Sarah, Sorry you don't think Texas needs to be renovated into California - the entire US would be better off if that happened (plus better burgers too).
California flat doesn't *work* in most of the US. The things that are reasonable to build there would be laughable here, for example: leaky, moldy, drafty messes in our climate. The freedom in CA design is more than just attitude; it's climate!
CA design may not work everywhere but its burgers do ;-) I wish In N Out was coming here! It may interest you to know, Sarah, that In N Out is known for being a great place to work. In my hometown, if you were a highschooler and couldn't get into Costco (waiting list to work there, no joke) you worked at In N Out. Also - you might be interested to look at the bottom (underside) of the cups next time you eat there.
I dispute that assertion, Steven, but tomorrow, when I'm a day older, I might not.
I just can't in good conscience tell anyone that going to architecture school is a good life decision any more. Unless they're going for free, then maybe.
oh of course its better. unless there is a terminal disease involved in which case can discuss.
i still love my job. and all the bits that go with it. i do nonetheless freely admit admit to being annoyed that even if i became a starchitect i would still not make enough to run for president in the usa.
Will, You should not worry about having enough to run for President of the USA, causeyou don't have the right papers even if you are a Naturalized Citizen...and I don't think the Tea Party Movement is going to let that change anytime soon. So just work on being a Star Architect!
So we just completed our CAA Validation (once every 5 years) we've received our preliminary verdict, "unconditional validation" for another 5 years. All we need is for it be ratified by the council. Seems like we are doing something right. Now on the improvements.
It seems like I am racking up the achievements for 2012. Better hurry up before the world ends in December.
I need some clarification on the matter though. Is it the end of existence or just the end of the world/earth. I need to know to best prepare my contingency plan. Anyone travelling around that time??
I may be out of touch for the next couple of days (or not) - heading on study tour with my students to Barbados. The joys of teaching in the Caribbean. I think I am going to revive my archinect blog for this trip.
ORHAN, how did you not know about ANIMAL FRIES?!?!?!?!!!!!! THEY ARE THE BEST THING AT IN N OUT! oh man, sooooo good. I think I have to revoke your california card now ;-)
...that said, I did not know you could order peppers on your burger. That is my all-time favorite burger addition, even ahead of cheese & onions. I will henceforth order all my In N Outs with chili peppers. Woohoo! Thanks for the link Orhan!
Even I knew about animal style and I'm not even Californian.
Anyway, while I sometimes regret my decision to make a career in the industry I can honestly say that I'm not sure what I would rather be doing. For the most part I enjoy what I do, despite the difficulties out there.
Not that anyone cares, but I just had my annual demotologist appointment and all my plethora of moles got a clean bill of health despite all the hours I spent on the bike last summer. Hurray for sunblock!!!
For when you get banned from all the local liquor stores?
Need advice from TC. Position I interviewed 8 1/2 bloody months ago called back. They want to fly me in for a second interview. But my heart's just not in it. I've been doing my own thing for a while and I am at a cusp of really taking off in my work (specs and related paraphernalia). Landed a brand name arch. office as a client late last year, and I reasonably expect to pick up few more high profile clients by the end of this year. It's hard work, but the benefits are tremendous.
On the flip side, I didn't blast off into self-employment-land through sheer will, but due to economic circumstances. I could definitively benefit from additional exposure to an office that is known for its excellent technical execution (which these guys are). My current clients are just not on the same level, and meaningful feedback is minimal.
I guess the question is, how does one react as a small business owner when the big boys come knocking at the door? It sure is distracting.
In my phone interview I overstated my salary demand. They said fine. I asked to be flown in. They said fine. Easy ways to get rid of them backfired.
Do I just think of this as a free vacation to NYC, and not worry how the whole thing plays out? I would hate to waste their time if I'm not 100% into it any more.
Summary: running a fragile business with tremendous potential, mega-corp comes a-knocking. My workflow goes down the toilet. Help!
can you do the job they are offering as part of your business? ie, as consultant? maybe get both of best worlds.
this article came up in my i-phone personal newspaper machine today. it's kinda relevant and super interesting to me at least. probably not helpful but good for self-awareness.
speaking of booze - no open liquor laws in japan so people are always drinking on train and in public in general. donna you should come to japan just for the experience of drinking in the street !
