TRXL 221: ‘Architecture’s Busyness Trap’, with Joachim Viktil
Feb 24, 2026
Joachim Viktil, architect and CEO of Reop building tools to streamline AEC workflows. He discusses the hidden cost of staying busy and limits of billable-hour models. Conversations cover scaling expertise with software, where AI helps (and falls short), and how firm structure shapes who gets to improve systems behind the work.
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Billable Hours Reward Busyness Not Leverage
- Billable hours reward activity over leverage, creating a growing gap between training and firm structure.
- Joachim calls this the hidden cost of staying busy: firms hire systems thinkers then confine them to producing deliverables instead of improving workflows.
From Key People Burnout To Codifying Expertise
- Joachim described trying to scale elite engineers and architects and realizing you can't clone top performers without burning them out.
- He shifted to codifying expertise into software to distribute knowledge across teams and reduce reliance on a few stars.
Actively Invest In Leadership Development
- Invest deliberately in leadership development by seeking mentors and coaches rather than assuming experience alone will make you a leader.
- Joachim described asking his boss for a leadership coach and using an MBA alumni to grow as he stepped into director roles.
