Have you guys ever heard of a “stay bonus”? It’s a commitment to stay in a job for a given period and get a bonus for it? I guess firms are pretty hungry to retain people right now!
No, and if they offered me one I'd say, "I'll take a smaller bonus (because you offered one) and a pay raise to incentivize me to stay instead. I'm an at-will employee and won't be committing to anything."
I've heard the term. It is generally associated with high-level, senior team members that might be looking to bail--especially when there may be monumental shifts occurring within the organization--like buyouts, mergers, leadership changes, or closing the doors. Never seen or heard it applied within our industry. On a related noted, I've collected two 'referral' bonuses this year for bringing on new staff. You are correct, firms are doing everything in their power to keep quality talent around.
How do these bonuses work usually? Do they give you the bonus now and then you commit to stay for a given period, or do they commit to giving you a bonus at a certain date if you are still around? Do you have to sign anything showing agreement with the arrangement?
Dec 2, 21 6:46 pm ·
·
bowling_ball
If they have to incentivize potential employees in that way, I would run fast, far away. I read that as a way to keep you from leaving when you know you'll probably want to bail in short order due to it being a workplace that can't retain staff. No way.
Dec 4, 21 7:52 pm ·
·
midlander
i've heard of this only in cases of mergers or ownership changes where the firm wants to keep team leaders and rainmakers engaged during a potentially disruptive period. it almost always ends with a run for the door once the lockup period is complete. these changes usually result in limited bonuses for leadership who will otherwise look for better opportunities in a good market. obviously the payment is after the staying employed and meeting basic performance requirements for the full term (2 years is what i've seen)
The past year has turned me into such a building code dork. I just wrapped up the G-Section of a small permit set (at 4:30 on a Friday, perfect) and I'm actually proud of how well assembled it turned out.
Only like 10 people will ever see it but that's enough. It's nice to feel good at my job.
Gsheets sounds more fun than what I call mine: A0s
Dec 5, 21 2:55 pm ·
·
bowling_ball
NS I'm in charge of updating our office standards and we're switching the A cover sheet to G. It'll make it easier to organize the various consultant sets within the larger package (heh) so it's not starting with architecture, then civil, and back to architecture again. Something that's always bothered me.
I always found that explanation of how the sets are organized a little misleading. Yes, one of the points of the organization methodology is in fact "to correspond to the natural sequence of construction," but some of the order doesn't make a lot of sense. Interiors shouldn't be before MEP work if we are following natural construction sequencing. Landscape is usually one of the last things to get done so it isn't messed up by other construction traffic, yet shows up early in the drawing set. It ends up getting balanced out because another guiding principle in the methodology is to "closely [associate] disciplines where topics are similar."
Personally, I think it could do with an update. I think it made a lot more sense when it more closely followed the organization of MasterFormat '95, but since that was redone in 2004 it doesn't follow as closely anymore (UDS was originally started in 1994 and first published in 1997 I think). For example, landscape and civil specifications used to be in Division 02 and is early in the drawing set organization ... but since 2004 those discipline's specifications are primarily in Divisions 31-33.
Dec 6, 21 12:14 pm ·
·
tduds
The best way I've found to think about set organization is "Outside to In, Bottom to Top" There are exceptions of course, but for the most part each discipline (and each sheet within the discipline) should follow that sequence as best it can.
Dec 6, 21 1:08 pm ·
·
b3tadine[sutures]
I hear you. I think landscape is a sub-set of civil, and interiors of Architecture. Probably more to with acknowledging disciplines?
I agree, tduds and b3. I put interiors with architectural: A1 for plans, A2 for exterior elevations, A3 for sections, A4 for interior elevations, A5 for construction details. But my interiors (all residential) are pretty straightforward, and on some projects I don't do any at all.
WG, that's pretty consistent with the NCS. Intent (as has been pointed out) is to organize within each subset from general to specific.
I don't associate Landscape as a sub-set of Civil, but I can see how some would. I would associate Interiors as a sub-set of Architectural and most of the time this is how it is in our sets. We don't have I-sheets. At most we'll have AI-sheets to separate out interiors if the set is large or complex.
I was curious, so I associated the current MasterFormat Divisions with the most closely correlated subsets. Just my quick take, feel free to point out issues, errors, etc.
I did 10 plates each side on the leg press last night because my trainer pushed me - and that weight pushed one of my ribs into my diaphragm. It hurts to breathe right now.
Maybe it's time to fire Trevor and replace him with someone a bit more... knowledgeable? Accidents happen, of course. But would you load yet another another pallet of bricks onto that slender, cantilevered balcony, booming "you can do it!" and just hope for the best?
Oh yes. We'll get in at least 20 miles this weekend.
Dec 10, 21 2:54 pm ·
·
proto
Soft open at my local resort today based on 2+ ft over the last 48hrs, but, F me, only the low angle beginner stuff… it’s a late start this year
Unfortunately a deadly backcountry incident already in this first storm system that killed one after sweeping a party of 6 or so (Crystal)…the urge to get out in high winds & wind slab baffles & saddens me
Eight more days you guys! Just eight more days and night until the days start getting longer and the nights start getting shorter. I’m always really distressed this time of year but the equinox is always a game changer.
I always feel the crunch of the shorter days living way up in the great white north. Today I get 7 hours and 12 minutes of days light. Cant wait to be on the other side
Here in Maine we should really be on Atlantic time. Sunset has been at 3:57pm for the last week, sunrise around 7am. It starts getting dark at 2:30-3pm.
being in nyc, i'm a bit weird and actually like when they days start to get shorter.. makes everyone slow down a bit after the business of summer. but by feb/march i'm ready for it again.
Weird, I've restarted my computer but still missing the option to thumb up or down. I'm logged in. I don't think it's a punishment, probably just a technical glitch.
It's more a 'mini-owner' I'll share in the profits but I don't have voting rights. Wouldn't matter though - votes are weighted based on the amount of stock you have. Still, it's a nice offer!
You'll need to start working on your maniacal laugh. And quietly murmur "step one complete... in another hundred years who'll be laughing at who father..." as you get your morning coffee.
why did AIA national increase their required learning units to 18? Most state boards only requires 12. Are they just trying to increase the number of people who buy courses on AIAU?
Probably because 12 CEU's aren't enough to stay on top on your continuing education. Also the 18 CEU's required by AIA aren't very stringent in terms of content.
Dec 17, 21 10:38 am ·
·
Non Sequitur
12? What does that equal to in terms of hours per year?
12 hours. It's nothing. Four of those hours can be done by reading approved articles in print or line and self reporting. It's a joke.
Dec 17, 21 11:16 am ·
·
archanonymous
It has been 18 for a while, no? I usually complete 12 "hours" of CEU credits in about 1-2 hours. Go on Hanleywood.com, find the easy HSW courses, knock em out.
I used to coordinate 1 to 2 lunch-and-learns per month for the office. I'd go to pretty much all of them because I didn't schedule something I wasn't interested in. Add another handful of credits I'd get at various events/conferences and I've never had an issue getting 18+ per year even if I only needed 12 when I wasn't an AIA member.
This year was the closest and it's because we didn't have many lunch-and-learns, and I didn't attend any events/conferences. Even with that I still have 20 credits for the year, but I had to look for opportunities rather than just taking the ones in front of me. I agree that our required continuing education is a joke, but it's also not hard to complete for that exact reason.
Yeah, getting basic CEU's is really easy. Getting Health Safety and Welfare CEU's is a bit more complicated but still not a hassle. In CO you need to have 24 HSW CEU's every two years.
I typically don't even bother with non-HSW presentations unless I'm really interested in the topic. But I also know that I might be unique with my focus on technical details/content
NS - that's what I typically hit every two years even though I only need 18 for AIA and 12 for the states I'm licensed in.
EA - I think the classification of HSW CEU's are rather generous here in the states. I'd say only 20% of the HSW I've taken over the past ten years would be helpful in any type technical details / content. The rest are 'look, this tile has a slip coefficient of x, we classify as a HSW credit!' :s
Yep, AIA's criteria is pretty relaxed when it comes to HSW classification. I do think they've been a little more stringent in the last few years as they've been updating their CES standards, but it could still be a lot better. They basically have zero incentive to make it better though.
So I’m excited to share that husband and I purchased a South Loop, Chicago condo today. My son is going to college in Chicago and the dorm costs are so high we decided to invest in equity instead. Sooooo…. I have a Chicago domicile! The architecture in Chicago is just fucking amazing, you guys. Like a few blocks away are Sullivan, Mies, a bunch of gorgeous early 20th Century almost-skyscrapers, good PoMo, the brawny L, the Spertus….here’s my husband and kid dutifully enjoying the Thompson Center today:
You had me going til you said Thompson Center. Congrats on your Chicago purchase though! Elevan City diner is my favorite food spot in the South Loop, so check it out when you need noms.
... and if you are in town, hit me up. I think you have my email/ instagram still probably? Laying low currently due to covid, but always down for architectural drinks/ discussing and traipsing otherwise.
Not too far from South Loop is Chinatown - probably the best Chinatown in the US other than NYC. There's some great architecture there - Ping Tom Park, Chinese American Service League, Chinatown Arch, and the SOM-designed Chinatown Public Library, Hilliard Apartments, oh and the Cermak Redline stop by Carol Ross Barney. Quing Xiang Yuan for soup dumplings. Phoenix for Dim Sum.
A bit farther down the Orange line or 62 Bus is Bridgeport, which has some cool old churches (including one by Burnham now converted to a Buddhist Temple) Palmaisano Park, Park 571 boathouse by Studio Gang, both awesome for nature and birdwatching, and Maria's/ Kimski which is a great bar for local flavor and favorite of the IIT profs. Bridgeport Art Center and Zhou B have good gallery shows in normal times. Marz Brewing. Also has Future Firm/ Borderless Studio offices which in the summer host monthly film screenings.
One of my favorite slept-on buildings is the Chicago Public Library branch at 49th street in Hyde Park/ Kenwood called Blackstone Library. Leaded Glass floors and cast brass stacks that are also structure. Obviously U of C and all of Hyde Park have some great architecture, both historic and contemporary. Studio Gang's City Hyde Park is actually really good. There's some turn-of-century towers on Lakeshore drive that are really good too - the Powhattan has awesome cast aluminum spandrel panels and architectural details.
Other randoms: Northerly Island is great. 31st Street Beach is so fun in the summertime. Lakefront path for cycling and walking Highly recommend having a bike in the city or getting a Divvy membership. The parks heading south are peerless. Steelworkers Park especially. Jackson Park. Etc.... Fisher City apartments. Top floor winter-garden of Harold Washington Library.
