Updated August 9th 2016. Donald Trump’s architect Mr Tesoro asked for some clarifications to be made to this article to better reflect his standpoint. We have included his words at the foot of the article. Further updates will be made as necessary to present an accurate portrayal of each party’s opinion.<\/i><\/p>\n
If you ask architects to name their pet peeves about working with clients, responses are likely to include many common grievances. Ambiguous briefs, extreme indecision, design changes being requested when construction has already begun: All these challenges are likely to have been faced by any architect with a few years of practice under their belt. However, one problem stands out above all others, for both professional and personal reasons: It\u2019s all about the money.<\/p>\n
The correct payment of fees \u2014 in full and on time \u2014 constitutes one of the most vital elements of running a sustainable architectural practice. It is wholly unsurprising, then, that when things go awry in this area, it can lead to a serious breakdown in client-architect relations, and even threaten a firm\u2019s existence. The stakes are high, and the consequences can be terminal.<\/p>\n
Enter Donald Trump, whose refusal to pay has been called out by one of his architects as a sign that the presidential hopeful is a wholly inappropriate choice for one of the world\u2019s most powerful political positions. In a recent video released by Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign team, Andrew Tesoro recounts Trump\u2019s aggressive renegotiation of the final fee due to the architect for the design of a new clubhouse at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York.<\/p>\n