Erik Carlson
May 1, 2018
Architecture Can Take Cues From Other Industries
I never expected to work in an architecture firm, particularly as a finance major who once imagined a career in investment banking. Yet, as my path moved from finance to healthcare to architecture to business ownership, I've come to appreciate how industries evolve.
Just as my own career took unexpected turns, so too do entire industries. Some adapt and thrive. Others, like Blockbuster, fail to evolve and fade into history.
At its peak, Blockbuster operated more than 8,000 stores and employed 60,000 people, and by 2010, it was bankrupt. What went wrong? In short:
A lack of innovation and agility
Resistance to new technology
A failure to reimagine how value was delivered
Enter Netflix.
In the early 2000s, Netflix competed directly with Blockbuster through a mail-order DVD service. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was convenient. Then in 2007, Netflix made a bold move: it embraced streaming, anticipating how technology and consumer behavior were changing.
Advances in broadband, mobile devices, and digital media created an opening and Netflix seized it. Streaming didn’t just modernize their business; it redefined it. The company went on to produce its own content including House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, The Last Dance, Making a Murderer. Netflix chose to partner with TV manufacturers to preinstall the Netflix app, ensuring near-frictionless access for users worldwide.
Today, Netflix continues to evolve. It experiments with new formats, like video games, downloadable content for offline viewing, sporting events, and innovative talk shows that blur traditional media boundaries. Not every experiment succeeds, but that’s the point. The company thrives because it continually tests, learns, and adapts.
Just as Netflix reimagined how audiences experience storytelling, healthcare architecture has the same opportunity to redefine how people experience healing environments. Hospitals, clinics, and wellness centers are no longer just buildings, they’re living systems shaped by both data and empathy. Data helps us see patterns in how people move, heal, and interact with space; empathy helps us understand the human moments behind those numbers. Together, they allow us to design environments that are not only efficient, but deeply human. The firms that will lead this evolution are those that blend evidence with insight, logic with compassion, just as Netflix did when it stopped mailing DVDs and began streaming experiences that connect with people on a profoundly personal level.
Lessons for Architecture and Design
What can our industry take from the rise (and fall) of Blockbuster and the reinvention of Netflix?
Continuously Innovate. Don’t settle for what worked yesterday
Reimagine Service Delivery. Explore new models for collaboration and client engagement.
Embrace Technology. Leverage data, analytics, and digital platforms to inform design.
Stay Nimble. Be ready to pivot when needs and contexts shift.
Differentiate Relentlessly. Create value that can’t be easily replicated.
Take Smart Risks. Progress often comes from experimentation.
If architecture can internalize these lessons, we can reshape not only how buildings are designed but how insight, value, and experience are delivered. Perhaps someday, our work will be as eagerly anticipated as the next binge-worthy series.