I won't go on a rant for Northside/ Loop stuff because everyone knows about that part of the city.
I think posters here can often default to super jaded and condescending responses to questions like this, and often it is warranted. However, I think we should all be mindful that the architectural education system and practical and professional support systems in the US, Canada, and Europe are often much more robust and advanced than those in developing countries or ones recently affected by conflict and crisis.
Should people know how to do their own googling and research? Yes. Do we all take for granted the high level of knowledge we have as a baseline, and the cultivation (both in school and in quality offices) of our critical thinking, research, and analysis skills? Also yes.
Seems like we should all be a bit more generous with our time and help with posters here, other than those who come here and post in bad-faith. We are the ones choosing to spend time on this website, but then we come and spew condescending bullshit. Does that actually make anyone happy?
I agree, but also think that unknown posters looking for help could put a little more effort into describing their situation--a cover letter, of sorts. "I'm a new architect in Egypt and tasked with something outside my skill set and my PM is too busy to help me and I'll get fired if I don't figure this out" would give us context, rather than us having to guess and/or draw it out of them.
Just went back to review the responses in the thread and I agree we could do better. I was a bit too condescending at first but realized I didn't have sufficient information and tried to get more out of the OP. Maybe too little too late. archanonymous, your response was good and looks like it was appreciated.
I asked pertinent questions that could have directed the OP towards the information and layered it in a reasonable layer of snark... Everything has it's price.
Dec 21, 21 2:42 pm ·
·
archanonymous
You all make great points. They could have certainly given more info, or been more resourceful, both before coming to archinect, and in response to our initial statements. I'm not sure if snark translates well across language barriers and cultures.
I wonder if the big green head could implement a post/ comment count limit before which you would get a warning with something like "how to get good responses to your question" prompting people to be better posters.
I have to say, seeing Rick and jla arguing about who's the bigger troll, telling each other to stop pissing/shitting all over threads, etc. is perhaps a little too peak Archinect for me. Probably time for the mods to shut it down, or do some selective culling of posts, to keep things from spiraling.
I don't think jla is trolling though. That fool actually believes what he's writing. Rick - he certainly believes what he's writing. I just think both of them should get banned - permanently.
I go back and forth on whether he's a disingenuous troll or completely misled/misguided. Either way, seeing those two argue about it is way past jumping the shark for the forums.
Dec 21, 21 2:10 pm ·
·
tduds
Back in my forum modding days (not Archinect) it was possible for admins to merge threads. I'd suggest merging that & many other threads into the politics dumpster fire where it belongs.
Or just delete it. Not much of value would be lost.
Dec 21, 21 2:15 pm ·
·
randomised
But the lack of value is its value!
Dec 21, 21 3:05 pm ·
·
randomised
I think x-jla is genuine in what he posts here, even though it is often difficult to agree with, but Rick is just trying to fit in with the cool kids and is trying way too hard [/2ct]
My issue with x-jla is that he's admitted to knowing what he's posting is incorrect and in many cases outright lies. He doesn't care. I have not issue with people posting things I don't agree with. I have an issue with people knowingly posting lies. To me that's behavior that should earn a permanent ban.
But one doesn’t need to tell the truth on a discussion forum, just for the sake of argument one can take a hypothetical position. You can simply ignore a user…
Dang it, I’m drunk. I took part in a Twitter Spaces conversation tonight about unionization in architecture and I drank wine all the way through it because I felt so inspired and optimistic and now I’m drunk. Dang it. Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday day!
Not related to your being drunk, but is there a recording of that conversation somewhere? I saw it too late to join, but am interested in what was said. I'm catching little snippets of some things on twitter after the fact but it's mostly limited to commentary on funny or dumb things that happened, not necessarily on the content.
It will be a fun ride. Montana and Minnesota are nice places to visit. I just wish I didn't have to spend 3.5 of the next 9 days in a car. Luckily my wife is a great road trip companion.
Montana is good. The fun outdoor stuff is are really spread out though with very little in-between. From MT to where I visit in MN is only 7 hours or so.
Unrelated, what happened to the confused UFO pony who resurrected UFO Central? Seems those posts are nuked now... was his/her evidence that damning that the CIA swooped in and forced the big green head's hand?
Thanks Donna. I believe people are still dumb as rocks.
Dec 29, 21 2:22 pm ·
·
curtkram
i don't know. i think we have a better chance of aliens fixing things than people fixing things. on the other hand, based on current evidence, i think if aliens do invade i can fix the problem with a little windex on the screen.
It is depressing. The first time I visited I drove down the long gravel road and then drove right back out and went hiking instead. Didn't even get out of the car. I hated it! I've been back and had a slightly better experience, but yeah very depressing place.
Jan 4, 22 9:49 am ·
·
tduds
I visited in 2010 and definitely got a depressing vibe from the tour. Like everyone really wants to pretend they still believe in the whole thing, but they're running out of energy to keep pretending, so it's just not convincing. The domes are cool though, and the landscape is gorgeous.
Jan 4, 22 12:30 pm ·
·
atelier nobody
I saw a really terrible scifi/fantasyish movie that was filmed there - it definitely worked for that. Don't think I'd want to live there.
Jan 4, 22 2:05 pm ·
·
SneakyPete
Puscifer did a show from there, really cemented the loneliness aspect.
I would really like the input of some of the wiser and more experienced members of TC: What do I (an at-will employee with no ownership stake in my current firm) owe the firm before leaving?
I am the only architect on my current project and it is in CA, there's probably only 3-5 other people at the firm with the complex geometry and technology experience to complete it effectively. I have a great deal of negative emotions about the firm - underpay, overwork, lack of support, lack of adequate staff and technology resources, etc... And yet, I still have this nagging desire to please the firm principal and leadership that I just can't escape.
I was still going to give two weeks notice at a minimum, but is 4 or 6 weeks more appropriate? Should I just flip a table and walk out?
My wife was arguing that even if I wrapped up my current project perfectly and served it up with a ribbon and a cherry on top, they will still talk shit about me once I leave because in her words "abusers always blame the abused, and no amount of quality work or resolution of the project will change how they feel about you once you've left."
Two weeks, that's all you owe. I gave my previous employer close to a month since I was running a couple projects but....they treated me very well when I was there.
The duration you give is really not that important. If you are a valued member of the organization, then theoretically there will never be a 'good time' for you to leave. They will feel it and you will be missed--but they will move on. What's more important is that you remain cordial and professional. Do not burn bridges. Do not slander them when you move to the next place. The world of design+construction is a very small one. If you are remaining in the same market, there is a very good likelihood that you will run into some of these people in the future. Good luck.
2 weeks is a courtesy that you don't owe them (you said yourself you are "at will"), but is the "professional" way to give your notice and leave. If they haven't built in enough expertise in their practice to handle the work they take on if one person leaves (or gets sick or has some type of emergency and can't work), that's on them, not on you. 2 weeks gives them enough time to transition the workload to someone else (temporarily or permanently), and/or start the process to hire your replacement.
I gave my last office 3 weeks to transition and find my replacement. I even helped write the job posting and sat in on an interview with a potential candidate. They didn't hire anybody and absorbed the workload or off-loaded it to 3rd-party consultants. They didn't gain anything from the extra week. The only reason I did it was because it was the written-down-but-not-enforceable guideline in that office based on my title ... in other words, a professional courtesy.
Thanks Donna! I definitely don't burn bridges (anymore at least) and my past 3 firms I think would happily take me back or give me a good recommendation. Not sure about my current firm once I leave though.
I really do not understand why, in our small world, senior managers would treat junior and mid level staff like shit. Many may eventually end up on ownership side or have political connections and if you don’t treat people well that’s lost potential work. Last thing you want is a disgruntled employee quitting to go work for one of your top clients. Especially if you are a big name firm that attracts top talent.
I'm honestly surprised I haven't caught it yet. Considering how the government has dropped the ball, it is only a matter of time.
Jan 6, 22 10:59 am ·
·
archanonymous
Maybe you have caught it? I'm not convinced its a government dropping the ball issue, though it is interesting to see how the situation remains under control in lots of smaller countries in Asia and Oceania. I'm a bit relieved that I caught it finally. So far quite mild, and i'm vaxxed and boosted so should have great immunity following this.
Jan 6, 22 11:29 am ·
·
RJ87
I ended up finally getting it last week. Just finished up quarantine & am back in the office after working from home all week. Ended up getting it from Christmas dinner from a cousin. Not sure whether to be amused or annoyed that after everything I've done the last year and a half where I could have gotten it I get it doing the most wholesome thing I could think of. Most of my family got it, we're all back to normal now thankfully.
It wouldn't surprise me if I already had it considering the amount of people I've been in contact with that have. Last month I was having symptoms that I usually get when the weather gets weird (as was Chicago's weather at the time) right at the same time I had confirmed close contacts. Kept testing negative on both PCR and rapid tests though. I think the stigma surrounding getting it needs to go away though - it's so rampant right now.
Jan 6, 22 3:36 pm ·
·
SneakyPete
I just wish they would get a baby vaccine soon. This bullshit is gonna drive me to drink harder.
Jan 6, 22 7:16 pm ·
·
b3tadine[sutures]
I hear if you never get tested, you'll never get Covid-19.
Nr. of infections is booming over here…but +90% is of the omicron variant(here in Amsterdam) which actually means deaths and hospitalisations are starting to go down…and boosters are going up, so hopefully lockdown (since mid December) will end end of next week, fingers crossed. The people I know that have contracted COVID recently all are going through it mildly as they have been vaccinated. Will get my booster shot tomorrow!
I, for one, fear that before the repairs are complete there will be an earthquake that irreparably changes the foundation and soil beneath and it will have to be deconstructed.
I don't fear that outcome, I welcome it. Any building built to be a tax dodge can go fuck itself.
Jan 12, 22 11:56 am ·
·
archanonymous
Yeah, maybe I misspoke - I don't actually fear it, other than the potential for injuries. Would love to see some idiot developers have to pay to dismantle it, but more likely they would find a way to make the people of SF and CA pay for it.
HOAs are all friendly and good-neighborly up until the moment someone can see your garbage can from the street after collection day, and then the gloves come off and it's survival of the fittest.
This message brought to you by HOAs. HOAs, where we take the American Dream (TM) and turn it into trauma.
My wife is the president of our HOA. I'm in charge of reviewing all variance applications. We are both drunk with power and have implemented a zero tolerance policy for violations. All violations carry a penalty of being my personal archery target for one arrow.
