SkB Architects

Specialty: Commercial buildings, workplace, residential, retail, hospitality

Management: Principals Shannon Rankin, Kyle Gaffney, Brian Collins-Friedrichs, Doug McKenzie, Steve Olson

Founded: 1999

Headquarters: Seattle

2009 revenues: $2.7 million

Projected 2010 revenues: $3 million

Current projects: PATH in Seattle; Philips Medical in Seattle and Bothell; Evergreen Neurological Institute in Bothell and Bellevue; Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond; Hedges Family Estate Tasting Room in Seattle; Microsoft Pioneer Studios in Seattle

Photo by Eric Laignel SkB designed the interiors for Microsoft’s Pioneer Studios.

Shannon Rankin, principal of SkB Architects, said the recession has been painful for the architecture industry but it has also created a huge opportunity for innovation.

“When something like this happens, you either shrivel up and die or you say this might be a cause for us to change the way we’re thinking and doing,” she said. “As painful as they are, they spur a different way of thinking. I’d rather be in a learning place ... than just being stagnant.”

When the economy was good, there were a lot of things happening in the industry that seemed obscene, Rankin said. Now, firms are going back to basic principles of business development while looking at how to stand out from the crowd.

At SkB, team members are networking and telling their own business story. Before, she said, they often let other people tell their story for them but sometimes, those people got it wrong. Now, SkB is focusing on being more visible. It’s doing more face-to-face conversations, and keeping its name out there in publications and articles.

It’s also using its network by being “respectful and unabashed” about asking for introductions and work connections. Nine out of 10 times those connections work as long as you don’t abuse them, Rankin said.

Salary cuts

SkB’s projects and revenues are down from a year ago, and projects on the roster are smaller in size. The company made a number of cost-cutting measures in February, “when we saw the tsunami coming,” such as salary cuts, she said. It also laid off six employees though it was able to hire most of them back in contract or part-time positions.

The recession’s effects, such as high downtown vacancy rates, are drawing some new clients to the marketplace, including businesses that would not normally consider relocating. “We’re working with a number of companies taking advantage of good deals to be had,” Rankin said. “It’s a deal you can’t pass up.”

Smaller jobs

Rankin thinks much of their work over the next year will be in office spaces between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet. She also sees a number of small boutique retail shops opening up. Recently, her team did the interiors of four shops at The Bravern in Bellevue: Sur La Table, Trophy Cupcakes, Eye Society and Wolford. The Bravern was unique, she said, but the team has had bites from other retail clients who want to take advantage of good deals.

By doing great work on current projects, Rankin hopes to build momentum by “being thoughtful and quick on your feet about smaller jobs and getting a lot of attention to those.”

SkB also specializes in strengthening projects by incorporating elements of other markets. For example, retail projects are all about connecting a customer to a brand, getting them to linger and connecting them to a space. Those design features can be used in a workplace to drive behaviors and get people to interact. By highlighting that skill, the company hopes to differentiate itself.

“When somebody wants to talk about commercial space, nobody says I want it to look exactly like a commercial space,” she said. “Nobody wants to emulate Dilbert.”

Uncertain future

Rankin isn’t sure about the future for the industry.

“I think it’ll be dynamic and volatile for the next year. I think some things will be up, some things will be down,” she said. “Is it stabilizing? It’s hard to figure out. One would say maybe we’re on the path to stabilizing.”