I want to keep a bottle of my own burbon on the bar shelf in Japan. I have a client who has done that for some thirty-five years. Just so it is in stock when he travels in and out of the country.
i was going to suggest the same thing as will... see if they would be open to a consultant agreement, but maybe with a contract that gives you a bit more security than as a typical contract job... i did something similar when i started my own gig before getting into academia... i had one firm that wanted me full time, but i had a few small projects and consultancy things that i wanted to do, so we wrote a contract where i guaranteed the firm that i would work a minimum of 30 hours per week and they guaranteed at least 9 months worth of work... of course i was good friends with the principal of the firm, so it is a little different than a big corporation...
on another note, HI TC!!! i have been totally disconnected from the world for the past two weeks while working furiously on a big design competition... only 2-3 hours of sleep for the past few days to meet the deadline yesterday... i'm really happy with our results, especially given that our team of five people had never worked together before... it was really nice to design something again after a 4 year hiatus during my phd coursework... i forgot how much fun architecting is!!!
speaking of booze - no open liquor laws in japan so people are always drinking on train and in public in general. donna you should come to japan just for the experience of drinking in the street !
NOT Rusty, how do you write specs as a consultant? I've written specs for a project being designed by a guy who is sitting right across from me, and I still don't always know which sections are relevant to add sometimes, or what pieces apply to our project. The design decisions seem to change so rapidly, and our schedules force the specs to start with the start of the project. If the project is finished and they send you a fairly well thought out set of CDs (even if not complete) then I can see it working, but I have not worked on a project that works like that.
My office says design is not linear, so they always revisit and revise decisions made earlier in the process. This can go on until the last minute, and often contractors like to change stuff even after the last minute. That is not good for process, but seems consistent with how most architects I've met work. Isn't that normal in most other offices? So for example <hypothetical> let's say I'm writing a spec about the stucco they are going to put in a project (because I already know the client isn't going to pay for the brick on their elevations), then they decide EIFS would make more sense. The guy sitting across from me already has difficulty communicating that to me real time, and I have direct access to his CAD files and I can look over his shoulder. How do you do that from a different location and more or less dealing with an architect as middle man between you and the client?
Thanks Will and Phillip! I would explore the idea of doing a hybrid model if geography wasn't in the way in this case. I'm in Toronto right now and this gig is in NYC. It's a clear cut case of 'one or the other'. Funny you mention job security Phillip. I actually feel more secure doing my own thing than landing a full time gig. I could get fired three times today and still carry on as self employed. Heck, I could fire a client if it's not working out. Can't do that once you put all your eggs in one basket. I guess the great depression 2.0 really scarred me over this.
curtkram, there is a very specific process that I go through when doing specs as an outside consultant. If you give me a rough schematic design drawings set, I should be able to give you a Table of Contents that's 95% accurate. It helps knowing architecture practice in question. All firms tend to recycle wall assemblies and such from project to project. You can use your experience to make very educated guesses. In many instances I am asked to provide construction ready specs for projects approaching 100% CD. In projects where specs are needed in all stages of work, it's actually much easier. You start off with doing an outline spec package (good for rough pricing purposes), and then you switch to full format specs and do a number of passes (as needed) to end up with construction set in the end. The later approach allows me to blanket you with questions in a longer time span. Being on top of changing requirements is always a challenge. Constantly poking people tends to help, but preparing specs is no different than design itself. It's a process. EIFS replaces stucco? That's life. Last minute changes happen all the time. You make an assumption of scope creep in your fee proposal. Hopefully your assumptions work out in your favor. Doing specs is actually fun, but there is a very steep learning curve in the beginning.
That's a tough on, NOT rusty. You already have the relationships with clients you don't want to leave high and dry if you move to NYC, and self-employment has so much freedom (and a freedom-killing sense of constant responsibility, but that's OK).
If they're willing to pay a good amount, maybe the big question is do you want to live in NYC for awhile?