Holy mother forking shirt balls that was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing SP.
To be fair, I have not really had any issues with my HOA. It's well-established (I should add "legally" after reading that reddit), provides quite a bit in terms of the neighborhoods around here, and has some of the cheapest dues on top of that.
Still, and I think this is where any HOA starts to go off the rails, when someone gets a bee in their bonnet about some pet peeve of theirs, and uses the HOA to start making their neighbors pay extra money or jump through regulatory hoops when a simple discussion would usually suffice ... that's where I lose it.
I'm sure 98% percent of us are happy to move the MF-ing garbage cans. Just ask us politely and maybe point out what is and is not acceptable with some easily produced illustrations or photographs (I'd even be happy to help put those together for you). Don't jump straight to issuing fines.
I'm guessing most HOA people are middle managers that are taking out their personal frustrations from hating their job out on others just because they can, instead of like switching jobs and going to therapy.
Anyone here have recommendations for simple DIY backyard landscaping books? My wife has been attempting to find books on the subject via the library but everything is too complicated for her.
I want to hire a landscape designer to do this but my wife is determined to . . . grow stuff?
I'm interested in this type of stuff too. Best I can figure at the moment is to go make a friend at a local nursery or something who will listen to me ask them all sorts of questions without getting frustrated at my stupidity. I want to grow things too, but I don't want the same things I see all my neighbors growing, which seems to be the cheapest options from the garden sections of the big box stores.
I'm also particularly interested in landscaping for rainwater gardens as I need to redo some drainage from my downspouts and avoid running the sump pump in my crawl space so much during wet weather.
Jan 19, 22 2:40 pm ·
·
SneakyPete
If anyone tells you to put coffee grounds on your plants, remember that caffeine is bad for them and spent coffee grounds still has plenty of caffeine.
Thanks for the tip. We already have access to really good compost out here from the local landfill. We'd never use coffee grounds - we don't drink coffee. ;P
What I found helpful was watching a bunch of Monty Don - Gardener's World, his specials, Big Ideas, Small Spaces and some YouTube stuff. There's actually a ton of great garden content out there.
As far as actually picking plants, there is no better resource than the people at a local independent nursery.
I agree about a local nursery being a great resource. I think I've convinced my wife to hire a local nursery to come out and do a design consultation for us. The wife still wants to 'tweak' the design though and of course, do all the work herself. I'm tasked with building a shed and raised planting beds for the garden though. I hope the wife will be happy with slightly crooked walls. ;)
Jan 19, 22 3:07 pm ·
·
randomised
I’m sure x-jla would have some tips…
Jan 19, 22 3:16 pm ·
·
,,,,
A good resource is the local garden club. A lot of retirees live to help with this stuff. Is there a university with courses in agriculture? Some will do a free soil analysis. You get the analysis and they get to expand their data base. A win / win.
Jan 19, 22 3:18 pm ·
·
archanonymous
Pretty sure Mesa State has a great agriculture and forestry program. Chad - I built some raised beds last year, I can send you some deets. Just used regular untreated 2x12 they look and work great.
High Country Gardens has pre-designed gardens suitable for mountain west climates. And CSU has a free master gardener hotline and publishes recommended cultivars.
After about 5yrs of trying to do it ourselves, we finally admitted that we just wanted it done so it could grow in & hired a friend landscape architect. Her FIRST proposed design was comparatively so fucking awesome. It's not avant garde or anything, just really great. We just wondered why we didn't suck it up earlier. Our own egos prolly...
Thinking about gardening and plants like this makes me really miss my grandfather. He had a masters degree in agronomy and horticulture. He worked as a farmer and educator for most all of his life and could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about basically anything that would grow where I was raised.
I'm confident that if he were alive today, and I asked him to, he'd ask me some basic questions about my soil and local conditions and within a few days come back to me with a list of plants by common and scientific name, their desirable characteristics (i.e. fragrant flowers in summer, winter interest, drought tolerant), and the growing habitat each would need (i.e. mostly sunny, well-drained sandy soil). Probably also sprinkled with some history or deeper knowledge like, "this plant was categorized by the Lewis and Clark expedition," or, "the yellow-throated [insert bird name] eats the berries from this plant in the winter when their preferred food, [insert insect name], is dormant."
I've been pretty obsessed with gardening/hobby farming for 15 years now, and recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Handbook-Garden-Farming-Country/dp/0865716668. You don't have to go full Permaculture but it has a section similar to A Pattern Language that I review often. I also second the suggestion of watching Monty Don videos.
Chad - not sure why I jus thought of this, but Western Colorado Botanical Gardens is really solid and my wife and I had a like a 2 hour conversation with one of the volunteers when we visited in July. We're really into plants though. But super friendly people and I'm sure they could help point you in the right direction. And visiting would help with the inspiration!
Well since I dropped a big buried lede in the Covid thread, and I know I've hinted over the past year (and because Donna guessed it on twitter last month), I guess I should spill.
I'm gonna be a dad in May. I'll have to change my name to t dads.
Congrats! I'd noticed the hints and figured it out, but I wondered if I'd missed an announcement somewhere more and more lately as you were becoming more vocal about it.
Thanks everybody! Donna, we are going to Palm Springs at the beginning of March. Got a suite in a fancy little Moroccan themed hotel, and I was able to score first class flights with the miles I had stockpiled. Going all out before our lives change forever!
I've never had so many headhunters and unsolicited job offers in my entire career. I feel like a whole lot of people left the profession for good over the past two years.
I'm working on a blog post about what I'd like to see an architecture union address and my hope is that we will start to see things change soon. My worry is that everyone is already too busy and burnt out to even try. Ironically, I've been working on it for two weeks and am no closer to finishing it because I've been so busy and burnt out.
the low morale is real. there are so many factors to point at, but i think the key word you (josh) used is "agency," something architects lose more of every year. much of this has to do with economics (clients, developers, etc), and much has to do with technology (we're quickly moving to a place where we don't even draw or model anything anymore, and the pandemic has exacerbated this). it's deeply existential, and while i think forming a union will help with the working conditions aspects, i'm less hopeful about some of the more technological/existential ones. count me in the 61%.
EA I look forward to reading that blog post. Incidentally I've been mulling over starting my own writing outlet since about Christmas, and simply not having the time or bandwidth to get it going. Seems like a tough time for lots of folks.
Likewise EA. I honestly hesitated sending out those tweets last night but it all needed to be said. It really is all about agency, and as mentioned we constantly lose more of it each year. The potential I take a break for a few months is extremely high.
I’m having a really hard time finding decent residential GCs and a structural engineer for what I think should be a $150k residential renovation project. I get the feeling I need to start pushing at least half a mil just to get a return call.
Jan 25, 22 5:42 pm ·
·
archanonymous
Yep. Consultants can finally be choosy because there is a ton of work out there.
As I was walking to my car after work the other night I had someone pull in honking his horn at me. He asked if I would be interested in doing plans for his home addition, lately I keep getting bombarded with offers of residential work to the point where now I have a ready list of recommended residential architects near us to give them.
I could do it after hours but for the rates I just don't want the extra headache.
Don't get me wrong if it was a manufacturing facility, multistory office building, hotel or commercial shopping center I would have still taken their money. But yeah, honking at someone is a weird way to start off a conversation about contracting services beyond a street corner regardless of how skimpy my skirt is.
Finally Found a structural engineer. Now the search continues for a GC who isn’t scared of arch drawings (have found plenty of small-time contractors willing to talk, but they all seem scared of working with an architect - I’m a good person to know!). Btw - this is a small addition to my own house - the fee I charge is getting my own studio space. I do know a GC from my moonlighting days who would be willing to do my project, but he’s gotten very expensive and highly
sought after.
Jan 26, 22 4:41 pm ·
·
axonapoplectic
Maybe I just bite the bullet and go with this guy who I know does superior work but will force me to rethink my budget.
Pricing in residential has changed over the last two years. It's most of what I do & the phone calls we get often end with shock when we talk budgets. $150k in my neck of the woods is a gut kitchen with no exterior or other infrastructure work. I'd start with $200k for an addition by the time all the subs have their say.
The cover, including title, tagline, image and order of authors' names are not final yet. I'm advocating for The Pretty Good House: A Guide to Building Better Homes.
Even with four authors, plus a few contributors and a seasoned veteran editor (he helped make Sarah Susanka famous), and a topic we know well, it was a surprisingly large amount of work. We hope the effort helps others who want healthier, more comfortable, more sustainable homes.
My credit card is at the office but as soon as I get there, I'm ordering. This looks really great. I know as I renovate my own home (and being a commercial architect) that this is exactly what I've been looking for.
Jan 28, 22 12:40 am ·
·
bowling_ball
PS: minus the shutters, your cover image could be my own house. Creepy.
Jan 28, 22 12:42 am ·
·
Wood Guy
Thank you all for ordering!
BB, that's interesting. There's a neat story behind that house: https://mainehomedesign.com/features/committing-to-memory/. The builder is a good friend of mine and I know the owner as well, and the architect is one of our co-authors. They would probably cringe at their barn doors being called shutters--I designed the same thing for the builder's shop--but it's not an incorrect term either.
Jan 28, 22 9:48 am ·
·
Wilma Buttfit
Congrats! I'm ordering right now.
Jan 28, 22 11:06 am ·
·
tduds
Congrats Wood Guy. This is very exciting!
Jan 28, 22 11:34 am ·
·
tduds
I'm just getting started on the big arduous CPHC course, and this will be a great real life supplement / substitute.
Jan 28, 22 11:35 am ·
·
Wood Guy
The Pretty Good House concept started out in opposition to Passive House; in fact, one early spelling was Pretty Gut Haus. But both programs have evolved and I think PGH supports PH, and vice versa. PGH is more comprehensive, like LEED (which can be gamed) or the Living Building Challenge (which is excellent but nearly impossible).
It's not the best, it's not great but it's a pretty [darn] good house...I love how you named the concept, it shows modesty and ambition all the same!
Jan 28, 22 3:52 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
WG, and the others involved with residential clients... who do you do it? We have a few on the books... big shooter types, and after 2/3 years of design and 100ks in fees, we're still making changes while trying to order steel and windows...
If you’re tired of the big shooter types, I’m sure there are some small residential folks here happy to step in…
Jan 29, 22 8:49 am ·
·
Wood Guy
Working for big-shooter types wore me out--that's one reason I changed focus to "green" which tends to appeal to those with some disposable income but usually not so much that they treat you poorly. But now I'm tired of working for people with big dreams and nowhere near enough money, so now I'm trying to balance the two. One reason for writing the book is so to help pre-qualify potential clients. But I often wish I had the option to do commercial work.
