Say what? Only 7 posts on Thread Central today? Am I lagged?
rationalist: It's good to hear that you have experience on "the other side of the table" when it comes to RFI and construction coordination. Hopefully it's helped you to understand the value of good construction documents. I use "reviewed" or "reviewed as noted" as much as possible. (We also have "reviewed for information only" for things like structural calculations that only our structural engineer cares about.)
myriam: Are you sure that the firm actually received the email? Some systems automatically reject large files/emails without delivering them to the recipient. There could be a chance that they don't even know of your email-size oversight. I agree with rationalist - give it a day or so, then give them a call. Perhaps you could even call and say, "I'm having a hard time sending your firm an email; may I please speak with your IT director?" then ask him/her about file size restrictions. Chances are - if the firm is large enough to have an IT director - that he/she has nothing to do with the hiring manager; thus, you can fly under the radar.
ever have a day where you are so busy you don't go pee? seriously? i had one today. things are coming out the woodwork. a frantic deadline appeared every couple of hours. gears are switched every 20 minutes when the phone rings.
but our new principal has been hanging around. i had forgotten how nice it was to have someone just tell you what to do. And someone to blame when the client rejects it instead of feeling bad myself.
nah, it was quiet because I was tending to shop drawings. The trusses are already scheduled into the manufacturer's production timetable, and so they need to get approved ASAP.
I was quiet on Thread Central yesterday, and will be again today, I'm afraid. Lots of work, plus! I'm cleaning my house - which I don't do as often as I should - in anticipation of WonderK coming over tonight yay!! I'm so glad I get to have a tiny role in the blockbuster feature "Los Angeles Holiday" staring WonderK and featuring a cameo appearance by the real-life Garwondler.
vado, it may be a drink late-ish, like 9 or 9:30. (I realize that is an EARLY night out for most 'necters. but I'm a parent so it's a late night for me.)
6 mb still seems like a lot for an email to me..but maybe i'm
used to the day when emails couldn't be larger than 1.2 mb
or the like.
at the firm i work at they decided to get rid of file restrictions
for resumes..but i still see quite a few postings asking for
small pdfs.
i'd call and explain the situation...asking for an 'IT director' sounds
like some kind of sales call...i think anyone could appreciate that
you didn't realize there'd be a problem and would be happy to
give you an alternative for resending.
how do people feel about unsolicited resumes? whenever i've job
searched i've at least called ahead to see if they were hiring and
to whom i should address my letter...
so yesterday george comes in to meet with me. he is a painter that does painting in some of my projects and lives in n. hollywood in the valley. he is from iraq. he wants a second floor addition to his house wall to wall. i made him like modern plans over the years, so he wants a contemporary design. i told him the best way to do it to almost build a new one. i know some demo is a waste but thats the way it is done around here if you want less headaches and expense which most people do.
i took george to couple of construction sites near my office where they are doing very similar projects in scope.
site #1 was almost done with roughf framing,plumbing and electrical and central american contractor told george about the same thing what i already told him and said he would work on labor and material without a contractor's license. and he offered, we didn't tell him i was an architect, free 'plans'. we asked him a few more questions about extras and took his number and left.
site #2 is on my street where i live and i know they are doing this nice modern remodel and i know the architect because he did a very similar design down the street with metal siding butt jointed corner glass etc. something silica boy would like... anyway, again we didn't tell the contractor that i was an architect and he told us he would include the 'plans' and work on the house with basic materials and to the finish product. nice work. at one point on the second floor i fired the question, "who is the architect?" and he said "jessi". and we told him i was an architect too and we are basically looking around so george understans the process etc. and left after taking his number.
well, the 'plans' were offered by both contractors as bonus and there was no mention of architecture, design etc. i felt so disposible in front of two people with tool belts on and george must be questioning why he has to dish out an extra 30-40K for me, even though i told him why.
Orhan, I heard recently from someone (cant remember who) that as our profession propels itself forward, what we will be offering, is not necessarily services, but knowledge. He (your friend) needs to be made to understand that your knowledge is vital if the wants what he is asking you for. I firmly believe you cannot teach someone design, if they don't already have an inherent sensibility for it. Having said that, most of these contractors, whilst good with their hands/trade, they do not understand the fundamentals and don't have that sensibility that I speak of. they are (mostly) looking for a bottom line. Now I know this is a gross generalization, but you must agree....it's very true in about 90% of cases.