That's fascinating, rusty. You're reminding me how much I loved polishing off a good set of specs. Not maybe so much the slogging-through-it part, but that feeling of accomplishment you get at the end... I was also so proud of my specs, made me feel like a real master builder.
Donna, yup! Switching salaried positions is stressful enough. But walking away from your own clients (client acquisition is hard!) seems like such a huge mistake. I am getting ahead of myself though. I do think I have an upper hand in the negotiations, which is refreshing for change.
myriam, it's a great feeling when you know you got the specs right. Designers tend to shy away from them. As part of my job I try to make the architect more comfortable with reviewing them, by pointing out what to look for, what's critical and what's not, etc... The best designers I've ever worked with knew their specs really well.
Barry, I've done a bunch of LEED and LEED 'inspired' green projects. The implementation of such information into specs is pretty standard fare now. It really helps if the architect knows what they are doing though. The early green projects I worked on tended to be messy, but our collective knowledge has grown since.
Ever seen any of your grandpa's specs? I once saw the project manual for Empire State Building. Whopping 20 pages long. "If the installer falls to death, send another guy up". Not quite, but close in spirit...
notrusty - only relics from grandpa lehrman, faia's career that I have are some resumes and project lists with construction costs. Worth digging out and sharing for their historic value.
Spent the morning wandering around downtown LA with orhan and several other CPP faculty scheming up our spring urban design bonanza - now enjoying a double dipped beef and blue cheese at Phillipe's (free wi-fi!)
So in the words of Donna - I'm drunk. Mid afternoon drinks with the other lecturer at a corner bar. Well it's not yet 7pm, no food i my stomach, and I'm spinning. But drunk enough to say I love you all. Sarah, Donna, ***melt, Wonder, _n, et al.... sigh... if I weren't madly in love. Superbowl bets???
I just watched Brad Pitt on Daily how's web content talking about the Katrina project going global - they're now working in Newark as well. Brad, I'll never stop swooning for you.
It is a puzzling time. This may end of being the year of working on the most unique projects I have ever worked on if all things fall into place. That is a Big Fall into Place. So I guess, I best leave it at that for the moment. If any of them become real projects, were going to have alot of fun. On project involves an Winter Olympic Sport.......oh off to dreaming for the rest of the weekend.
New Englanders are going to their very best to give the Economy a bump this weekend with the Giants and the Pats smashing heads this weekend. Here in the land between, it has been some week. You know it is about 50/50. So the bars will be hopping this weekend as will the stay at home parties. The State Police have announced they will be on the roads, so don't drink and drive.
Thread Central
Sarah, Sorry you don't think Texas needs to be renovated into California - the entire US would be better off if that happened (plus better burgers too).
California flat doesn't *work* in most of the US. The things that are reasonable to build there would be laughable here, for example: leaky, moldy, drafty messes in our climate. The freedom in CA design is more than just attitude; it's climate!
CA design may not work everywhere but its burgers do ;-) I wish In N Out was coming here! It may interest you to know, Sarah, that In N Out is known for being a great place to work. In my hometown, if you were a highschooler and couldn't get into Costco (waiting list to work there, no joke) you worked at In N Out. Also - you might be interested to look at the bottom (underside) of the cups next time you eat there.
Reread half of COmplaexxity and Contradiction tonight. Good stuff, but Mies has still been a bigger influence on me, I'd guess.
(Complexity misspelled/rendered above, but I'm leaving it.)
just found out my name spelled backwards leads to NAHRO i guess i was meant to do housing.;.)
manta, i didn't know that about in n out cups and about their secret menu. i am going to have some animal fries tomorrow.
Hey Vado,
Don't take it bad
Sure, you're older
But still be glad.
All of the best things
In life get better with age
Wine, Cheese, and Beef,
Now You, and Antiques.
Happy Birthday!
Getting older is better than not geting older.
I dispute that assertion, Steven, but tomorrow, when I'm a day older, I might not.