For anyone wondering, yes my city is currently under a (very poorly organized) siege of trucks and vax conspiracy nutjobs cunts. Perhaps that's where JLA disappeared to.
What I read somewhere is that those truckers aren’t against vaccines per se but against forced government mandates…but anyways, stay strong and drink plenty of maple syrup.
Jan 29, 22 1:26 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
No, not really. It’s a far right ralley. Many slavery flags (confederate) flying amidst the crowd for some reason. A bunch of waste of space cunts causing havoc for completely stupid reasons.
There are a bunch of trump flags too. Not sure what those are supposed to accomplish, but I guess if your dumb enough to fly one of those, the concept of different country and politics is too much.
Can confirm what NS is saying. The Confederate flag thing has been all over the news, just search it. This protest is backed by an outspoken white supremacy group. Which I find funny because there's a HUGE contingent of truck drivers who are immigrants from other countries here, some of whom are in the protest. It's weird.
These "freedom fighters" also just defaced our statue of Terry Fox and are currently dancing drinking (lite) beer on the unknown soldier tomb at our WW1/WW2 cenotaph.
Jan 29, 22 4:32 pm ·
·
b3tadine[sutures]
Of course they're drinking lite beer, because, you know porters are made by the grinding up of babies.
There was a great (read: incredibly hilarious but frustrating) interview with one of the truckers on a CBC news podcast this past week. It amounted to "what are you protesting?".... "the government wants to take away our freedoms!"...."Can you be more specific? What aspects do you feel infringe on your freedom?"...."Our freedom!" It repeated 3 or 4 times until it was really obvious that he this mouth breathing moron had no idea what he's talking about, which has always been obviously the case with these ignorant rednecks. And the fact that conservative politicians from Alberta have supported these idiots in public, now they have to walk it back since the protesters have been flying nazi flags, has me laughing and pointing. The egg on their faces is so delicious.
A vaccine mandate is not nothing, sure you can find morons and or nazis and give them airtime to ridicule them and undermine the legitimate concerns people have with a government that mandates vaccinations…it’s the easy way out to not have to face confrontation or scrutiny by painting every opposition to such mandates with a broad brush as nazis or morons. You can be pro vaccination and still be against a government forcing people to get vaccinated.
Rando, stay away from the click-bait headlines. It's a racist anti-science, pro Christian rally and has no place in any intelligent discussion. The vast, vast majority of people are not represented by the cunts in my city's downtown. These people do not want the cost and responsibilities of their beliefs, Fuck them, they deserve to loose their jobs/livehoods if they can't figure out life by themselves.
That photo has me thinking back to one of the last times I saw a photo of an honest-to-goodness Nazi flag ... not a stand in like the blue line flag, or the confederate battle flag.
My sister had been visiting my aunt who was showing my nephew a bunch of the stuff my grandfather had held onto since his service in WWII (his old uniform, medals, paperwork, dog tags, a German pistol that had been rendered inert, etc.). She wrote a (private) blog post outlining a lot of the stuff and I was scrolling through and one of the photos was a Nazi flag filling up close to the entire frame. Turns out my grandfather brought one home from the war as some type of souvenir. I doubt anyone in the family knew he had it until after his death.
I recall being quite shocked by the image and not knowing how I'd deal with it if I had been going through his old boxes and found it. Turns out it's actually quite common and something lots of people are confronting. Next time I see my aunt, I think I'm going to ask what she plans on doing with it. I'm not sure there is any great historical significance to it and I'd probably prefer destroying it than hanging onto it longer. Even attempting to donate it to a local museum or historical society has the unfortunate probability (based on her locality) of being used as a symbol of hate rather than an object of history. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/captured-nazi-flags
NS - how are things in Alt-Right-Land? Hope the disruptions aren't too costly on work or family/friends. I've been following from afar from social media; everything about it makes me absolutely disgusted.
I've resolved to check on a few high school friends' facebook pages who seem likely to have participated ... hoping its not the case but believing there's a high probability when you grew up out in the valley.
Hey Bench. Thanks. It's a fucking gongshow. Does not help that my office is 50m away from the parliament buildings. We'll see how things go today since parliament is returning from their annual 6weeks break this morning.
As for FB, these last 2 years of on & off closures and vaccine mandates has allowed me to purge all the mouth breathers from my contacts. Post some jive about charter rights? Removed! Comment about how you lost your job because you choose not to get a vaccine? Removed. I checked yesterday and I could not see anyone on my list posting positive things about the cunts downtown.
I don't understand how flying Nazi flags is OK or even tolerated at all. Where/ when I grew up you'd get your ass kicked for that, if not worse, and you'd deserve it. Now I have no doubt that some of the people I grew up with are flying them. Don't understand how such a shift happens in 30 years.
I will forever associate anyone i meet who participated in this with the N-flags, Confederate flags, pissing on war memorials, robbing soup kitchens, and all the other deplorable behavior. Its not a protest, its alt-right grievance politics
And to compound the stupidity - the exact same restriction exists on both sides of the boarder; they are not unilateral.
You mean, they weren't satisfied with Canada beating the US for World Cup qualifying? Is that what this is all about? Or is it they're angry about the Black players on the team?
Jan 31, 22 11:18 am ·
·
randomised
It seems like Canada is overreaching in their attempt to combat Covid, similar to how Australia and New Zealand are doing…NZ wouldn’t even let in a pregnant NZ national who had to go to the Taliban for help, seriously wtf…sometimes the cure really is worse than the disease.
Jan 31, 22 1:13 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
It's not over-reaching. Individual beliefs do not make the rule. Justin T's speech today makes this very clear.
Thread Central
So yeah, here’s a progress update.
Wow! You look like you feel fantastic!
sploosh danger zone.
joking aside, good job.
Someone slid into my DMs with a similar message, NS.
You are literally half the man you used to be. Congrats.
Josh, was not me. I prefer to make my comments public. Wider audience for the splash zone.
Josh, congrats on the hard work paying off for you
Did you bleach your hair also?
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn Josh! Looking good!
Anon, no. That’s just the lighting - same hair color you know and love.
Great job on losing the weight, and maintaining the loss. Any tips?
Way to go, Josh! Look at you, rockin' those horizontal stripes without a care in the world. Well done.
Time to celebrate with a beer and pizza party!
I just found this piece of paper on my basement floor.
Recognize it?
You need a license to use laundry machines now?
I'm skilled at laundry.
That should make passing the test a breeze.
Is that some kind of official laundry sink?
And yes, Non, those are some badass washers and dryers nowadays.
“Is that some kind of official laundry, Sink?” Nope, just a regular residential one.
Have you guys ever heard of a “stay bonus”? It’s a commitment to stay in a job for a given period and get a bonus for it? I guess firms are pretty hungry to retain people right now!
No, and if they offered me one I'd say, "I'll take a smaller bonus (because you offered one) and a pay raise to incentivize me to stay instead. I'm an at-will employee and won't be committing to anything."
I've heard the term. It is generally associated with high-level, senior team members that might be looking to bail--especially when there may be monumental shifts occurring within the organization--like buyouts, mergers, leadership changes, or closing the doors. Never seen or heard it applied within our industry. On a related noted, I've collected two 'referral' bonuses this year for bringing on new staff. You are correct, firms are doing everything in their power to keep quality talent around.
I've always just called it a "raise"
How do these bonuses work usually? Do they give you the bonus now and then you commit to stay for a given period, or do they commit to giving you a bonus at a certain date if you are still around? Do you have to sign anything showing agreement with the arrangement?
If they have to incentivize potential employees in that way, I would run fast, far away. I read that as a way to keep you from leaving when you know you'll probably want to bail in short order due to it being a workplace that can't retain staff. No way.
i've heard of this only in cases of mergers or ownership changes where the firm wants to keep team leaders and rainmakers engaged during a potentially disruptive period. it almost always ends with a run for the door once the lockup period is complete. these changes usually result in limited bonuses for leadership who will otherwise look for better opportunities in a good market. obviously the payment is after the staying employed and meeting basic performance requirements for the full term (2 years is what i've seen)
The past year has turned me into such a building code dork. I just wrapped up the G-Section of a small permit set (at 4:30 on a Friday, perfect) and I'm actually proud of how well assembled it turned out.
Only like 10 people will ever see it but that's enough. It's nice to feel good at my job.
Nerd alert
Congrats! I'm curious, though--what's a G-section? As in you had already done sections A through F, or something else?
General sheets. Usually where code, permitting, general and project notes, symbols, etc go. Don't really see em on resi projects much.
Gsheets sounds more fun than what I call mine: A0s
NS I'm in charge of updating our office standards and we're switching the A cover sheet to G. It'll make it easier to organize the various consultant sets within the larger package (heh) so it's not starting with architecture, then civil, and back to architecture again. Something that's always bothered me.
Ah, got it. I use G for those things as well, just hadn't heard them called sections.
US National CAD Standard suggested/recommended drawing set organization by discipline/subset:
It comes from CSI's Uniform Drawing System (UDS).
Wait, so you're saying our documentation should mimic how we build?? Caaaaarazy!
I always found that explanation of how the sets are organized a little misleading. Yes, one of the points of the organization methodology is in fact "to correspond to the natural sequence of construction," but some of the order doesn't make a lot of sense. Interiors shouldn't be before MEP work if we are following natural construction sequencing. Landscape is usually one of the last things to get done so it isn't messed up by other construction traffic, yet shows up early in the drawing set. It ends up getting balanced out because another guiding principle in the methodology is to "closely [associate] disciplines where topics are similar."
Personally, I think it could do with an update. I think it made a lot more sense when it more closely followed the organization of MasterFormat '95, but since that was redone in 2004 it doesn't follow as closely anymore (UDS was originally started in 1994 and first published in 1997 I think). For example, landscape and civil specifications used to be in Division 02 and is early in the drawing set organization ... but since 2004 those discipline's specifications are primarily in Divisions 31-33.
The best way I've found to think about set organization is "Outside to In, Bottom to Top" There are exceptions of course, but for the most part each discipline (and each sheet within the discipline) should follow that sequence as best it can.
I hear you. I think landscape is a sub-set of civil, and interiors of Architecture. Probably more to with acknowledging disciplines?
I agree, tduds and b3. I put interiors with architectural: A1 for plans, A2 for exterior elevations, A3 for sections, A4 for interior elevations, A5 for construction details. But my interiors (all residential) are pretty straightforward, and on some projects I don't do any at all.
