What is the most outdated / cliche design technique you have encountered or seen in your career that almost makes you cringe...
tduds
May 2, 22 8:10 pm
The idea that one old white dude in the office is personally responsible for an entire design.
SneakyPete
May 2, 22 8:28 pm
As I get older this one is becoming even more grotesque.
Nammoadiaphat
May 2, 22 9:27 pm
Sound like mordernism or could be flank lloyd wright influence?
tduds
May 3, 22 12:36 pm
It goes back way further than that.
przemula
May 3, 22 5:17 pm
Can't wait to be that guy one day.
b3tadine[sutures]
May 2, 22 9:26 pm
Realistic renderings.
Non Sequitur
May 2, 22 9:58 pm
ding ding ding
gibbost
May 3, 22 11:28 am
^ This! I continue to tell the young designers in the office that the more photorealistic we present the design, the more the Owner takes it literally. To a point where they break out the old rendering upon completion of the project and compare. I prefer loose sketches and very conceptual imagery to covey intent.
tduds
May 3, 22 12:36 pm
Without fail people will hone in on the one element you added as an afterthought and derail the entire discussion. If you have photorealistic concept renderings, someone will inevitably harp on patio tables or a mullion width for 20 minutes.
Non Sequitur
May 3, 22 12:40 pm
Going through this issue at the moment.
Client asks the PM: "can't you just pump out renderings from revit model? What about animations?."
PM turns around to his BIM guy (average revit skillset on a good day) who confirms and says should be a day or so, just got to get the materials down.
PM turns to me (I'm not involved in this project) and asks the same thing... to which I reply yes-ish, but with a long-ass footnote explanation.
My concerns are ignored, obviously and here we are, several weeks later, trying to explain to the PM why it's not that simple. Sure, I can do it, but I don't have the time and it's not my fault the staff you have on board greatly over-estimated their skill set. There is a button and a whole library of materials, why can't your BIM guy figure it out instead?
9 times out of 10, it's not a software issue.
hiall
May 3, 22 12:51 pm
@Non Sequitur: I think the word "pump out" is oversimplified by the client.
SneakyPete
May 3, 22 12:58 pm
If design was as simple as a good rendering material library, I'd be out of a job.
b3tadine[sutures]
May 3, 22 1:04 pm
What the client is really thinking
citizen
May 4, 22 7:58 pm
^ This guy could have three legs, but that wolverine beard will keep him lonely.
Wood Guy
May 3, 22 7:25 am
Focusing on aesthetics and ignoring the importance of reducing up-front carbon emissions in our buildings. It’s our responsibility to push for it, as we do for other things we care about.
bowling_ball
May 3, 22 1:25 pm
I feel like this is turning a corner in my neck of the woods. I work on larger projects but they're starting to clue in. One of my current larger projects ($25M healthcare) got put on hold so the client could raise the difference in funds to go net Zero which is really exciting. I'm feeling really optimistic.
Chad Miller
May 3, 22 1:45 pm
We just had a project get put on hold because the city wants the client to move to a new building and energy code (2015 to 2021). The new code won't be adopted until 2025. The city also wants the project to be net zero and LEED Silver or higher. The project is a small mountain city that due to population density cannot go beyond LEED Certified.
Wood Guy
May 4, 22 8:07 am
That's very exciting, Chad and BB! I just attended a green building conference in Vermont and came away both encouraged and motivated--we have squandered all of the extra time we had, and it's going to get bad, but we still have a chance to reduce the eventual impact of climate change. Every decision matters.
proto
May 3, 22 11:11 am
“the reveal”
yeah, I said it out loud
monosierra
May 3, 22 11:52 am
Getting presented with a Pinterest mood board or an IG post "I want something that looks like this ... but much cheaper"
gibbost
May 3, 22 12:51 pm
I'm going to challenge this one a bit--although I agree in premise, especially the 'much cheaper' part. I do still like a good mood book. By that, I mean the overall vibe that the Owner is looking for. (Developed by the design team, not the client). For me, an effective visioning package has only about half of the images dedicated to architecture. The other half are textures, hues, art, geometry, wares, tchotchkes, etc. Those are where the project really lives. Once you agree to those, decision making during design becomes very intuitive.
SneakyPete
May 3, 22 12:56 pm
Do you put the original designer on the mood board? It always makes me uncomfortable presenting other people's work without proper credit, even as inspiration.
gibbost
May 3, 22 1:03 pm
That's a fair question. I try, but I'm not always good about getting all the credit's shown. (This tends to be more about me wanting to know who developed said cool project than needing to give proper credit during a client presentation). My feeling is that the internet-of-things has put visual imagery on hyperdrive. There are billions of images at our disposal. Using precedent projects may be a crutch, but it's effective. And to my earlier point, I typically try to avoid large [architecture] shots that capture a lot of the building--opting rather for small cropped vignettes of pieces and parts.