You are worth it and NOT disposable!
my $.02 cents
i know we talk about this all the time.
it is a lot of money in potential client's mind that they'll spend thousands of dollars and locating walls and windows of 'their' house. i know we do much more than that, but that's how the generalized homeowner sees it. 95% of the residential design done without architects and designers. it is not the whole architecture but residential design is the core of construction industry.
in general, homeowners know or told they need plans but care less who prepares them or what they are really done for, they see it as red tape and less they spend on it more they have for real design like bathroom tiles. a lot of the time they are just told by building dept. that they need a structural engineer in much less cases dept. will tell them they need an architect. architecture, if you ask public, is a hard word to spell. what architect does is known mostly and exclusively to educated people if any. and since it is the case, it is very vulnarable to wealthy patrons and to their circles. i don't see my painter friend would live in a 'design within reach' environment and he represents majority of people occupying the cities and suburbs.
this is not unique to this country but numbers are pretty big here.
it is far fetched and perhaps unconstitutional but if you can't go to court in %95 of the time without a lawyer or get a health statement or care without a dr, than why you are told you can design a house or a structure which has a tremendious impact on the way we live, without the involvement of an architect? especially it is one of the most highly regulated professions.
beta- it was good seeing you at the AFH-MN congo hospital last night. Seeing one of your offices projects was interesting- hope your happy with the corporate culture and design attitude...
back from an archinect lovefest...thanks for the cd stephanie i got it today and popped it in the cd player on the way up to meet liberty bell and her special guest wondler k for a couple of drinks and some gossip. hope nobody's ears are red. anyway the pics i took suck so i hope wondLer's turned out more better.
yeah killa, it was good to meet your co-workers too. i clearly have a lot to learn about what's going on in the world, i felt pretty "green" when it came to many of the issues discussed that night. i am hoping to learn more as it goes forward, but i am not sure what i can contribute and going to the Congo is not something i can commit to right now. things are good, looking forward to things getting better, but then again that has more to do with the ME exam...
This is an article that shows a different way of looking at architect's fees: not solely as a cost of the construction process, but as a cost of homeownership. The author lays out a scenario in which the cost of the architect's fees are calculated at 10% of construction cost (n.i. landscape), but when figured in with the cost of 25 years of homeownership - land costs, mortgage insurance, closing fees, etc. - the figure is closer to 4%. And it seems like a valid argument to say that for 4% extra you're going to get a project that is specifically suited to your desires AND should (if the architect is good) have added value through intelligent design. Since the home is most people's major asset, why not spend that tiny bit more to make it better?
The pics looked good (after two Guiness) on the tiny camera screen, vado, but in the cold light of a full-sized computer screen I'm sure they reveal some flaws - thanks for not posting them!
we have 2 projects going on now, one a very exciting wee house in centre tokyo, super tight site, all kindsa fun restrictions, and a client who is into modern (mvrdv-ish, not mies) architecture...totally lovin what we are doing and even telling us a japanese architect would never think to treat landscape and house the way we are planning (don't know if that is true, but could be)...a dream client.
then we have a nuther project where the client brought us plans of the home, which were not bad actually planning wise, but otherwise a bit...um...dum. strange problems with scale and lack of thought in terms of reality...he thinks we are a waste of his time, deep down inside, am quite sure of it, for just the reasons implied by abra above. is very hard to deal with both clients in the same week. like drinking fine wine followed by salt-water...
Where are the pics of the house remodel? Interested.
Also, not sure if I have said, but my partner and I now have another baby boy. He is 9 weeks old today. His name is Jack.
I am back at work today officially after 3 weeks + off. I had some time off not doing much - just spending time with my lads, and forgetting what day it was...
i went to hospital again today for my friend who is dying. he opened his eyes when i made a little noise in the room. he is under morphine and hasn't been eating much. i fed him a small yoplait type of food with plastic spoon and he went back to sleep. i took him a book, istanbul; memoirs of a city and put it on top of a russion poetry book he had on top of his sketch books which were empty without a drawing and only some scribbles written by him stating few things like;
. pain pills aren't strong enough
. food is tasteless
. how about a cigarette
etc...
there are only few of us going to hospital to visit him and all those people who use to be buddy buddy with him in his jolie days are nowhere to be found or they say it's too painfull for them to see him like this. bullshit. but, so, i still understand and give them a slack.