WG, that's pretty consistent with the NCS. Intent (as has been pointed out) is to organize within each subset from general to specific.
I don't associate Landscape as a sub-set of Civil, but I can see how some would. I would associate Interiors as a sub-set of Architectural and most of the time this is how it is in our sets. We don't have I-sheets. At most we'll have AI-sheets to separate out interiors if the set is large or complex.
Guess who just got life safety approval with zero checksheets?
.
I was curious, so I associated the current MasterFormat Divisions with the most closely correlated subsets. Just my quick take, feel free to point out issues, errors, etc.
You need a hobby. :)
I’m a little too drunk to comprehend this now but I’ll look closer tomorrow morning.
I did 10 plates each side on the leg press last night because my trainer pushed me - and that weight pushed one of my ribs into my diaphragm. It hurts to breathe right now.
Is that 500 lbs? I don't even know what a "plate" is but it sounds intimidating. My lifting stops at 16oz curls.
45 lb plates so 900 lbs + 100 lbs for the "sled". I'm still in shock I was able to do it myself.
Maybe it's time to fire Trevor and replace him with someone a bit more... knowledgeable? Accidents happen, of course. But would you load yet another another pallet of bricks onto that slender, cantilevered balcony, booming "you can do it!" and just hope for the best?
Dang
looks like we got all the missing snow at once today.
We're getting 24" of snow just an hour from where I live. Cross country skiing tomorrow! Weeeeeeeeeee!
grand mesa will be nice tomorrow
Oh yes. We'll get in at least 20 miles this weekend.
Soft open at my local resort today based on 2+ ft over the last 48hrs, but, F me, only the low angle beginner stuff… it’s a late start this year
Unfortunately a deadly backcountry incident already in this first storm system that killed one after sweeping a party of 6 or so (Crystal)…the urge to get out in high winds & wind slab baffles & saddens me
I heard about that avalanche, proto. Terrible, tragic story.
Eight more days you guys! Just eight more days and night until the days start getting longer and the nights start getting shorter. I’m always really distressed this time of year but the equinox is always a game changer.
Might be my love/hate day of the year…!
Wait SOLSTICE not equinox damn I even looked it up to be sure I was correct then typed the wrong freakin’ word. LOL
I always feel the crunch of the shorter days living way up in the great white north. Today I get 7 hours and 12 minutes of days light. Cant wait to be on the other side
Here in Maine we should really be on Atlantic time. Sunset has been at 3:57pm for the last week, sunrise around 7am. It starts getting dark at 2:30-3pm.
being in nyc, i'm a bit weird and actually like when they days start to get shorter.. makes everyone slow down a bit after the business of summer. but by feb/march i'm ready for it again.
Is anyone else missing the option to thumb up/down comments?
nope
I got both of my thumbs.
Weird, I've restarted my computer but still missing the option to thumb up or down. I'm logged in. I don't think it's a punishment, probably just a technical glitch.
.
Non Sequitur, quit showing off ;-)
Maybe big green head is subtly telling you where your thumbs can go ?
Bench, I'm beginning to wonder...
Well I'm being offered stock options in the firm I work with. Seems pretty good. I'll own 0.5% of the firm. I'm an owner! :P
How steeps the price?
About 1/7th of my yearly take home pay.
Gotcha, congrats on becoming an owner!
It's more a 'mini-owner' I'll share in the profits but I don't have voting rights. Wouldn't matter though - votes are weighted based on the amount of stock you have. Still, it's a nice offer!
Congrats Chad!
Thanks! I suppose I should spend less time on Archinet now . . . .
You'll need to start working on your maniacal laugh. And quietly murmur "step one complete... in another hundred years who'll be laughing at who father..." as you get your morning coffee.
I do that now.
Seems great, Chad! Congrats!
why did AIA national increase their required learning units to 18? Most state boards only requires 12. Are they just trying to increase the number of people who buy courses on AIAU?
Probably because 12 CEU's aren't enough to stay on top on your continuing education. Also the 18 CEU's required by AIA aren't very stringent in terms of content.
12? What does that equal to in terms of hours per year?
12 hours. It's nothing. Four of those hours can be done by reading approved articles in print or line and self reporting. It's a joke.
It has been 18 for a while, no? I usually complete 12 "hours" of CEU credits in about 1-2 hours. Go on Hanleywood.com, find the easy HSW courses, knock em out.
I used to coordinate 1 to 2 lunch-and-learns per month for the office. I'd go to pretty much all of them because I didn't schedule something I wasn't interested in. Add another handful of credits I'd get at various events/conferences and I've never had an issue getting 18+ per year even if I only needed 12 when I wasn't an AIA member.
This year was the closest and it's because we didn't have many lunch-and-learns, and I didn't attend any events/conferences. Even with that I still have 20 credits for the year, but I had to look for opportunities rather than just taking the ones in front of me. I agree that our required continuing education is a joke, but it's also not hard to complete for that exact reason.
Yeah, getting basic CEU's is really easy. Getting Health Safety and Welfare CEU's is a bit more complicated but still not a hassle. In CO you need to have 24 HSW CEU's every two years.
I typically don't even bother with non-HSW presentations unless I'm really interested in the topic. But I also know that I might be unique with my focus on technical details/content
Gosh, I’m required 70hr every 24 months.
NS - that's what I typically hit every two years even though I only need 18 for AIA and 12 for the states I'm licensed in.
EA - I think the classification of HSW CEU's are rather generous here in the states. I'd say only 20% of the HSW I've taken over the past ten years would be helpful in any type technical details / content. The rest are 'look, this tile has a slip coefficient of x, we classify as a HSW credit!' :s
Yep, AIA's criteria is pretty relaxed when it comes to HSW classification. I do think they've been a little more stringent in the last few years as they've been updating their CES standards, but it could still be a lot better. They basically have zero incentive to make it better though.
Richard Rogers? Nooooo. Boo urns
So I’m excited to share that husband and I purchased a South Loop, Chicago condo today. My son is going to college in Chicago and the dorm costs are so high we decided to invest in equity instead. Sooooo…. I have a Chicago domicile! The architecture in Chicago is just fucking amazing, you guys. Like a few blocks away are Sullivan, Mies, a bunch of gorgeous early 20th Century almost-skyscrapers, good PoMo, the brawny L, the Spertus….here’s my husband and kid dutifully enjoying the Thompson Center today:
You had me going til you said Thompson Center. Congrats on your Chicago purchase though! Elevan City diner is my favorite food spot in the South Loop, so check it out when you need noms.
... and if you are in town, hit me up. I think you have my email/ instagram still probably? Laying low currently due to covid, but always down for architectural drinks/ discussing and traipsing otherwise.
Not too far from South Loop is Chinatown - probably the best Chinatown in the US other than NYC. There's some great architecture there - Ping Tom Park, Chinese American Service League, Chinatown Arch, and the SOM-designed Chinatown Public Library, Hilliard Apartments, oh and the Cermak Redline stop by Carol Ross Barney. Quing Xiang Yuan for soup dumplings. Phoenix for Dim Sum.
A bit farther down the Orange line or 62 Bus is Bridgeport, which has some cool old churches (including one by Burnham now converted to a Buddhist Temple) Palmaisano Park, Park 571 boathouse by Studio Gang, both awesome for nature and birdwatching, and Maria's/ Kimski which is a great bar for local flavor and favorite of the IIT profs. Bridgeport Art Center and Zhou B have good gallery shows in normal times. Marz Brewing. Also has Future Firm/ Borderless Studio offices which in the summer host monthly film screenings.
One of my favorite slept-on buildings is the Chicago Public Library branch at 49th street in Hyde Park/ Kenwood called Blackstone Library. Leaded Glass floors and cast brass stacks that are also structure. Obviously U of C and all of Hyde Park have some great architecture, both historic and contemporary. Studio Gang's City Hyde Park is actually really good. There's some turn-of-century towers on Lakeshore drive that are really good too - the Powhattan has awesome cast aluminum spandrel panels and architectural details.
Other randoms: Northerly Island is great. 31st Street Beach is so fun in the summertime. Lakefront path for cycling and walking Highly recommend having a bike in the city or getting a Divvy membership. The parks heading south are peerless. Steelworkers Park especially. Jackson Park. Etc.... Fisher City apartments. Top floor winter-garden of Harold Washington Library.
I won't go on a rant for Northside/ Loop stuff because everyone knows about that part of the city.
I'd like to discuss this thread: https://archinect.com/forum/th...
I think posters here can often default to super jaded and condescending responses to questions like this, and often it is warranted. However, I think we should all be mindful that the architectural education system and practical and professional support systems in the US, Canada, and Europe are often much more robust and advanced than those in developing countries or ones recently affected by conflict and crisis.
Should people know how to do their own googling and research? Yes. Do we all take for granted the high level of knowledge we have as a baseline, and the cultivation (both in school and in quality offices) of our critical thinking, research, and analysis skills? Also yes.
Seems like we should all be a bit more generous with our time and help with posters here, other than those who come here and post in bad-faith. We are the ones choosing to spend time on this website, but then we come and spew condescending bullshit. Does that actually make anyone happy?
I agree, but also think that unknown posters looking for help could put a little more effort into describing their situation--a cover letter, of sorts. "I'm a new architect in Egypt and tasked with something outside my skill set and my PM is too busy to help me and I'll get fired if I don't figure this out" would give us context, rather than us having to guess and/or draw it out of them.
Just went back to review the responses in the thread and I agree we could do better. I was a bit too condescending at first but realized I didn't have sufficient information and tried to get more out of the OP. Maybe too little too late. archanonymous, your response was good and looks like it was appreciated.
I asked pertinent questions that could have directed the OP towards the information and layered it in a reasonable layer of snark... Everything has it's price.
You all make great points. They could have certainly given more info, or been more resourceful, both before coming to archinect, and in response to our initial statements. I'm not sure if snark translates well across language barriers and cultures.
I wonder if the big green head could implement a post/ comment count limit before which you would get a warning with something like "how to get good responses to your question" prompting people to be better posters.
I have to say, seeing Rick and jla arguing about who's the bigger troll, telling each other to stop pissing/shitting all over threads, etc. is perhaps a little too peak Archinect for me. Probably time for the mods to shut it down, or do some selective culling of posts, to keep things from spiraling.
I don't think jla is trolling though. That fool actually believes what he's writing. Rick - he certainly believes what he's writing. I just think both of them should get banned - permanently.
I go back and forth on whether he's a disingenuous troll or completely misled/misguided. Either way, seeing those two argue about it is way past jumping the shark for the forums.
