked Autobiographical Memories in
Alzheimer’s Disease”, Brain Sciences, 2019
Publication

Tao Wang, Shuang-Feng Xu, Yong-Gang Fan,
Lin-Bo Li, Chuang Guo. “Chapter 5 Iron
Pathophysiology in Alzheimer’s Diseases”,

Exclude quotes Off

Exclude bibliography Off

Exclude matches Off

Springer Science and Business Media LLC,
2019
Publication

FINAL GRADE

/20

First draft
GRADEMARK REPORT

GENERAL COMMENTS

Instructor

PAGE 1

Article Error You may need to use an article before this word.

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Missing “,” Review the rules for using punctuation marks.

S/V This subject and verb may not agree. Proofread the sentence to make sure the subject agrees with
the verb.

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Run-on This sentence may be a run-on sentence.

Article Error You may need to remove this article.

PAGE 3

Sp. This word is misspelled. Use a dictionary or spellchecker when you proofread your work.

Proofread This part of the sentence contains an error or misspelling that makes your meaning
unclear.

S/V This subject and verb may not agree. Proofread the sentence to make sure the subject agrees with
the verb.
Article Error You may need to remove this article.
P/V You have used the passive voice in this sentence. You may want to revise it using the active voice.
Missing “,” Review the rules for using punctuation marks.
Article Error You may need to use an article before this word.

PAGE 4

Possessive

Article Error You may need to use an article before this word. Consider using the article the.

Sp. This word is misspelled. Use a dictionary or spellchecker when you proofread your work.

Article Error You may need to use an article before this word. Consider using the article the.
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S/V This subject and verb may not agree. Proofread the sentence to make sure the subject agrees with
the verb.
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the verb.
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the verb.

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the verb.
Missing “,” Review the rules for using punctuation marks.

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RUBRIC: PROGRESS REPORT I

TITLE PAGE (10%)

BEGINNING
(1)

INTERMEDIATE
(2)

ADVANCED
(3)

LIT REVIEW (35%)

BEGINNING
(1)
INTERMEDIATE
(2)
ADVANCED
(3)

INTRODUCTION (35%)

BEGINNING
(1)
INTERMEDIATE
(2)
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(3)

GRAMMAR (10%)

BEGINNING
(1)
INTERMEDIATE
(2)
ADVANCED
(3)

0 / 3

0 / 3

Descriptive Title Name & Contact Info Date of Submission

0 / 3

inclusive of in-text citations and works cited

0 / 3

Research Question/Objective Hypothesis

0 / 3

inclusive of writing mechanics

ONTIME SUBMIT (10%)

BEGINNING
(1)
INTERMEDIATE
(2)
ADVANCED
(3)
0 / 3

First draft
by Aminata Sillah
First draft
ORIGINALITY REPORT
PRIMARY SOURCES
First draft
GRADEMARK REPORT
FINAL GRADE
GENERAL COMMENTS
Instructor

RUBRIC: PROGRESS REPORT I 0 / 3

Creating Memories through Sense of Smell for Dementia

Aminata Sillah

Sillaham@kean.edu

March 4, 2021

Introduction

Memories are sparked by everything we smell. Memories are created from our childhood,

teenage years and adulthood. Researchers are figuring out that “sniffing out,” close relations

between losing the sense of smell and the parallel of memory loss related with dementia

(Intriago, 2016). Sense of smell is recognized as olfactory sense. Olfactory memory is the

remembrance of smells. Olfactory memory is a simple operation of the brain; however, its role is

complex in both conscious and subconscious memory (Intriago, 2016). The other senses pass

through a different brain region before being operated. Sense of smell, olfactory cortex is looped

right to the amygdala and hippocampus – major key to the limbic system (Intriago, 2016). The

things we smelled throughout the years stays with us. Those smells become part of our emotional

memories and can recover through the form of emotional acknowledgments. Certain scents bring

back long- term memories through emotional response which will be a great treatment impact on

dementia

including Alzheimer’s disease.

According to El Haj and Giachet (2016), autobiographical memory is known to contain

all personal memories that is comparable to whom we are, were discovered to be damaged in

Alzheimer’s disease. Autobiographical memory is known for being the key part of our memory

system which allows repairs and maintenance of self-awareness, self-image, and personal

knowledge and able to retreat past events from our lives (El Haj and Giachet, 2016). People with

Alzheimer’s disease autobiographical memory are declined and it is difficult for them to relive

past events of their lives. Studies tried to reduce the damage of autobiographical memory by

centering sensory signals. Studies also shown that music and odor are powerful benefactors of

involuntary recovery by shrinking the time it will take to recover the memories. Involuntary

autobiographical memories are conscious memories of events of one’s life and those memories

comes to the mind suddenly. Olfactory signals are connected memory and emotions which are

amygdala and hippocampus. Neuroimaging studies shows that odor-evoked memories are

distinguish by the brain areas activation that are associated with memory recovery and the cortex

process of olfactory and recruit the brain regions that were operated during visual imagery and

emotions (El Haj and Giachet, 2016).