~~~
on the other subject;
even though i was aware of some friends from here getting together in my city, i kind of stayed quite about it, because i didn't want to commit myself to something i couldn't do. i did go to geoff's event for couple of hours yesterday afternoon and it was an interesting event and it helped me to take my mind off the stuff a little bit.
tina and i have been attending our friends' and families' problems lately. so whenever we have a little time, we try to sit in house with the puppies and stay warm, like tonight.
special thanks go to steven ward, for keeping me laughing with ward family adventures and remodeling job.
Bilingualism delays onset of dementia
People who are fully bilingual and speak both languages every day for most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years compared with those who only know one language, Canadian scientists said on Friday.
Researchers said the extra effort involved in using more than one language appeared to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure nerve connections remained healthy -- two factors thought to help fight off dementia.
best news today for moi.
i set a record this weekend. i spent zero money. stayed home all weekend went out only to take out the trash. it rained and is raining still all weekend. painting, dvd's, cleaning and nfl playoffs and a few phonecalls to friends took care of it.
I really enjoyed that article LB. So we need to stop talking about this debate and start doing something about it - the insanity should stop here. Could we not focus on building quality designs even if it means that we build one property at a time? Point in case, couldn't Architects invest in buying some land, build a project and sell it to a homeowner just like a contractor might? Is it that Architects are poor at marketing themselves and their designs? Believe me, if we produce a quality product people will buy, and in a short amount of time I can guarantee homeowners won't accept the garbage that is being sold on today's market – it's like that phrase build it and they will come. Am I missing something here? How many are with me?
I am officially moving to Chicago on Thursday. Got the ticket just a couple days ago so it feels crazy that it's actually finally happening. The LA thing was a bit of a last-night-out for me, or more like a first-night-out, rather, given that I very much feel as though I am embarking on a new chapter of me.
Katze: couldn't Architects invest in buying some land, build a project and sell it to a homeowner just like a contractor might?
I know some architects who do this. I am thinking of doing it sometime myself, as a joint family effort.
For a long time I had a draft going on this very subject that I wanted to eventually submit to Architecture magazine's back-page rant column; I basically took lessons from the rise of dentistry and tried to show that architecture could, too, one day become a given expenditure. Maybe I'll try to submit it as an archinect feature. It needs a bit more research still however.
Yeah it was gonna be my first published piece. THANKS A LOT, ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE. Harrumph. Way to close your doors while I'm still trying to get my foot up the front steps.
Yes, LiG, you need to show me your local bar! Did you set up a date with that chick??
I may have related this story on here before, but my current dentist once asked me, while poking things into my mouth, what I do for a living. When I told him, he said the following:
"Ahh!! (poke poke poke) I used to want to be an architect. (poke blast of water poke poke blast of water) But then I decided it was too boring and went into dentistry instead."
My eyes must have widened a bit at this because he went on to explain:
"Oh they're very similar you know! We had to make models of all the teeth in school... (he stopped working and smiled off into the middle distance for a moment) ...yes, it was a lot of fun."
So there you have it, folks. Architecture is more boring than dentistry.
okay - one last post about dentistry, and then its goodnight for me. I promise.
For a former employer, I conducted feasibility studies for clients. Part of the study would involve an analysis of existing facilities. ANYWAYS, my dentist at the time had this neat tooth camera-and-TV-screen combo that allowed her to put a camera in my mouth and project the image onto the screen. I was amazed at the diagnostic abilities and remarked, "I wish we had this type of tool for my clients, to be able to SHOW them what was wrong with their existing conditions."
hrmm... Good story, DCA. (I'm really not sure how this relates to the topic at hand. ) It's really time for bed now... Goodnight!
Myriam, good luck with your Chicago adventures! I too, would be interested in your article. Good to hear that someone else supports this direction. Right on!
DCA - I love the campaign! I can see it now – "See your Architect regularly for optimal inspiration"…
Vado – did they go bust b/c they sucked at financials / P+L ???
I'll be in Seattle on Friday, then back to Portland on Saturday, then Boston on Monday...
DCA – my dentist at the time had this neat tooth camera-and-TV-screen combo that allowed her to put a camera in my mouth and project the image onto the screen
WHAA!!!! Dentists have found a way to charge customers for services that might not be covered under insurance plans – case in point, I recently visited the dentist for a regular checkup and I received a bill for $100 from the dentist. I called the dental office and asked why I was being charged for a checkup when it should be covered under my insurance plan. They stated it was for that special camera thingy that they used to diagnose problems. It would have been nice for the dentist to state that their special equipment may not be covered…damn dentists….let this be a lesson – ask for what you are being charged for before the procedure begins.