Back in my forum modding days (not Archinect) it was possible for admins to merge threads. I'd suggest merging that & many other threads into the politics dumpster fire where it belongs.
Or just delete it. Not much of value would be lost.
But the lack of value is its value!
I think x-jla is genuine in what he posts here, even though it is often difficult to agree with, but Rick is just trying to fit in with the cool kids and is trying way too hard [/2ct]
My issue with x-jla is that he's admitted to knowing what he's posting is incorrect and in many cases outright lies. He doesn't care. I have not issue with people posting things I don't agree with. I have an issue with people knowingly posting lies. To me that's behavior that should earn a permanent ban.
^ agreed, especially at the rate he is able to spew this stuff out
Guess that’s one of the perks of being your own boss.
It looks like x-jla got nuked. That or he's blocked me.
Gone for me as well. I think the powers that be finally pulled the plug.
Looks limited to the dystopia thread.
I'm happy with that.
Yup - just his bullshit filled dystopian thread comments have been nuked.
I say nuke him completely. The guy is a liar.
But one doesn’t need to tell the truth on a discussion forum, just for the sake of argument one can take a hypothetical position. You can simply ignore a user…
Dang it, I’m drunk. I took part in a Twitter Spaces conversation tonight about unionization in architecture and I drank wine all the way through it because I felt so inspired and optimistic and now I’m drunk. Dang it. Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday day!
Not related to your being drunk, but is there a recording of that conversation somewhere? I saw it too late to join, but am interested in what was said. I'm catching little snippets of some things on twitter after the fact but it's mostly limited to commentary on funny or dumb things that happened, not necessarily on the content.
If something makes you feel inspired and optimistic these days, that's reason enough to celebrate.
Everyday, I don't think it was recorded. Prolly just as well, as I totally earnestly asked some crypto bro to explain what a DAO is during it.
It's almost time to get in a car and drive 19 hours! Whoooo!
I'm so glad my in-laws live 10 minutes away. Good luck out there!
It will be a fun ride. Montana and Minnesota are nice places to visit. I just wish I didn't have to spend 3.5 of the next 9 days in a car. Luckily my wife is a great road trip companion.
Montana *and* Minnesota. That's quite a trip! Montana is maybe my favorite place to visit.
Montana is good. The fun outdoor stuff is are really spread out though with very little in-between. From MT to where I visit in MN is only 7 hours or so.
Bump, because of reasons.
Unrelated, what happened to the confused UFO pony who resurrected UFO Central? Seems those posts are nuked now... was his/her evidence that damning that the CIA swooped in and forced the big green head's hand?
Is the whole UFO thread gone? That's too bad.
Nope, it's still there, but the UFO guy's posts were hidden. UFNope pics below:
Do you believe now, Non?
Thanks Donna. I believe people are still dumb as rocks.
i don't know. i think we have a better chance of aliens fixing things than people fixing things. on the other hand, based on current evidence, i think if aliens do invade i can fix the problem with a little windex on the screen.
Chad, hope all is well.
Also everyone else in Colorado.
How I spent my week:
that jacket is fly as hell.
Let’s see some pictures of Arcosanti, Josh!
Is it just me or is Arcosanti kind of depressing? Such a forward thinking idea that ends up falling flat.
It is depressing. The first time I visited I drove down the long gravel road and then drove right back out and went hiking instead. Didn't even get out of the car. I hated it! I've been back and had a slightly better experience, but yeah very depressing place.
I visited in 2010 and definitely got a depressing vibe from the tour. Like everyone really wants to pretend they still believe in the whole thing, but they're running out of energy to keep pretending, so it's just not convincing. The domes are cool though, and the landscape is gorgeous.
I saw a really terrible scifi/fantasyish movie that was filmed there - it definitely worked for that. Don't think I'd want to live there.
Puscifer did a show from there, really cemented the loneliness aspect.
I thought I was immune to the dreaded hysterical residential client after 14 years, until now....
I see I’m not the only one redesigning around a coffee maker.
I wish I had a clear direction like that
I would really like the input of some of the wiser and more experienced members of TC: What do I (an at-will employee with no ownership stake in my current firm) owe the firm before leaving?
I am the only architect on my current project and it is in CA, there's probably only 3-5 other people at the firm with the complex geometry and technology experience to complete it effectively. I have a great deal of negative emotions about the firm - underpay, overwork, lack of support, lack of adequate staff and technology resources, etc... And yet, I still have this nagging desire to please the firm principal and leadership that I just can't escape.
I was still going to give two weeks notice at a minimum, but is 4 or 6 weeks more appropriate? Should I just flip a table and walk out?
My wife was arguing that even if I wrapped up my current project perfectly and served it up with a ribbon and a cherry on top, they will still talk shit about me once I leave because in her words "abusers always blame the abused, and no amount of quality work or resolution of the project will change how they feel about you once you've left."
Two weeks, that's all you owe. I gave my previous employer close to a month since I was running a couple projects but....they treated me very well when I was there.
You owe them nothing. Two weeks is a courtesy.
Your wife is a wise woman.
The duration you give is really not that important. If you are a valued member of the organization, then theoretically there will never be a 'good time' for you to leave. They will feel it and you will be missed--but they will move on. What's more important is that you remain cordial and professional. Do not burn bridges. Do not slander them when you move to the next place. The world of design+construction is a very small one. If you are remaining in the same market, there is a very good likelihood that you will run into some of these people in the future. Good luck.
In this situation I think giving two weeks notice is more than enough.
the firm doesn't love you back - agreed that 2 weeks is the most you need to do. no need to please anyone, just be professional.
I stopped at “at will”
2 weeks is a courtesy that you don't owe them (you said yourself you are "at will"), but is the "professional" way to give your notice and leave. If they haven't built in enough expertise in their practice to handle the work they take on if one person leaves (or gets sick or has some type of emergency and can't work), that's on them, not on you. 2 weeks gives them enough time to transition the workload to someone else (temporarily or permanently), and/or start the process to hire your replacement.
I gave my last office 3 weeks to transition and find my replacement. I even helped write the job posting and sat in on an interview with a potential candidate. They didn't hire anybody and absorbed the workload or off-loaded it to 3rd-party consultants. They didn't gain anything from the extra week. The only reason I did it was because it was the written-down-but-not-enforceable guideline in that office based on my title ... in other words, a professional courtesy.
proto, employment relationships are presumed to be “at-will” in all U.S. states except Montana.
Thanks all. I needed that bit of boost/ sanity check. And yes, my wife is very wise indeed.
Good luck archanonymous! I agree with every comment here. Two weeks, be professional, don’t burn bridges.
Thanks Donna! I definitely don't burn bridges (anymore at least) and my past 3 firms I think would happily take me back or give me a good recommendation. Not sure about my current firm once I leave though.
I really do not understand why, in our small world, senior managers would treat junior and mid level staff like shit. Many may eventually end up on ownership side or have political connections and if you don’t treat people well that’s lost potential work. Last thing you want is a disgruntled employee quitting to go work for one of your top clients. Especially if you are a big name firm that attracts top talent.
Because the system is anti-social and it is every man for himself. You get ahead by stomping on others. This is both domestic and foreign policy.
not even 3 days back at the desk & I hear that 2 consultants (& their families) got covid over the break
I finally got covid in this latest wave as did many friends and colleagues. My wife's work had like 50 cases.
sorry to hear that...i hope it's mild for you & it clears quickly
I know so many people that have it right now. It’s spreading like crazy.
I'm honestly surprised I haven't caught it yet. Considering how the government has dropped the ball, it is only a matter of time.
Maybe you have caught it? I'm not convinced its a government dropping the ball issue, though it is interesting to see how the situation remains under control in lots of smaller countries in Asia and Oceania. I'm a bit relieved that I caught it finally. So far quite mild, and i'm vaxxed and boosted so should have great immunity following this.
I ended up finally getting it last week. Just finished up quarantine & am back in the office after working from home all week. Ended up getting it from Christmas dinner from a cousin. Not sure whether to be amused or annoyed that after everything I've done the last year and a half where I could have gotten it I get it doing the most wholesome thing I could think of. Most of my family got it, we're all back to normal now thankfully.
I had it a year ago. It sucked. Hopefully I don't have any long term damage to my heart and lungs.
Me too. Or at least any damage beyond that already caused by all the smoking, drugs, alcohol and stress.
It wouldn't surprise me if I already had it considering the amount of people I've been in contact with that have. Last month I was having symptoms that I usually get when the weather gets weird (as was Chicago's weather at the time) right at the same time I had confirmed close contacts. Kept testing negative on both PCR and rapid tests though. I think the stigma surrounding getting it needs to go away though - it's so rampant right now.
I just wish they would get a baby vaccine soon. This bullshit is gonna drive me to drink harder.
I hear if you never get tested, you'll never get Covid-19.
Nr. of infections is booming over here…but +90% is of the omicron variant(here in Amsterdam) which actually means deaths and hospitalisations are starting to go down…and boosters are going up, so hopefully lockdown (since mid December) will end end of next week, fingers crossed. The people I know that have contracted COVID recently all are going through it mildly as they have been vaccinated. Will get my booster shot tomorrow!
about 1/3 of my 4th graders class was out yesterday. Really hoping schools don’t close again!
Schools were closed for us a few days ago. Looking at at least 3 weeks of virtual.
re: the fire in Philly that killed 12 (so far)
reports indicate that at least 26 people were living in 2,300 sq.ft.
that is awful
sounds like aspen
26 occupants? Only? The reservation would like a word
One chapter into David graeber‘s history of everything, he’s pretty convincing. Definitely recommend.
loved debt and bullshit jobs.. very sad he passed so soon. can't wait to pick this one up.
I didn’t understand capital at all! Will look into sapiens , debt, and bullshit jobs next. Prob in. Reverse order
It seems the moderators had their coffee this morning! Great work as always staying on top of the bullshit.
If they post what coffee they had, we'd roast it.
Archinect's mods have their own coffee with their own roaster:
https://outpost.archinect.com/coffee
https://archinect.com/news/art...
We watched the movie Small Engine Repairs tonight. It’s based on a play of the same name and damn, I loved it. I love theater.
What do we all think the eventual outcome of the SF Millennium Tower fiasco will be?
I, for one, fear that before the repairs are complete there will be an earthquake that irreparably changes the foundation and soil beneath and it will have to be deconstructed.
What do I think the eventual outcome will be? It's probably already happened ... lawyers making a lot of money.
As for the building, I suspect you're right.
