Development may be at a fever pitch in the city, but the value of the dollar is not what it once was, says Taylor Design’s San Francisco director, Kevin Hinrichs. He says many clients’ budgets are based on 2010 dollars, when these days, that could be worth about 2/3 of what the dollar was worth five years ago. The idea of building “simple and cheap” is a distant memory, now that clients have to differentiate themselves in a crowded market competing for brand loyalty. Kevin says the design process should revolve around the “right” problem, as opposed to making a lot of assumptions about less relevant issues. As well, the budget should be focused on the most urgent needs to best utilize staff and function. To achieve this, the firm uses strategists, researchers and even sociologists, because Kevin says that human behavior is what drives the use of a space. The busy firm is currently recruiting, by the way. For more information on our Bisnow partner, click here.