El Haj, Gandolphe, Gallouj, Kapogiannis and Antoine (2017) presented a case study of

28 participants that were in the mild stage of Alzheimer’s disease and 30 healthy participants that

were the controls. The Alzheimer’s disease participants were enrolled from retirement homes

and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease dementia by a neurologist/geriatrician based on the

clinical criteria from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association. The control

participants were independent, lived own their own in their homes and lived with a spouse or

relative of Alzheimer’s disease participants. Each participant was tested separately in three

sessions: after odor exposure, after music exposure and in a control condition. They were given

three minutes to describe their memories and they were informed of this time limit in order for

them to structure their memories accordingly and avoiding bias from distractions. Small bottle of

essential oils was opened and participants had to smell the scents with their eyes closed and were

asked to explain the memory that popped in their mind. Two pieces of music was played for the

participants and they had to recall a memory. However, control participants, were told in silence

with odor free air. The outcome of memories being recovered after odor and music exposure in

Alzheimer’s disease participants had a higher precision, emotional experience, mental time travel

and shorter comeback time than the control condition.

Researchers inquired whether the exposure would improve difficulties that recover

memories in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Twenty- six patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease

and 28 healthy control patients were tested to recover childhood, adulthood and current

memories without odor and after odor exposure (El Haj, Gallouj, Glachet, and Moustafa, 2019).

The outcome of this study showed Alzheimer’s disease patients had a higher number and more

certain childhood, adulthood and current memories after odor exposure than without odor.

The olfactory bulb is the first area that is affected in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

diseases. The sense of smell is weaker in early stages of people with these diseases. Correlating

with different activities with different scents help reduce confusion for dementia people with

what is going on. The scents can be essential oils, toast, coffee in the mornings or loved one’s

favorite perfume or aftershave (Bowles, 2007). Same aroma every night before bed for someone

with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is helpful due to helping them settle for bed. Rosemary,

peppermint, lemon scents are not a good smell to help someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s

disease.

Essential oils are part of aromatherapy which is good for people with dementia including

Alzheimer’s disease. There are multiple essential oils that are effective in treating Alzheimer’s

disease and dementia symptoms through smelling and rubbing into skin. Lavender smells are

calming and balance strong emotions. Lemon balm are very effective and beneficial to people

with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Lemon balm are very effective and beneficial to people

with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Peppermint stimulates the mind and calm nerves and

corrects absent-mind. Rosemary oils improves cognitive performance, stimulates mind and body

(Best-alzheimers-products.com, 2010). Essential oils trigger certain memories for dementia

including Alzheimer’s disease.

The purpose of my proposal is to further investigate the extent to which scent memory

can be used as a means to assist memory recall in persons with dementia. If memories can be

sparked by scents, then persons with dementia including Alzheimer’s disease may be triggered to

recall certain memories when undergoing scent training.

Word Cited

El Haj M, Gandolphe MC, Gallouj K, Kapogiannis D, Antoine P. 2017. From nose to memory:

The involuntary nature of odor-evoked autobiographical memories in Alzheimer’s disease. Chem

Senses. 43(1):27–34.

Glachet O, El Haj M. 2019. Emotional and phenomenological properties of odor-evoked

autobiographical memories in Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain Sci. 9(6):135.

Glachet O, Moustafa AA, Gallouj K, El Haj M. 2019. Smell your memories: Positive effect of

odor exposure on recent and remote autobiographical memories in Alzheimer’s disease. J Clin

Exp Neuropsychol. 41(6):555–564.

Joy Bowles BSc. E. 2007 Mar 8. Remember that Smell – Dementia Care International.

Dementiacareinternational.com. https://dementiacareinternational.com/2007/03/remember-that-

smell/.

Olfactory stimulation for Alzheimer’s and dementia. 2010 Jan 6. Best-alzheimers-products.com.

https://best-alzheimers-products.com/olfactory-stimulation.html.

Intriago J. The connection between smells and memory. Seniorsmatter.com. 2016 Apr 25.

https://www.seniorsmatter.com/connection-smells-memory/2492233

Remember that Smell

Remember that Smell

Olfactory Stimulation for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

https://www.seniorsmatter.com/connection-smells-memory/2492233