I told them to get Jawknee on this several years ago... I guess they did not listen. Dude had the solution. Now I got to go dig up that discussion.
I don't fear that outcome, I welcome it. Any building built to be a tax dodge can go fuck itself.
Yeah, maybe I misspoke - I don't actually fear it, other than the potential for injuries. Would love to see some idiot developers have to pay to dismantle it, but more likely they would find a way to make the people of SF and CA pay for it.
Soma has become a playground for the rich. It's ironic. I assume West Oakland will follow suit.
Now.... if bitcoin made skyhooks, we'd be done with this problem in a few minutes.
The tower will come down, one way or the other.
That's a movie tagline
Gojira
Raaaawr.
HOAs are all friendly and good-neighborly up until the moment someone can see your garbage can from the street after collection day, and then the gloves come off and it's survival of the fittest.
This message brought to you by HOAs. HOAs, where we take the American Dream (TM) and turn it into trauma.
My wife is the president of our HOA. I'm in charge of reviewing all variance applications. We are both drunk with power and have implemented a zero tolerance policy for violations. All violations carry a penalty of being my personal archery target for one arrow.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProRevenge/comments/djci7p/how_i_got_a_not_really_an_hoa_disbanded/
Holy mother forking shirt balls that was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing SP.
To be fair, I have not really had any issues with my HOA. It's well-established (I should add "legally" after reading that reddit), provides quite a bit in terms of the neighborhoods around here, and has some of the cheapest dues on top of that.
Still, and I think this is where any HOA starts to go off the rails, when someone gets a bee in their bonnet about some pet peeve of theirs, and uses the HOA to start making their neighbors pay extra money or jump through regulatory hoops when a simple discussion would usually suffice ... that's where I lose it.
I'm sure 98% percent of us are happy to move the MF-ing garbage cans. Just ask us politely and maybe point out what is and is not acceptable with some easily produced illustrations or photographs (I'd even be happy to help put those together for you). Don't jump straight to issuing fines.
I'm guessing most HOA people are middle managers that are taking out their personal frustrations from hating their job out on others just because they can, instead of like switching jobs and going to therapy.
Jesus, he's a bit of cunt.
He looks like a smug cunt as well.
Anyone here have recommendations for simple DIY backyard landscaping books? My wife has been attempting to find books on the subject via the library but everything is too complicated for her.
I want to hire a landscape designer to do this but my wife is determined to . . . grow stuff?
I'm interested in this type of stuff too. Best I can figure at the moment is to go make a friend at a local nursery or something who will listen to me ask them all sorts of questions without getting frustrated at my stupidity. I want to grow things too, but I don't want the same things I see all my neighbors growing, which seems to be the cheapest options from the garden sections of the big box stores.
I'm also particularly interested in landscaping for rainwater gardens as I need to redo some drainage from my downspouts and avoid running the sump pump in my crawl space so much during wet weather.
If anyone tells you to put coffee grounds on your plants, remember that caffeine is bad for them and spent coffee grounds still has plenty of caffeine.
Thanks for the tip. We already have access to really good compost out here from the local landfill. We'd never use coffee grounds - we don't drink coffee. ;P
What I found helpful was watching a bunch of Monty Don - Gardener's World, his specials, Big Ideas, Small Spaces and some YouTube stuff. There's actually a ton of great garden content out there.
As far as actually picking plants, there is no better resource than the people at a local independent nursery.
I agree about a local nursery being a great resource. I think I've convinced my wife to hire a local nursery to come out and do a design consultation for us. The wife still wants to 'tweak' the design though and of course, do all the work herself. I'm tasked with building a shed and raised planting beds for the garden though. I hope the wife will be happy with slightly crooked walls. ;)
I’m sure x-jla would have some tips…
A good resource is the local garden club. A lot of retirees live to help with this stuff. Is there a university with courses in agriculture? Some will do a free soil analysis. You get the analysis and they get to expand their data base. A win / win.
Pretty sure Mesa State has a great agriculture and forestry program. Chad - I built some raised beds last year, I can send you some deets. Just used regular untreated 2x12 they look and work great.
Thanks AA!
Have you reached out to Dr. Rogan?
Rando - I really don't care if x-jla has great tips. I've never seen any of his work. I don't have any respect for him nor do I or trust him.
High Country Gardens has pre-designed gardens suitable for mountain west climates. And CSU has a free master gardener hotline and publishes recommended cultivars.
Hire a landscape architect! ;-).
That's what I want to do JLC . . . my wife has other ideas. :(
jokes apart, most nurseries will do design built - I'm sure your wife will guide them wisely.
After about 5yrs of trying to do it ourselves, we finally admitted that we just wanted it done so it could grow in & hired a friend landscape architect. Her FIRST proposed design was comparatively so fucking awesome. It's not avant garde or anything, just really great. We just wondered why we didn't suck it up earlier. Our own egos prolly...
Thinking about gardening and plants like this makes me really miss my grandfather. He had a masters degree in agronomy and horticulture. He worked as a farmer and educator for most all of his life and could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about basically anything that would grow where I was raised.
I'm confident that if he were alive today, and I asked him to, he'd ask me some basic questions about my soil and local conditions and within a few days come back to me with a list of plants by common and scientific name, their desirable characteristics (i.e. fragrant flowers in summer, winter interest, drought tolerant), and the growing habitat each would need (i.e. mostly sunny, well-drained sandy soil). Probably also sprinkled with some history or deeper knowledge like, "this plant was categorized by the Lewis and Clark expedition," or, "the yellow-throated [insert bird name] eats the berries from this plant in the winter when their preferred food, [insert insect name], is dormant."
I've been pretty obsessed with gardening/hobby farming for 15 years now, and recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Handbook-Garden-Farming-Country/dp/0865716668. You don't have to go full Permaculture but it has a section similar to A Pattern Language that I review often. I also second the suggestion of watching Monty Don videos.
Chad - not sure why I jus thought of this, but Western Colorado Botanical Gardens is really solid and my wife and I had a like a 2 hour conversation with one of the volunteers when we visited in July. We're really into plants though. But super friendly people and I'm sure they could help point you in the right direction. And visiting would help with the inspiration!
Sunset Magazine has a bunch of home gardening guide books.
Well since I dropped a big buried lede in the Covid thread, and I know I've hinted over the past year (and because Donna guessed it on twitter last month), I guess I should spill.
I'm gonna be a dad in May. I'll have to change my name to t dads.
correction, SST Dads. But, congrats.
Welcome to the club! It's the best decision I ever made, and I was on the fence for years.
Also congratulations!
Congrats! I'd noticed the hints and figured it out, but I wondered if I'd missed an announcement somewhere more and more lately as you were becoming more vocal about it.
Congrats!
Congratulations, boy or girl?
wonderful, never a dull moment!
I hope, truly, that they deliver an infant vaccine before your little one arrives. If only to give you more tools at your disposal...
Congrats? When in May?
Early. Maybe April. We'll see!
@Sneaky: on a fence? ...kinky
@tduds: congrats to you & your partner!
Absolutely the best. Congratulations! Also, did you decide on a last trip to take?!
Thanks everybody! Donna, we are going to Palm Springs at the beginning of March. Got a suite in a fancy little Moroccan themed hotel, and I was able to score first class flights with the miles I had stockpiled. Going all out before our lives change forever!
Sneaky, isn’t an infant vaccine called a vasectomy?
So, it finally happened…we have emojis
wut? :) I see none.
✌️
Some work some do not.
8==D
Proper troll?
✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️
Some of us are sitting here without thumbs-up buttons while you fancy folks get emojis???
So far only ✌️ works
So, it finally happened...we have empty posts
;) emojis don't work.
The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is Non Sequitur
I hope this link works: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/non%20sequitur-2022-01-20?
Now, is that not a fine chainsaw juggling contest.
i’m not following [insert emoji here ]
^ I love that entry's reference to Norm Macdonald.
Chainsaw juggling AND patient tolerance ;O]
I've never had so many headhunters and unsolicited job offers in my entire career. I feel like a whole lot of people left the profession for good over the past two years.
That would be good news if true.
Agreed. As far as I can see, it is. And add me to the pile of those looking to gtfo.
https://www.building.co.uk/news/number-of-architects-wanting-to-leave-their-jobs-goes-up-to-nearly-half/5111918.article
My Twitter thread I sent out last night is getting a lot of traction and responses in this vein. The current state of architecture needs to end.
I'm working on a blog post about what I'd like to see an architecture union address and my hope is that we will start to see things change soon. My worry is that everyone is already too busy and burnt out to even try. Ironically, I've been working on it for two weeks and am no closer to finishing it because I've been so busy and burnt out.
the low morale is real. there are so many factors to point at, but i think the key word you (josh) used is "agency," something architects lose more of every year. much of this has to do with economics (clients, developers, etc), and much has to do with technology (we're quickly moving to a place where we don't even draw or model anything anymore, and the pandemic has exacerbated this). it's deeply existential, and while i think forming a union will help with the working conditions aspects, i'm less hopeful about some of the more technological/existential ones. count me in the 61%.
EA I look forward to reading that blog post. Incidentally I've been mulling over starting my own writing outlet since about Christmas, and simply not having the time or bandwidth to get it going. Seems like a tough time for lots of folks.
Likewise EA. I honestly hesitated sending out those tweets last night but it all needed to be said. It really is all about agency, and as mentioned we constantly lose more of it each year. The potential I take a break for a few months is extremely high.
What's twitter?
It's a noise that some birds make, I think . . .
I’m having a really hard time finding decent residential GCs and a structural engineer for what I think should be a $150k residential renovation project. I get the feeling I need to start pushing at least half a mil just to get a return call.
Yep. Consultants can finally be choosy because there is a ton of work out there.
$150 K for new construction? Must be a small project. Out here the average new residential construction is $200 / sf minimum.
"residential renovation project"
As I was walking to my car after work the other night I had someone pull in honking his horn at me. He asked if I would be interested in doing plans for his home addition, lately I keep getting bombarded with offers of residential work to the point where now I have a ready list of recommended residential architects near us to give them.
I could do it after hours but for the rates I just don't want the extra headache.
That's how you buy crack, not architectural services.
Don't get me wrong if it was a manufacturing facility, multistory office building, hotel or commercial shopping center I would have still taken their money. But yeah, honking at someone is a weird way to start off a conversation about contracting services beyond a street corner regardless of how skimpy my skirt is.