I just can't in good conscience tell anyone that going to architecture school is a good life decision any more. Unless they're going for free, then maybe.
oh of course its better. unless there is a terminal disease involved in which case can discuss.
i still love my job. and all the bits that go with it. i do nonetheless freely admit admit to being annoyed that even if i became a starchitect i would still not make enough to run for president in the usa.
morning all
anybody know if the rusty long who posted on the design my master bath for 200 thread is the rusty?
I think NOTrusty is rusty. Rusty Long is not rusty.
Will, You should not worry about having enough to run for President of the USA, causeyou don't have the right papers even if you are a Naturalized Citizen...and I don't think the Tea Party Movement is going to let that change anytime soon. So just work on being a Star Architect!
chasing pavement...
Phillip compared to anything else in Florida it is alot closer to get around.
To be fair... I could be nesting. And we are at least another 12 months before we can buy a house and I have the hunger bad.
So we just completed our CAA Validation (once every 5 years) we've received our preliminary verdict, "unconditional validation" for another 5 years. All we need is for it be ratified by the council. Seems like we are doing something right. Now on the improvements.
It seems like I am racking up the achievements for 2012. Better hurry up before the world ends in December.
I need some clarification on the matter though. Is it the end of existence or just the end of the world/earth. I need to know to best prepare my contingency plan. Anyone travelling around that time??
does it end in december? i thought it was gonna end sometime this year (hand waving to indicate vagueness).
papers? i don't need no stinkin papers!
Here is a Friday morning laugh....Have you ever run into an "Assbestous Problem"?
It can sure be a pain in the Ass!
arets' AZL headquarters is a featured project. if those photos are recent it's stood up very well these past 20 or so years...
I may be out of touch for the next couple of days (or not) - heading on study tour with my students to Barbados. The joys of teaching in the Caribbean. I think I am going to revive my archinect blog for this trip.
david, go visit st. petersburg... it's one of the few walkable downtowns in florida...
yea we passed by but got distracted by a winery, and we staggered home
ORHAN, how did you not know about ANIMAL FRIES?!?!?!?!!!!!! THEY ARE THE BEST THING AT IN N OUT! oh man, sooooo good. I think I have to revoke your california card now ;-)
...that said, I did not know you could order peppers on your burger. That is my all-time favorite burger addition, even ahead of cheese & onions. I will henceforth order all my In N Outs with chili peppers. Woohoo! Thanks for the link Orhan!
Even I knew about animal style and I'm not even Californian.
Anyway, while I sometimes regret my decision to make a career in the industry I can honestly say that I'm not sure what I would rather be doing. For the most part I enjoy what I do, despite the difficulties out there.
Not that anyone cares, but I just had my annual demotologist appointment and all my plethora of moles got a clean bill of health despite all the hours I spent on the bike last summer. Hurray for sunblock!!!
melt it's nice to see you - when do you leave?!
Melt, that's kick ass. Skin cancer is nothing to mess with.
Aw tumbles, hope it doesn't hurt TOO much and that the break is good for your psyche!
hey tumbles! take care...
night night all. staying in Jax at a hotel tonight.
tumbles that sounds painful. Keep the scotch flowing - and if not reach for the rum.
Oh and guess where I am?
hey anyone catch the mdler siting on the http://archinect.com/forum/thread/36018750/how-is-the-style-of-rem-koolhaas-deconstructivism thread?
Wow, Nam, when you said mdler siting I thought you meant a garwondler siting.
Wow, bourbon in the mail?! Dreams do come true!
"Wow, bourbon in the mail?! Dreams do come true!"
For when you get banned from all the local liquor stores?
Need advice from TC. Position I interviewed 8 1/2 bloody months ago called back. They want to fly me in for a second interview. But my heart's just not in it. I've been doing my own thing for a while and I am at a cusp of really taking off in my work (specs and related paraphernalia). Landed a brand name arch. office as a client late last year, and I reasonably expect to pick up few more high profile clients by the end of this year. It's hard work, but the benefits are tremendous.
On the flip side, I didn't blast off into self-employment-land through sheer will, but due to economic circumstances. I could definitively benefit from additional exposure to an office that is known for its excellent technical execution (which these guys are). My current clients are just not on the same level, and meaningful feedback is minimal.