I'm in Phoenix this weekend, myriam and vado, so won't be able to go to Chicago. (Or to see Steven, who's going to be in Indy Sunday.)
myriam, did you get the email I forwarded you re: an interview in Chicago? And vado, glad you saved up osme money this weekend so you can have fun going out in the city instead!
abra, good for you going to see your friend. I am sure just seeing your face come through the door helps his spirits immeasurably.
I did, lb, and was totally amazed by it! I'm actually finishing up that cover letter now so I can send it out this morning. Haven't had a chance to properly respond and thank you yet. So, THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thread Central
Say what? Only 7 posts on Thread Central today? Am I lagged?
rationalist: It's good to hear that you have experience on "the other side of the table" when it comes to RFI and construction coordination. Hopefully it's helped you to understand the value of good construction documents. I use "reviewed" or "reviewed as noted" as much as possible. (We also have "reviewed for information only" for things like structural calculations that only our structural engineer cares about.)
myriam: Are you sure that the firm actually received the email? Some systems automatically reject large files/emails without delivering them to the recipient. There could be a chance that they don't even know of your email-size oversight. I agree with rationalist - give it a day or so, then give them a call. Perhaps you could even call and say, "I'm having a hard time sending your firm an email; may I please speak with your IT director?" then ask him/her about file size restrictions. Chances are - if the firm is large enough to have an IT director - that he/she has nothing to do with the hiring manager; thus, you can fly under the radar.
ever have a day where you are so busy you don't go pee? seriously? i had one today. things are coming out the woodwork. a frantic deadline appeared every couple of hours. gears are switched every 20 minutes when the phone rings.
but our new principal has been hanging around. i had forgotten how nice it was to have someone just tell you what to do. And someone to blame when the client rejects it instead of feeling bad myself.
"blame" isn't the right word. you know what i mean.
Okay, I finally got my Christmas lights down. You all may now resume posting exciting, thought-provoking threads.
did archinect relocate into second life inspired by heather? maybe that's why it was sooooo quiet today.
night folks!
nah, it was quiet because I was tending to shop drawings. The trusses are already scheduled into the manufacturer's production timetable, and so they need to get approved ASAP.
rationalist, we used "reviewed" on shop drawings when we got the submittals from approved from our mechanical and electrical consultants.
if the firm myriam's emailing has an IT director, they're not likey to have a 6mb limit. who has that small a limit anymore?
I was quiet on Thread Central yesterday, and will be again today, I'm afraid. Lots of work, plus! I'm cleaning my house - which I don't do as often as I should - in anticipation of WonderK coming over tonight yay!! I'm so glad I get to have a tiny role in the blockbuster feature "Los Angeles Holiday" staring WonderK and featuring a cameo appearance by the real-life Garwondler.
vado, it may be a drink late-ish, like 9 or 9:30. (I realize that is an EARLY night out for most 'necters. but I'm a parent so it's a late night for me.)
6 mb still seems like a lot for an email to me..but maybe i'm
used to the day when emails couldn't be larger than 1.2 mb
or the like.
at the firm i work at they decided to get rid of file restrictions
for resumes..but i still see quite a few postings asking for
small pdfs.
i'd call and explain the situation...asking for an 'IT director' sounds
like some kind of sales call...i think anyone could appreciate that
you didn't realize there'd be a problem and would be happy to
give you an alternative for resending.
how do people feel about unsolicited resumes? whenever i've job
searched i've at least called ahead to see if they were hiring and
to whom i should address my letter...
so yesterday george comes in to meet with me. he is a painter that does painting in some of my projects and lives in n. hollywood in the valley. he is from iraq. he wants a second floor addition to his house wall to wall. i made him like modern plans over the years, so he wants a contemporary design. i told him the best way to do it to almost build a new one. i know some demo is a waste but thats the way it is done around here if you want less headaches and expense which most people do.
i took george to couple of construction sites near my office where they are doing very similar projects in scope.