Finally Found a structural engineer. Now the search continues for a GC who isn’t scared of arch drawings (have found plenty of small-time contractors willing to talk, but they all seem scared of working with an architect - I’m a good person to know!). Btw - this is a small addition to my own house - the fee I charge is getting my own studio space. I do know a GC from my moonlighting days who would be willing to do my project, but he’s gotten very expensive and highly
sought after.
Maybe I just bite the bullet and go with this guy who I know does superior work but will force me to rethink my budget.
Pricing in residential has changed over the last two years. It's most of what I do & the phone calls we get often end with shock when we talk budgets. $150k in my neck of the woods is a gut kitchen with no exterior or other infrastructure work. I'd start with $200k for an addition by the time all the subs have their say.
I am at the stage of just trying to get prices. I keep getting ghosted by GCs. Even if the project is $200k I want to know.
Went through the same thing last year. Decided to just manage it myself instead of getting ripped off. So far, so good.
We have finally finished writing The Pretty Good House book!
It's available for pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-.... (Or https://bookshop.org/books/pre... if you don't want to make uncle Jeff richer.) It will be released in May.
The cover, including title, tagline, image and order of authors' names are not final yet. I'm advocating for The Pretty Good House: A Guide to Building Better Homes.
For anyone not familiar with the concept: https://www.prettygoodhouse.or....
Even with four authors, plus a few contributors and a seasoned veteran editor (he helped make Sarah Susanka famous), and a topic we know well, it was a surprisingly large amount of work. We hope the effort helps others who want healthier, more comfortable, more sustainable homes.
Ordered
ditto. From someone who does not do residential (but with a workload 98% full of custom residential), I'm looking forward to it
My credit card is at the office but as soon as I get there, I'm ordering. This looks really great. I know as I renovate my own home (and being a commercial architect) that this is exactly what I've been looking for.
PS: minus the shutters, your cover image could be my own house. Creepy.
Thank you all for ordering!
BB, that's interesting. There's a neat story behind that house: https://mainehomedesign.com/features/committing-to-memory/. The builder is a good friend of mine and I know the owner as well, and the architect is one of our co-authors. They would probably cringe at their barn doors being called shutters--I designed the same thing for the builder's shop--but it's not an incorrect term either.
Congrats! I'm ordering right now.
Congrats Wood Guy. This is very exciting!
I'm just getting started on the big arduous CPHC course, and this will be a great real life supplement / substitute.
The Pretty Good House concept started out in opposition to Passive House; in fact, one early spelling was Pretty Gut Haus. But both programs have evolved and I think PGH supports PH, and vice versa. PGH is more comprehensive, like LEED (which can be gamed) or the Living Building Challenge (which is excellent but nearly impossible).
It's not the best, it's not great but it's a pretty [darn] good house...I love how you named the concept, it shows modesty and ambition all the same!
WG, and the others involved with residential clients... who do you do it? We have a few on the books... big shooter types, and after 2/3 years of design and 100ks in fees, we're still making changes while trying to order steel and windows...
How? Lots of Canadian Whiskey.
Litres of it.
You know, every time a Canadian mentions the metric system, an American is forced to drink Labatt Blue, right?
If you’re tired of the big shooter types, I’m sure there are some small residential folks here happy to step in…
Working for big-shooter types wore me out--that's one reason I changed focus to "green" which tends to appeal to those with some disposable income but usually not so much that they treat you poorly. But now I'm tired of working for people with big dreams and nowhere near enough money, so now I'm trying to balance the two. One reason for writing the book is so to help pre-qualify potential clients. But I often wish I had the option to do commercial work.
did x-jla get purged?
It would appear so, but only from COVID - 19 Thread Central. Still here on other threads.
Seems to be completely removed from the Politics Central too
He got purged from that one a while ago. See page 8, my post on Jul 28, 21 11:34 pm
https://archinect.com/forum/thread/150143564/politics-central/350
i like situations where people cause themselves the very outcome they most fear. very greek-tragedy.
[deleted]
Was wondering the same.
That was quick.
https://reprisedesign.com/staff/
?
Is there a beard choice you’re going for?
For anyone wondering, yes my city is currently under a (very poorly organized) siege of trucks and vax conspiracy nutjobs cunts. Perhaps that's where JLA disappeared to.
What I read somewhere is that those truckers aren’t against vaccines per se but against forced government mandates…but anyways, stay strong and drink plenty of maple syrup.
No, not really. It’s a far right ralley. Many slavery flags (confederate) flying amidst the crowd for some reason. A bunch of waste of space cunts causing havoc for completely stupid reasons.
pics or it didn't happen
Um, really? I can if you really want to.
There are a bunch of trump flags too. Not sure what those are supposed to accomplish, but I guess if your dumb enough to fly one of those, the concept of different country and politics is too much.
Can confirm what NS is saying. The Confederate flag thing has been all over the news, just search it. This protest is backed by an outspoken white supremacy group. Which I find funny because there's a HUGE contingent of truck drivers who are immigrants from other countries here, some of whom are in the protest. It's weird.
The crux of the convoy is literally blocking my office's front door. (we're a slapshot away from Justin T's office).
These "freedom fighters" also just defaced our statue of Terry Fox and are currently dancing drinking (lite) beer on the unknown soldier tomb at our WW1/WW2 cenotaph.
Of course they're drinking lite beer, because, you know porters are made by the grinding up of babies.
...and IPAs are just hazy communist liquids.
... and now we have nazi flags:
Wait, so Nazi flags can fly, but you can't fly a Fuck Trudeau flag.
b3ta what are you referring to?
They censor themselves out of using the word fuck but carry Nazi flags.
Non, I’m really sorry you’re having to deal with this situation, but I’m pleased to have just learned the idiom “a slapshot away”.
Of course they are drinking lite beers, they still need to drive!
Confederate flags in Canada? Is this about Niel young leaving Spotify?
The CIA is preparing a coup.
The CIA couldn't prepare a chicken salad sandwich.
There was a great (read: incredibly hilarious but frustrating) interview with one of the truckers on a CBC news podcast this past week. It amounted to "what are you protesting?".... "the government wants to take away our freedoms!"...."Can you be more specific? What aspects do you feel infringe on your freedom?"...."Our freedom!" It repeated 3 or 4 times until it was really obvious that he this mouth breathing moron had no idea what he's talking about, which has always been obviously the case with these ignorant rednecks. And the fact that conservative politicians from Alberta have supported these idiots in public, now they have to walk it back since the protesters have been flying nazi flags, has me laughing and pointing. The egg on their faces is so delicious.
A vaccine mandate is not nothing, sure you can find morons and or nazis and give them airtime to ridicule them and undermine the legitimate concerns people have with a government that mandates vaccinations…it’s the easy way out to not have to face confrontation or scrutiny by painting every opposition to such mandates with a broad brush as nazis or morons. You can be pro vaccination and still be against a government forcing people to get vaccinated.
Rando, I'm honestly curious--are you ok with things like mandated seatbelt laws? If so, how is that different from mandated vaccines?
Rando, stay away from the click-bait headlines. It's a racist anti-science, pro Christian rally and has no place in any intelligent discussion. The vast, vast majority of people are not represented by the cunts in my city's downtown. These people do not want the cost and responsibilities of their beliefs, Fuck them, they deserve to loose their jobs/livehoods if they can't figure out life by themselves.
The only thing worse than Illinois Nazis is Canada Nazis.
That photo has me thinking back to one of the last times I saw a photo of an honest-to-goodness Nazi flag ... not a stand in like the blue line flag, or the confederate battle flag.
My sister had been visiting my aunt who was showing my nephew a bunch of the stuff my grandfather had held onto since his service in WWII (his old uniform, medals, paperwork, dog tags, a German pistol that had been rendered inert, etc.). She wrote a (private) blog post outlining a lot of the stuff and I was scrolling through and one of the photos was a Nazi flag filling up close to the entire frame. Turns out my grandfather brought one home from the war as some type of souvenir. I doubt anyone in the family knew he had it until after his death.
I recall being quite shocked by the image and not knowing how I'd deal with it if I had been going through his old boxes and found it. Turns out it's actually quite common and something lots of people are confronting. Next time I see my aunt, I think I'm going to ask what she plans on doing with it. I'm not sure there is any great historical significance to it and I'd probably prefer destroying it than hanging onto it longer. Even attempting to donate it to a local museum or historical society has the unfortunate probability (based on her locality) of being used as a symbol of hate rather than an object of history. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/captured-nazi-flags
Russia should send troops to Canada just as the US is doing in Ukraine…
We have our own and most are kept inside our own border.
It’s just to help bring stability to your country and prevent the unrest from spilling over to other countries.
NS - how are things in Alt-Right-Land? Hope the disruptions aren't too costly on work or family/friends. I've been following from afar from social media; everything about it makes me absolutely disgusted.
I've resolved to check on a few high school friends' facebook pages who seem likely to have participated ... hoping its not the case but believing there's a high probability when you grew up out in the valley.
Hey Bench. Thanks. It's a fucking gongshow. Does not help that my office is 50m away from the parliament buildings. We'll see how things go today since parliament is returning from their annual 6weeks break this morning.
As for FB, these last 2 years of on & off closures and vaccine mandates has allowed me to purge all the mouth breathers from my contacts. Post some jive about charter rights? Removed! Comment about how you lost your job because you choose not to get a vaccine? Removed. I checked yesterday and I could not see anyone on my list posting positive things about the cunts downtown.
I don't understand how flying Nazi flags is OK or even tolerated at all. Where/ when I grew up you'd get your ass kicked for that, if not worse, and you'd deserve it. Now I have no doubt that some of the people I grew up with are flying them. Don't understand how such a shift happens in 30 years.
I will forever associate anyone i meet who participated in this with the N-flags, Confederate flags, pissing on war memorials, robbing soup kitchens, and all the other deplorable behavior. Its not a protest, its alt-right grievance politics
And to compound the stupidity - the exact same restriction exists on both sides of the boarder; they are not unilateral.
The QC separatists were a nice touch too.
Just get every grievance you can think of in there. Maybe add the Leafs not winning the cup for 60 years too?
(Although sadly I did see at least a couple Hockey Canada jerseys)
You mean, they weren't satisfied with Canada beating the US for World Cup qualifying? Is that what this is all about? Or is it they're angry about the Black players on the team?
It seems like Canada is overreaching in their attempt to combat Covid, similar to how Australia and New Zealand are doing…NZ wouldn’t even let in a pregnant NZ national who had to go to the Taliban for help, seriously wtf…sometimes the cure really is worse than the disease.
It's not over-reaching. Individual beliefs do not make the rule. Justin T's speech today makes this very clear.
rando, please tell us about the common good.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.