Are You Focusing On The Right Things?
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Are You Focusing On The Right Things?

If you've got a logo figured out but don't have a strategy for how you're going to execute your building project, you may not be focusing on the right things, and I see this a lot with business owners and entrepreneurs.

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Building (and Not Building) a Climbing Gym: 3 Insights From Ryan Studio
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Building (and Not Building) a Climbing Gym: 3 Insights From Ryan Studio

First of all, apologies for the lack of newsletter content, but I’m back, with all sorts of things to share.

I’ve been working on this article for Climbing Business Journal for a while now, and I’m happy to share it with you all.

It’s intended to be for anyone who’s considering a climbing or fitness facility, but like all of my writing, the intent/ hope/ aspiration is for it to be interesting and digestible for anyone.

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New Businesses Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

New Businesses Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

New and early-stage businesses often benefit tremendously from a little bit of assistance, at the very beginning of their project development cycle. The issue is that most businesses wait because they think they don't have the budget, but there are massive pitfalls that can be avoided with a little bit of assistance, and very often, people just don't know what to look for, or watch out for, when a business is so young.

I continue to witness the impact that this early stage work can have to help support business growth and development, while reducing the risk as much as possible.

Over the last few months, I've been advising several new and young-but-growing businesses as they work on their first location, or as they develop their growth plans. Sometimes, part of the job is helping them unwind unfortunate decisions that should not have been made, and could have been avoided, with even just a little bit of assistance.

To that end, this is about helping more people make sure their project is set in the right direction, without having them put out a lot of cash upfront.

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Supertall: Only in NYC
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Supertall: Only in NYC

The “supertall” buildings that have gone up in NYC bring together a combination of zoning questions, building department issues, and ethical questions that are a result of NYC’s unique rules and regulations.

The bottom line is that there’s a lot that’s just only possible in New York…

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Commercial Projects & Checklists
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Commercial Projects & Checklists

I focus on the early stage of projects because if we can get the deepest, most meaningful questions answered properly, then everything that follows has a clear reference point, and we already know where we are going. We achieve clarity, and have a goal to aim for, which gets us through a lot of uncertainty that can be present in projects.

We do this with test fits, feasibility studies, looking at new concepts, reimagining or examining existing concepts, or just imagining and visualizing what’s possible.

These deliverables however, are just the tactics we use to achieve our higher goals and to see impactful results.

These are results like funding your business and getting investment support or community buy-in. Being able to open faster. Or validating and demonstrating a business model by combining numbers and visualizations that just make sense and knock people over.

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Before, During, and After
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Before, During, and After

It’s always nice to look back at projects with a little distance, and it’s remarkable how much the memories change over time and the lessons that are still relevant.

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Dormzilla
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Dormzilla

It’s ironic that within a week or so of each other, there was a 60 minutes segment on the Architecture office MASS Design Group (friends of this program), where one of their main design philosophies is based around increasing air circulation (which is basically free), with good design and basic principles.

Conversely, the “prison dorm” that’s being discussed for UCSB, which was “designed” (and more specifically, to be paid for) by Berkshire Hathaway vice-chair, the 97 year old billionaire, Charles Munger, has 94% of the rooms without windows, and therefore almost entirely relies on mechanical systems (things that rely on power) for lighting and air circulation.

Both stories are in the news right now, and both stories are about making buildings today (we’re not talking about the past here), but the dichotomy between 2 ways of thinking is staggeringly wide.

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Designing Climbing Walls
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Designing Climbing Walls

I use sketching to help get ideas into visualizations. Getting thoughts onto paper, but personally, it’s always an effort to try and get a thought out of my head, so that we can work it out and test it to see if it’s got legs.

In this particular case, I’ve been watching as photos are being released of the last climbing gym I designed while working full-time at Brooklyn Boulders, in collaboration with Vertical Solutions, and Stack+Co. The response seems to be quite positive, and it seems like a good moment to discuss some of the underlying thoughts that led to the final product that you see today.

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My Project Development Philosophy
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

My Project Development Philosophy

If you can get that core idea correct, and translate it into an early design that everyone can get behind (or a screenplay in this analogy), that’s the thing that you can point to, and hold onto as you move forward to organize and build a much larger team, and spend a lot more money.

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Climbing & Fitness Facility Design and Development
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Climbing & Fitness Facility Design and Development

Climbing has been a central part of my life for over 25 years, so being able to create these wild facilities, enjoy them, watch other people learn to love climbing, and experiment with how indoor climbing can be reimagined in new and interesting ways is extremely rewarding and inspiring.

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Architects and Development?
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Architects and Development?

The early stages of projects are where Architects can have the most impact to help shape the DNA of a project. To be able to balance the needs of a developer and business, with meaningful Architecture and buildings that have a genuinely positive impact on the people using them and the community they are in (without blowing the budget).

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Accessible Architecture
Chris Ryan Chris Ryan

Accessible Architecture

I believe that there should be a more Accessible Architecture that helps clients answer key questions, doesn't cost a ton to get started, and should provide tremendous value for you very quickly.

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