# Mr. Robinson -- Architect as Developer

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2016-02-17

architect, architect-as-developer, architect-this-city, architecture, atc, athiscity, business-model, cities, design, design-matters, developer, innovation, jonathan-segal, real-estate-developer, real-estate-development, san-diego, uncategorized, urbanism, video

---

I first learned about the work of Jonathan Segal back when I was in architecture school. And he was somebody I immediately admired. 

At the time, I was struggling to figure out where I wanted to position myself between architecture and real estate development, and he was somebody who had seemingly figured it all out: he simply merged the two.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jonathan Segal, he has made a name for himself by being a pioneer of the “[Architect as Developer](https://www.architectasdeveloper.com/home)” business model. That is, he acts as both the architect and the developer/client.

This business model isn’t going to suit everyone, but I suspect that we’ll see more of it in the future.

Of course, it doesn’t just have to be an architect acting as a developer. It could also be an architect and a developer joining forces or some other permutation. Whatever the case may be, design and innovation are central to business today and that’s why I think this model will only become more relevant.

Below is a short 3 ½ minute video about Segal’s latest project, called Mr. Robinson. It is located in San Diego. If you can’t see the video below, [click here](https://vimeo.com/155403927).

\[vimeo 155403927 w=500 h=211\]

If you’d like to see the typical floor plans or rent one of the apartments (they start at $2,400/month), [click here](http://sdlofts.com/new-page/).

Now I’d be curious to hear your thoughts. Do you like the project?

---

*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/mr-robinson-architect-as-developer)*