Every building has a story, but most firms only ever show the finished product. In this episode of As Built, we make the case for storytelling as one of the most underrated business development tools in architecture. We talk about why people remember a single photograph or story long after they've forgotten the schematics, how sharing the "how it got built" story helps justify a firm's fees and expertise, and why architects need to get a little more comfortable being human in how they talk about their work.

Ria Vogiatzi Xenou always knew she wanted to be an architect, even after her father insisted she study civil engineering instead. After finishing an engineering degree, she secretly enrolled in architecture school and went on to found a world-renowned architecture firm. In this episode, the founder of ELASTIC traces her path from a first project for a Greek football club to designing resorts for Aman around the world. She talks about surviving Greece's financial crisis by going international, the daily emails that landed her first hospitality project, and the design philosophy she still builds every project around: give guests the experience of a place, not the architect's ego.

Do you like throwing money away? No? Then your AEC firm had better have a marketing strategy. In this episode of As Built, we explain the differences between a good marketing strategy and a to-do list, the real costs of not having one, and how to use your marketing strategy to further your firm.