SneakyPete
May 3, 22 1:10 pm
I'm not averse to precedent. I used to be, but we're a visual species and a remix culture. Avoiding precedent and inspiration is basically requiring we always reinvent the wheel.
monosierra
May 3, 22 1:42 pm
You guys raise interesting points. Precedents and examples are indeed very helpful in establishing technical credibility ("It has been done before and proven successful") and communicating some kind of visual choice at the preliminary stages. What I fear is that preliminary visual identity overwhelming subsequent decisions.
gibbost
May 3, 22 12:54 pm
What is the most outdated / cliche design technique you have encountered or seen in your career that almost makes you cringe
Staged and polished photography that is clearly missing the human element. It's why early Dwell magazine articles were so refreshing--they included kid's toys, or messy desks, or unkempt lawns.
SneakyPete
May 3, 22 12:57 pm
I've been tasked with photoshopping out sprinkler heads and recessed can lights. It bothered me.
gibbost
May 3, 22 1:19 pm
Same. Years ago, I was asked to remove exit signs from an image that was to be used on the website portfolio. The comment I received was, 'they are distracting.' Under my breath, I said, 'you mean obvious?--as in, necessary for life safety? I guess we don't intend for people to use the space . . .'
Wood Guy
May 4, 22 8:10 am
A photographer on a recent project decided to edit out the outlets in the kitchen. It's a pretty tame design anyway; now the backsplash is just beige paint and looks stupid to me.
Chad Miller
May 3, 22 1:07 pm
Ignoring embodied energy costs for building materials.
Ignoring life-cycle costs for materials and systems.
Nammoadiaphat
May 3, 22 3:49 pm
Design a building so it looks like a flower
citizen
May 3, 22 5:04 pm
Or a picnic basket
hiall
May 3, 22 5:16 pm
My studio once had a student design a building from Southeast Asia, so that student designed a building in the shape of a rice grain. (Took inspiration from The Gherkin)
tduds
May 3, 22 9:29 pm
Do not speak ill of the Longaberger Basket Building in my presence.
SneakyPete
May 3, 22 9:30 pm
You need see it in person if you haven't yet.
citizen
May 4, 22 8:36 pm
Okay, now I have to go.
Volunteer
May 5, 22 8:51 am
The Pons Fabricus bridge in Rome was designed in 62 BC. I sure hope the engineer took the CO2 generated into its construction into account. Perhaps he paid a carbon tax to save the planet? Be interesting to see the life-cycle costs as it is two thousand eighty-four years old, has never been out of service, and is functioning today.
Wood Guy
May 5, 22 10:03 am
That's a beautiful bridge. And your cynicism is not helpful or wanted.
Non Sequitur
May 5, 22 10:29 am
What about all the CO2 and dead polar bear babies because of the new infrastructure built in order not the demo/replace this bridge?
Chad Miller
May 5, 22 11:07 am
As long as they ate the polar bear babies I'm cool with it.
whistler
May 5, 22 5:48 pm
currently using a fine line and sharpie on trace over previous sketch versions .... old, but gold!
What is the most outdated / cliche design technique you have encountered or seen in your career that almost makes you cringe...
The idea that one old white dude in the office is personally responsible for an entire design.
As I get older this one is becoming even more grotesque.
Sound like mordernism or could be flank lloyd wright influence?
It goes back way further than that.
Can't wait to be that guy one day.
Realistic renderings.
ding ding ding
^ This! I continue to tell the young designers in the office that the more photorealistic we present the design, the more the Owner takes it literally. To a point where they break out the old rendering upon completion of the project and compare. I prefer loose sketches and very conceptual imagery to covey intent.
Without fail people will hone in on the one element you added as an afterthought and derail the entire discussion. If you have photorealistic concept renderings, someone will inevitably harp on patio tables or a mullion width for 20 minutes.
Going through this issue at the moment.
Client asks the PM: "can't you just pump out renderings from revit model? What about animations?."
PM turns around to his BIM guy (average revit skillset on a good day) who confirms and says should be a day or so, just got to get the materials down.
PM turns to me (I'm not involved in this project) and asks the same thing... to which I reply yes-ish, but with a long-ass footnote explanation.
