Architecture in The Bahamas

Hello, this is Isma! 👋 

You might already know—or maybe not—but I’ve been living in The Bahamas since January.

I’ve started reaching out to studios and local architects in Nassau, just to catch up, do some networking, and get a sense of what’s going on here.

My question is: how can someone with my skill set in Computational Design (and good old-fashioned design) bring value to the local architectural scene?

First of all, there aren’t that many studios.

I mean, The Bahamas has a population of less than 400,000 people…

So Nassau really feels like a small town.

I’ve met with the partners of two studios and also with a local architect.

What I’m learning (which I kind of already expected) is that most local architects serve mainly as the architect of record. They don’t really do design.

Usually, the client shows up with their own Design Architect—often from Miami, the U.S., or Europe. Then the local architects handle the “boring” part.

The second thing I’m noticing:

Local studios aren’t very productive.

Most of them still work in 2D using AutoCAD. I guess that’s what they need for the kind of work they do.

But it seems like words such as “standards,” “automation,” or “templates” don’t mean much to them.

That said, they do want to be more efficient.

They want to spend less time producing the documents they’re responsible for.

Is this where Computational Design might come into play?