site #1 was almost done with roughf framing,plumbing and electrical and central american contractor told george about the same thing what i already told him and said he would work on labor and material without a contractor's license. and he offered, we didn't tell him i was an architect, free 'plans'. we asked him a few more questions about extras and took his number and left.
site #2 is on my street where i live and i know they are doing this nice modern remodel and i know the architect because he did a very similar design down the street with metal siding butt jointed corner glass etc. something silica boy would like... anyway, again we didn't tell the contractor that i was an architect and he told us he would include the 'plans' and work on the house with basic materials and to the finish product. nice work. at one point on the second floor i fired the question, "who is the architect?" and he said "jessi". and we told him i was an architect too and we are basically looking around so george understans the process etc. and left after taking his number.
well, the 'plans' were offered by both contractors as bonus and there was no mention of architecture, design etc. i felt so disposible in front of two people with tool belts on and george must be questioning why he has to dish out an extra 30-40K for me, even though i told him why.
Orhan, I heard recently from someone (cant remember who) that as our profession propels itself forward, what we will be offering, is not necessarily services, but knowledge. He (your friend) needs to be made to understand that your knowledge is vital if the wants what he is asking you for. I firmly believe you cannot teach someone design, if they don't already have an inherent sensibility for it. Having said that, most of these contractors, whilst good with their hands/trade, they do not understand the fundamentals and don't have that sensibility that I speak of. they are (mostly) looking for a bottom line. Now I know this is a gross generalization, but you must agree....it's very true in about 90% of cases.
You are worth it and NOT disposable!
my $.02 cents
i know we talk about this all the time.
it is a lot of money in potential client's mind that they'll spend thousands of dollars and locating walls and windows of 'their' house. i know we do much more than that, but that's how the generalized homeowner sees it. 95% of the residential design done without architects and designers. it is not the whole architecture but residential design is the core of construction industry.
in general, homeowners know or told they need plans but care less who prepares them or what they are really done for, they see it as red tape and less they spend on it more they have for real design like bathroom tiles. a lot of the time they are just told by building dept. that they need a structural engineer in much less cases dept. will tell them they need an architect. architecture, if you ask public, is a hard word to spell. what architect does is known mostly and exclusively to educated people if any. and since it is the case, it is very vulnarable to wealthy patrons and to their circles. i don't see my painter friend would live in a 'design within reach' environment and he represents majority of people occupying the cities and suburbs.
this is not unique to this country but numbers are pretty big here.
it is far fetched and perhaps unconstitutional but if you can't go to court in %95 of the time without a lawyer or get a health statement or care without a dr, than why you are told you can design a house or a structure which has a tremendious impact on the way we live, without the involvement of an architect? especially it is one of the most highly regulated professions.
beta- it was good seeing you at the AFH-MN congo hospital last night. Seeing one of your offices projects was interesting- hope your happy with the corporate culture and design attitude...
Or....I will comment on this later it is just to late and I'm ready for sleep and dreams...
back from an archinect lovefest...thanks for the cd stephanie i got it today and popped it in the cd player on the way up to meet liberty bell and her special guest wondler k for a couple of drinks and some gossip. hope nobody's ears are red. anyway the pics i took suck so i hope wondLer's turned out more better.
yeah killa, it was good to meet your co-workers too. i clearly have a lot to learn about what's going on in the world, i felt pretty "green" when it came to many of the issues discussed that night. i am hoping to learn more as it goes forward, but i am not sure what i can contribute and going to the Congo is not something i can commit to right now. things are good, looking forward to things getting better, but then again that has more to do with the ME exam...
I may have posted this link before, but it seems appropriate to your recent comments, Orhan.
article on architect's fees
This is an article that shows a different way of looking at architect's fees: not solely as a cost of the construction process, but as a cost of homeownership. The author lays out a scenario in which the cost of the architect's fees are calculated at 10% of construction cost (n.i. landscape), but when figured in with the cost of 25 years of homeownership - land costs, mortgage insurance, closing fees, etc. - the figure is closer to 4%. And it seems like a valid argument to say that for 4% extra you're going to get a project that is specifically suited to your desires AND should (if the architect is good) have added value through intelligent design. Since the home is most people's major asset, why not spend that tiny bit more to make it better?