I guess the question is, how does one react as a small business owner when the big boys come knocking at the door? It sure is distracting.
In my phone interview I overstated my salary demand. They said fine. I asked to be flown in. They said fine. Easy ways to get rid of them backfired.
Do I just think of this as a free vacation to NYC, and not worry how the whole thing plays out? I would hate to waste their time if I'm not 100% into it any more.
Summary: running a fragile business with tremendous potential, mega-corp comes a-knocking. My workflow goes down the toilet. Help!
not rusty,
can you do the job they are offering as part of your business? ie, as consultant? maybe get both of best worlds.
this article came up in my i-phone personal newspaper machine today. it's kinda relevant and super interesting to me at least. probably not helpful but good for self-awareness.
speaking of booze - no open liquor laws in japan so people are always drinking on train and in public in general. donna you should come to japan just for the experience of drinking in the street !
I want to keep a bottle of my own burbon on the bar shelf in Japan. I have a client who has done that for some thirty-five years. Just so it is in stock when he travels in and out of the country.
i was going to suggest the same thing as will... see if they would be open to a consultant agreement, but maybe with a contract that gives you a bit more security than as a typical contract job... i did something similar when i started my own gig before getting into academia... i had one firm that wanted me full time, but i had a few small projects and consultancy things that i wanted to do, so we wrote a contract where i guaranteed the firm that i would work a minimum of 30 hours per week and they guaranteed at least 9 months worth of work... of course i was good friends with the principal of the firm, so it is a little different than a big corporation... on another note, HI TC!!! i have been totally disconnected from the world for the past two weeks while working furiously on a big design competition... only 2-3 hours of sleep for the past few days to meet the deadline yesterday... i'm really happy with our results, especially given that our team of five people had never worked together before... it was really nice to design something again after a 4 year hiatus during my phd coursework... i forgot how much fun architecting is!!!
speaking of booze - no open liquor laws in japan so people are always drinking on train and in public in general. donna you should come to japan just for the experience of drinking in the street !
you can drink in public in Missouri.
NOT Rusty, how do you write specs as a consultant? I've written specs for a project being designed by a guy who is sitting right across from me, and I still don't always know which sections are relevant to add sometimes, or what pieces apply to our project. The design decisions seem to change so rapidly, and our schedules force the specs to start with the start of the project. If the project is finished and they send you a fairly well thought out set of CDs (even if not complete) then I can see it working, but I have not worked on a project that works like that.
My office says design is not linear, so they always revisit and revise decisions made earlier in the process. This can go on until the last minute, and often contractors like to change stuff even after the last minute. That is not good for process, but seems consistent with how most architects I've met work. Isn't that normal in most other offices? So for example <hypothetical> let's say I'm writing a spec about the stucco they are going to put in a project (because I already know the client isn't going to pay for the brick on their elevations), then they decide EIFS would make more sense. The guy sitting across from me already has difficulty communicating that to me real time, and I have direct access to his CAD files and I can look over his shoulder. How do you do that from a different location and more or less dealing with an architect as middle man between you and the client?
Thanks Will and Phillip! I would explore the idea of doing a hybrid model if geography wasn't in the way in this case. I'm in Toronto right now and this gig is in NYC. It's a clear cut case of 'one or the other'. Funny you mention job security Phillip. I actually feel more secure doing my own thing than landing a full time gig. I could get fired three times today and still carry on as self employed. Heck, I could fire a client if it's not working out. Can't do that once you put all your eggs in one basket. I guess the great depression 2.0 really scarred me over this.
curtkram, there is a very specific process that I go through when doing specs as an outside consultant. If you give me a rough schematic design drawings set, I should be able to give you a Table of Contents that's 95% accurate. It helps knowing architecture practice in question. All firms tend to recycle wall assemblies and such from project to project. You can use your experience to make very educated guesses. In many instances I am asked to provide construction ready specs for projects approaching 100% CD. In projects where specs are needed in all stages of work, it's actually much easier. You start off with doing an outline spec package (good for rough pricing purposes), and then you switch to full format specs and do a number of passes (as needed) to end up with construction set in the end. The later approach allows me to blanket you with questions in a longer time span. Being on top of changing requirements is always a challenge. Constantly poking people tends to help, but preparing specs is no different than design itself. It's a process. EIFS replaces stucco? That's life. Last minute changes happen all the time. You make an assumption of scope creep in your fee proposal. Hopefully your assumptions work out in your favor. Doing specs is actually fun, but there is a very steep learning curve in the beginning.
