Founding a company focused on innovation is one thing; sustaining it after 50 years is another. In 1987, LRS Architects founders Steve Lee, Bill Ruff and John Stark wanted to challenge the status quo. They envisioned a design firm built on a foundation of teams working on personal computers and using new software tools to increase creativity, communication and productivity. In the mid-1980s, this was a complete departure from how traditional architecture firms operated.

Following is a discussion of LRS Architects’ outlook on innovation via our answers to several key questions.

What problem were you trying to solve when LRS first adopted Macs firmwide in the late 1980s? What wasn’t working with the status quo?

In the mid-1980s, LRS was trying to solve a core speed and flexibility problem: the tools and workflows of the time made design, documentation, and iteration slow, rigid, and difficult to collaborate on. Architectural work still depended on manual drafting, requiring hand-drawn 2D sets on paper, vellum, or mylar using precision tools. The process was painstaking and time-consuming, and it also limited collaboration because only one person could work on a drawing at a time. Visualization had similar constraints: conceptual design relied mostly on hand sketches, and scaled models and renderings were built by hand, making them expensive, slow to produce, and difficult to revise as new ideas emerged.

In short, the status quo didn’t support rapid iteration or exploring new design ideas quickly. Early personal-computer design tools were emerging, and adopting Macintosh computers firmwide was LRS’ way to move beyond those limits and modernize the way the firm produced and evolved design work.

What did “Mac on every desk” change day-to-day and how did it improve coordination, speed, or clarity for projects?

“Mac on every desk” changed LRS day-to-day by turning project work into a shared, connected workflow instead of isolated files and one-off updates. With every team member on a Mac and connected to the network, staff could quickly create, communicate, and share ideas internally and with clients. Centralized access to current project files meant the team worked from the same, up-to-date information, which improved coordination, reduced rework, and increased speed and clarity across projects.

What were the first “tools” you standardized across the firm (hardware/software), and why those specifically?

We standardized a core set of Mac-based tools that covered the full workflow (3D design, 2D documentation, publishing, data management, and office productivity) so the entire firm could work in a consistent, connected way.

Key tools included MacArchitrion for 3D modeling (with built-in materials lists — an early precursor to BIM), MacDraw/MacDraft for 2D working drawings (printed first on ImageWriters, later via a shared pen plotter), and PageMaker + Illustrator + the LaserWriter for professional-grade brochures and client presentations. We built our own apps using HyperCard that enabled us to share office data (contacts, marketing lists, vendor info) on a central file server, reducing duplication and improving access to information. For everyday operations, Microsoft Word replaced typewriters for correspondence, specs, and project manuals, while Excel supported project tracking, cost estimating, and timelines.

Many firms adopt new tech in pockets. How did you drive firmwide adoption instead of siloed use (training, standards, champions, expectations)?

We avoided siloed adoption because the shift was embraced firmwide as a shared opportunity rather than an optional experiment. At the time, we were a team of young professionals who weren’t entrenched in old habits, and there was real momentum around how personal computing could improve the way we work, design, and communicate. That collective curiosity, and the belief that technology could make us better, created clear expectations: we would learn it together and use it together.

That same mindset continues at LRS today. Innovation is part of our culture and DNA, reflected in ongoing firmwide exploration of new tools through efforts such as the LRS Design Lab.

What’s some advice you would give to a startup firm today to help make technology a differentiator?

Embrace technology and make it visible. It should be used as a differentiator instead of a back-office utility. The right tools don’t replace good design; they enable it, helping your team communicate more clearly, iterate faster, and deliver better outcomes.

In architecture specifically, today’s digital tools can let clients step into the design experience while a project is still virtual. Not every firm offers that level of immersion; if you can, it’s a meaningful advantage.

Byron Balogh is a senior associate at LRS Architects. Contact him at abbalogh@lrsarchitects.com.

T. Paul Frank is a senior principal at LRS Architects. Contact him at tpfrank@lrsarchitects.com.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither author nor the 91��Ƶ guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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