The pics looked good (after two Guiness) on the tiny camera screen, vado, but in the cold light of a full-sized computer screen I'm sure they reveal some flaws - thanks for not posting them!
we have 2 projects going on now, one a very exciting wee house in centre tokyo, super tight site, all kindsa fun restrictions, and a client who is into modern (mvrdv-ish, not mies) architecture...totally lovin what we are doing and even telling us a japanese architect would never think to treat landscape and house the way we are planning (don't know if that is true, but could be)...a dream client.
then we have a nuther project where the client brought us plans of the home, which were not bad actually planning wise, but otherwise a bit...um...dum. strange problems with scale and lack of thought in terms of reality...he thinks we are a waste of his time, deep down inside, am quite sure of it, for just the reasons implied by abra above. is very hard to deal with both clients in the same week. like drinking fine wine followed by salt-water...
ah well.
yeah, i still here.
still alive. tipsy, though. I just had to rescue TC from the bottom of the page... that was a good 'Carribean Limbo'.
Liberty Bell,
Where are the pics of the house remodel? Interested.
Also, not sure if I have said, but my partner and I now have another baby boy. He is 9 weeks old today. His name is Jack.
I am back at work today officially after 3 weeks + off. I had some time off not doing much - just spending time with my lads, and forgetting what day it was...
congratulations diabase. welcome Jack!
random image from someone else's flickr:
puddles must be bored. looks like he's digging up 1 yr old threads.
I was thinking that puddles is a she. so not wearing pants makes more sense (but is less fun).
i went to hospital again today for my friend who is dying. he opened his eyes when i made a little noise in the room. he is under morphine and hasn't been eating much. i fed him a small yoplait type of food with plastic spoon and he went back to sleep. i took him a book, istanbul; memoirs of a city and put it on top of a russion poetry book he had on top of his sketch books which were empty without a drawing and only some scribbles written by him stating few things like;
. pain pills aren't strong enough
. food is tasteless
. how about a cigarette
etc...
there are only few of us going to hospital to visit him and all those people who use to be buddy buddy with him in his jolie days are nowhere to be found or they say it's too painfull for them to see him like this. bullshit. but, so, i still understand and give them a slack.
~~~
on the other subject;
even though i was aware of some friends from here getting together in my city, i kind of stayed quite about it, because i didn't want to commit myself to something i couldn't do. i did go to geoff's event for couple of hours yesterday afternoon and it was an interesting event and it helped me to take my mind off the stuff a little bit.
tina and i have been attending our friends' and families' problems lately. so whenever we have a little time, we try to sit in house with the puppies and stay warm, like tonight.
special thanks go to steven ward, for keeping me laughing with ward family adventures and remodeling job.
i can't believe life is so complex
when i just want to sit here and watch you undress
Bilingualism delays onset of dementia
People who are fully bilingual and speak both languages every day for most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years compared with those who only know one language, Canadian scientists said on Friday.
Researchers said the extra effort involved in using more than one language appeared to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure nerve connections remained healthy -- two factors thought to help fight off dementia.
best news today for moi.
i'm not interested enough to post on either the chicago or los angeles threads. sorry.
and that's sad news for me abra as i haven't been successful in acquiring a second language yet. men jeg forstår ikke norsk ennå
i set a record this weekend. i spent zero money. stayed home all weekend went out only to take out the trash. it rained and is raining still all weekend. painting, dvd's, cleaning and nfl playoffs and a few phonecalls to friends took care of it.
Yeah, same here - not much going on but waiting for people to respond to my emails and IM's :) It's too damn cold to venture outside.
I really enjoyed that article LB. So we need to stop talking about this debate and start doing something about it - the insanity should stop here. Could we not focus on building quality designs even if it means that we build one property at a time? Point in case, couldn't Architects invest in buying some land, build a project and sell it to a homeowner just like a contractor might? Is it that Architects are poor at marketing themselves and their designs? Believe me, if we produce a quality product people will buy, and in a short amount of time I can guarantee homeowners won't accept the garbage that is being sold on today's market – it's like that phrase build it and they will come. Am I missing something here? How many are with me?
I am officially moving to Chicago on Thursday. Got the ticket just a couple days ago so it feels crazy that it's actually finally happening. The LA thing was a bit of a last-night-out for me, or more like a first-night-out, rather, given that I very much feel as though I am embarking on a new chapter of me.
Katze: couldn't Architects invest in buying some land, build a project and sell it to a homeowner just like a contractor might?
I know some architects who do this. I am thinking of doing it sometime myself, as a joint family effort.