Counting down to my mid-review at 3pm - I've gotten half the videos loaded on my computer. Is it time to start worrying about the last two groups?
That's a tough on, NOT rusty. You already have the relationships with clients you don't want to leave high and dry if you move to NYC, and self-employment has so much freedom (and a freedom-killing sense of constant responsibility, but that's OK).
If they're willing to pay a good amount, maybe the big question is do you want to live in NYC for awhile?
That's fascinating, rusty. You're reminding me how much I loved polishing off a good set of specs. Not maybe so much the slogging-through-it part, but that feeling of accomplishment you get at the end... I was also so proud of my specs, made me feel like a real master builder.
Brad Pitt on Jon Stewart. Good heavens.
Everybody rocked at the review today! Here's a link to their videos.
NOT rusty, do you do green specs? (my grandpa was a spec writer who's client's included I.M. Pei)
Donna, yup! Switching salaried positions is stressful enough. But walking away from your own clients (client acquisition is hard!) seems like such a huge mistake. I am getting ahead of myself though. I do think I have an upper hand in the negotiations, which is refreshing for change.
myriam, it's a great feeling when you know you got the specs right. Designers tend to shy away from them. As part of my job I try to make the architect more comfortable with reviewing them, by pointing out what to look for, what's critical and what's not, etc... The best designers I've ever worked with knew their specs really well.
Barry, I've done a bunch of LEED and LEED 'inspired' green projects. The implementation of such information into specs is pretty standard fare now. It really helps if the architect knows what they are doing though. The early green projects I worked on tended to be messy, but our collective knowledge has grown since.
Ever seen any of your grandpa's specs? I once saw the project manual for Empire State Building. Whopping 20 pages long. "If the installer falls to death, send another guy up". Not quite, but close in spirit...
notrusty - only relics from grandpa lehrman, faia's career that I have are some resumes and project lists with construction costs. Worth digging out and sharing for their historic value.
Spent the morning wandering around downtown LA with orhan and several other CPP faculty scheming up our spring urban design bonanza - now enjoying a double dipped beef and blue cheese at Phillipe's (free wi-fi!)
So in the words of Donna - I'm drunk. Mid afternoon drinks with the other lecturer at a corner bar. Well it's not yet 7pm, no food i my stomach, and I'm spinning. But drunk enough to say I love you all. Sarah, Donna, ***melt, Wonder, _n, et al.... sigh... if I weren't madly in love. Superbowl bets???
Hope your head feels better, techno dear!
I just watched Brad Pitt on Daily how's web content talking about the Katrina project going global - they're now working in Newark as well. Brad, I'll never stop swooning for you.
afternoon all!
I too watched that Brad Pitt interview and like Mr. Stewart was Brad-struck....
It is the SO birthday weekend. Going to her fav fancy dinner spot and getting some chanel perfume.
TGIF!
It is a puzzling time. This may end of being the year of working on the most unique projects I have ever worked on if all things fall into place. That is a Big Fall into Place. So I guess, I best leave it at that for the moment. If any of them become real projects, were going to have alot of fun. On project involves an Winter Olympic Sport.......oh off to dreaming for the rest of the weekend.
New Englanders are going to their very best to give the Economy a bump this weekend with the Giants and the Pats smashing heads this weekend. Here in the land between, it has been some week. You know it is about 50/50. So the bars will be hopping this weekend as will the stay at home parties. The State Police have announced they will be on the roads, so don't drink and drive.
Happy Super Bowl Weekend!
It's crazy-fun here, snook, with the SUper Bowl stuff. Quite fun to see and experience, actually, even though I'm rabidly anti-pro sports.
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