Mental masturbation - a design adjudicated as being the product of wheel spinning, poor assimilation of criteria, outright banality, experimentation that didn't fall within the acceptable continuum of current trendy vernacular, and/or incoherent thought
Pull an old design out of the drawer and reuse it with minimal modification. Also, a design scheme executed very quickly and at the last minute for presentation to a client.
Value engineering - this is a very structured process, in which some people specialize as consultants and it is employed in mega projects, while some architects think it's bargaining over design elements over the conference room table and a cup of coffee. The latter is cost reduction or "axing" things. So, the loose use of the term VE is fucking clueless.
Favorite Expression from Professional Practice
Following Sarah's example, here's one for grownups:
One expression and definition per post please.
Let's slap some dee-zign on it!
The devil is in the details.
Mental masturbation - a design adjudicated as being the product of wheel spinning, poor assimilation of criteria, outright banality, experimentation that didn't fall within the acceptable continuum of current trendy vernacular, and/or incoherent thought
All your designs belong to us.
sneak up behind some while they are cad'ing, and wisper in his ear, "that's unfortanute" and walk away.
"We're all on the same team"
the architect is going to put some fur on the toilet seat
Vinyl siding is a great idea!
"The client's happy, so I'm happy"
"What's the minimum thickness for EIFS?"
Shake and bake.
Pull an old design out of the drawer and reuse it with minimal modification. Also, a design scheme executed very quickly and at the last minute for presentation to a client.
Lick and Stick
Note it as "field dimension".
Beat to fit, paint to match.
We'll catch it in shops.
"Hammer to fit, paint to match" is how I learned TINT's phrase. And this beautifully summarizes most trades' view of the specs.
N.I.C.
V.I.F.
U.N.O.
...all of them quick exculpatory notations so you can C.Y.A.
"But is it ADA compliant?"
another take on "Hammer to fit, paint to match"
"caulk the sh!t out of it" on a window replacement job.
"Is there a lunch today?"
(i.e., free lunch and learn)
"PLEASE do not tell me we're out of coffee..."
Ethics. Ethics is my favorite word from *teaching* Professional Practice. It led to the best discussions and put a great spin on every discussion.
From my student days, the best ProPrac phrase was "shit flows downhill", referencing plumbing, of course.
Value engineering - this is a very structured process, in which some people specialize as consultants and it is employed in mega projects, while some architects think it's bargaining over design elements over the conference room table and a cup of coffee. The latter is cost reduction or "axing" things. So, the loose use of the term VE is fucking clueless.
Who has the Robert Stern Houses book?
"Why do we need that?" -usually uttered by an overpaid designer who doesn't understand construction, codes, budgets and the list goes on
An actual conversation I overheard between a designer and the plebes working on making the design functional (guess which one is the designer):
"It has to be UL listed."
"UL? What's that?"
"Underwriters Laboratoratories."
"Why do we need that?"
"Manage the client"
"The multiplier for the job turned out to be ... "
(the fact that it's even brought up is not a good thing, so it's not exactly a favorite, but it is an expression)
"What's your change order batting percentage?"
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