For a long time I had a draft going on this very subject that I wanted to eventually submit to Architecture magazine's back-page rant column; I basically took lessons from the rise of dentistry and tried to show that architecture could, too, one day become a given expenditure. Maybe I'll try to submit it as an archinect feature. It needs a bit more research still however.
Good luck on your move to Chicago, Myriam... It will be great to have another Architector here to hang out with!
architecture's relationship to dentistry? myriam, I buy into your short description above, and I would definitely read your article.
hrmm... if only we could convince people to see their architect every 6 months...
i know some architects who did that. they went bust. i'll be in chicago on saturday.
Yeah it was gonna be my first published piece. THANKS A LOT, ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE. Harrumph. Way to close your doors while I'm still trying to get my foot up the front steps.
Yes, LiG, you need to show me your local bar! Did you set up a date with that chick??
vado, sir, I must respectfully ask you--would you like to meet for a drink?
lbell needs to come up, too.
myriam: What's to say that you couldn't get your article published in a dentistry magazine instead?
Alternately, your idea would be great for the back cover cartoon of Metropolis. You could call it "Brush and Floss Daily."
I may have related this story on here before, but my current dentist once asked me, while poking things into my mouth, what I do for a living. When I told him, he said the following:
"Ahh!! (poke poke poke) I used to want to be an architect. (poke blast of water poke poke blast of water) But then I decided it was too boring and went into dentistry instead."
My eyes must have widened a bit at this because he went on to explain:
"Oh they're very similar you know! We had to make models of all the teeth in school... (he stopped working and smiled off into the middle distance for a moment) ...yes, it was a lot of fun."
So there you have it, folks. Architecture is more boring than dentistry.
I see an opportunity for another Chicago archinect meet-up in the works here. What say you?
Myriam: I'll call The Brunette tomorrow and try to set something up for Tuesday or Wednesday after work. Stay tuned.
okay - one last post about dentistry, and then its goodnight for me. I promise.
For a former employer, I conducted feasibility studies for clients. Part of the study would involve an analysis of existing facilities. ANYWAYS, my dentist at the time had this neat tooth camera-and-TV-screen combo that allowed her to put a camera in my mouth and project the image onto the screen. I was amazed at the diagnostic abilities and remarked, "I wish we had this type of tool for my clients, to be able to SHOW them what was wrong with their existing conditions."
hrmm... Good story, DCA. (I'm really not sure how this relates to the topic at hand. ) It's really time for bed now... Goodnight!
Myriam, good luck with your Chicago adventures! I too, would be interested in your article. Good to hear that someone else supports this direction. Right on!
DCA - I love the campaign! I can see it now – "See your Architect regularly for optimal inspiration"…
Vado – did they go bust b/c they sucked at financials / P+L ???
I'll be in Seattle on Friday, then back to Portland on Saturday, then Boston on Monday...
DCA – my dentist at the time had this neat tooth camera-and-TV-screen combo that allowed her to put a camera in my mouth and project the image onto the screen
WHAA!!!! Dentists have found a way to charge customers for services that might not be covered under insurance plans – case in point, I recently visited the dentist for a regular checkup and I received a bill for $100 from the dentist. I called the dental office and asked why I was being charged for a checkup when it should be covered under my insurance plan. They stated it was for that special camera thingy that they used to diagnose problems. It would have been nice for the dentist to state that their special equipment may not be covered…damn dentists….let this be a lesson – ask for what you are being charged for before the procedure begins.
I would love to see an architect try to get away with that:
Client: "What's this $100 in additional services on your invoice?"
Architect: "Oh, that's because we used a laser tape measure while documenting your existing conditions."
I'm in Phoenix this weekend, myriam and vado, so won't be able to go to Chicago. (Or to see Steven, who's going to be in Indy Sunday.)
myriam, did you get the email I forwarded you re: an interview in Chicago? And vado, glad you saved up osme money this weekend so you can have fun going out in the city instead!
abra, good for you going to see your friend. I am sure just seeing your face come through the door helps his spirits immeasurably.
happy monday TC.
I WANT a laser tape measure!!! and yes, I'll charge an extra $100 for it's use, even though it would save me lots of time and be more accurate.
abra- it's tough sitting by watching somebody suffer. it puts life into perspective.
I did, lb, and was totally amazed by it! I'm actually finishing up that cover letter now so I can send it out this morning. Haven't had a chance to properly respond and thank you yet. So, THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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