My concerns are ignored, obviously and here we are, several weeks later, trying to explain to the PM why it's not that simple. Sure, I can do it, but I don't have the time and it's not my fault the staff you have on board greatly over-estimated their skill set. There is a button and a whole library of materials, why can't your BIM guy figure it out instead?
9 times out of 10, it's not a software issue.
@Non Sequitur: I think the word "pump out" is oversimplified by the client.
If design was as simple as a good rendering material library, I'd be out of a job.
What the client is really thinking
^ This guy could have three legs, but that wolverine beard will keep him lonely.
Focusing on aesthetics and ignoring the importance of reducing up-front carbon emissions in our buildings. It’s our responsibility to push for it, as we do for other things we care about.
I feel like this is turning a corner in my neck of the woods. I work on larger projects but they're starting to clue in. One of my current larger projects ($25M healthcare) got put on hold so the client could raise the difference in funds to go net Zero which is really exciting. I'm feeling really optimistic.
We just had a project get put on hold because the city wants the client to move to a new building and energy code (2015 to 2021). The new code won't be adopted until 2025. The city also wants the project to be net zero and LEED Silver or higher. The project is a small mountain city that due to population density cannot go beyond LEED Certified.
That's very exciting, Chad and BB! I just attended a green building conference in Vermont and came away both encouraged and motivated--we have squandered all of the extra time we had, and it's going to get bad, but we still have a chance to reduce the eventual impact of climate change. Every decision matters.
“the reveal”
yeah, I said it out loud
Getting presented with a Pinterest mood board or an IG post "I want something that looks like this ... but much cheaper"
I'm going to challenge this one a bit--although I agree in premise, especially the 'much cheaper' part. I do still like a good mood book. By that, I mean the overall vibe that the Owner is looking for. (Developed by the design team, not the client). For me, an effective visioning package has only about half of the images dedicated to architecture. The other half are textures, hues, art, geometry, wares, tchotchkes, etc. Those are where the project really lives. Once you agree to those, decision making during design becomes very intuitive.
Do you put the original designer on the mood board? It always makes me uncomfortable presenting other people's work without proper credit, even as inspiration.
That's a fair question. I try, but I'm not always good about getting all the credit's shown. (This tends to be more about me wanting to know who developed said cool project than needing to give proper credit during a client presentation). My feeling is that the internet-of-things has put visual imagery on hyperdrive. There are billions of images at our disposal. Using precedent projects may be a crutch, but it's effective. And to my earlier point, I typically try to avoid large [architecture] shots that capture a lot of the building--opting rather for small cropped vignettes of pieces and parts.
I'm not averse to precedent. I used to be, but we're a visual species and a remix culture. Avoiding precedent and inspiration is basically requiring we always reinvent the wheel.
You guys raise interesting points. Precedents and examples are indeed very helpful in establishing technical credibility ("It has been done before and proven successful") and communicating some kind of visual choice at the preliminary stages. What I fear is that preliminary visual identity overwhelming subsequent decisions.
What is the most outdated / cliche design technique you have encountered or seen in your career that almost makes you cringe
Staged and polished photography that is clearly missing the human element. It's why early Dwell magazine articles were so refreshing--they included kid's toys, or messy desks, or unkempt lawns.
I've been tasked with photoshopping out sprinkler heads and recessed can lights. It bothered me.
Same. Years ago, I was asked to remove exit signs from an image that was to be used on the website portfolio. The comment I received was, 'they are distracting.' Under my breath, I said, 'you mean obvious?--as in, necessary for life safety? I guess we don't intend for people to use the space . . .'
A photographer on a recent project decided to edit out the outlets in the kitchen. It's a pretty tame design anyway; now the backsplash is just beige paint and looks stupid to me.
Ignoring embodied energy costs for building materials.
Ignoring life-cycle costs for materials and systems.
Design a building so it looks like a flower
Or a picnic basket
My studio once had a student design a building from Southeast Asia, so that student designed a building in the shape of a rice grain. (Took inspiration from The Gherkin)
Do not speak ill of the Longaberger Basket Building in my presence.
You need see it in person if you haven't yet.
Okay, now I have to go.
The Pons Fabricus bridge in Rome was designed in 62 BC. I sure hope the engineer took the CO2 generated into its construction into account. Perhaps he paid a carbon tax to save the planet? Be interesting to see the life-cycle costs as it is two thousand eighty-four years old, has never been out of service, and is functioning today.
That's a beautiful bridge. And your cynicism is not helpful or wanted.
What about all the CO2 and dead polar bear babies because of the new infrastructure built in order not the demo/replace this bridge?
As long as they ate the polar bear babies I'm cool with it.
currently using a fine line and sharpie on trace over previous sketch versions .... old, but gold!