Many posts have talked about the passive act of listening. Listening to the site, listening to the client, listening to the guest even listening to the competition. It would seem that listening isn’t as passive an activity as it appears.
The site speaks to our souls, it is the “statue hidden in the marble” waiting to be revealed. it softly shows us what is special and unique. It loudly tells us where there is conflict. Our job is to listen.
It is great to take the client to the site, their passion comes out. The clients have often lived with the site for years. They have thought about what their vision is. We need to listen to their passion to their dreams and look through their eyes and hearts.
The guest and the competition will tell us about the market. However, beware it will tell us about the market today. What is trending what is hot. Our jobs as designers is to look to the future and listen and anticipate the demands of the future guest. The destination that opens after 12 months of design and 24 months of construction needs to lead the market for the next 5 to 7 years.
This active listening will result in a unique one of a kind destination.
Destination Architect 