My Dad was a carpenter by trade, but was fearless in tackling any project that involved design or construction. His thought was if someone else could design/construct/repair something, he could figure it out and do so himself. As a kid, I vividly recall my dad purchasing a new van, must’ve been the late 70’s. I remember him drawing for hours on graph paper designing a ‘graphic’ for his newly purchased van. Once his design was finalized, I believe he had one of my uncles paint the van- if I’m mistaken on that account, I can assure you whoever painted it, my dad was over their shoulder ..read more

Architects are constantly faced with challenges, it’s part of what makes the profession exciting. If you wish to succeed as an architect, you’ll need to be determined to face challenges head on and have resolve in doing so. However, in doing so you will fail and make mistakes. Hopefully you’ll fail a lot. Very little, if anything, is ever learnt from successes. You take the compliments, think what a great job you did and move on rarely giving it another thought. However, how was your success possible? I’d bet there were many mistakes and a lot of failed attempts prior to your successes. One sh ..read more

It’s always a thrill when meeting a new client for the first time. Excitement. Nerves. Possibilities. We start walking through the house. The clients go on and on- in a good way- talking about their project. I spend most of the time listening and nodding my head… after all it’s their project that they wish to share with me. I see the glitter in their eye as they discuss wishes and goals for the project. Finally they’ve exhausted themselves. They turn to me and ask, “So can you ‘give’ us our design?” I typically respond with, “Well… is that really ‘your’ design? To which I’m greeted with ..read more

You can have a great design, awesome clients, an unlimited budget, details worthy of graphic standards, wonderful renderings, and specifications that read like a Tolstoy novel… and yet the completed project can be horrific. No matter how great of an architect you may think you are, you are nothing without an experienced general contractor (GC). An experienced GC is your best advocate and crucial to the success of a project. On the flip-side, an inexperienced GC can ruin the best of all projects. Do you have an experienced or inexperienced GC? Hopefully, you’ve determined this prior to constru ..read more

As a public service to the AEC profession, we offer Project Management tips (PMt’s) based on our experiences. The basics of project management can be distilled into two ‘tasks’- scheduling and open communication. Master these and you’ll be well on your way to successfully managing projects and becoming a competent architect. There’s an old phrase I’m sure most of you have heard. The basic format is “Do you want the good news first or the bad news first?” It gives one an option on how to receive conflicting information. Do you want the bad news first and then good news to cheer you up? Do you w ..read more

Design… the elusive design… the ‘magic’ of an architect. I find it difficult to describe the design process, specifically my design process, as all architects design differently. Sure, there are ‘rules’ and precedent architects can follow, local zoning and code implications, means + methods to ‘work’ out a design, etc. However, it’s still a bit elusive for me to describe how it all happens. So let’s start at the beginning. I do a lot of single family residential work… and a good portion of it is renovation/ additions. However, the same applies for new homes. Typically my initial meeting ..read more

Life… choices… vanilla or chocolate… choices… education… choices… white or yellow trace… choices… coffee or tea… choices… architecture… choices… cake or pie… choices… everything is about choices. Choices you make, choices you didn’t make, choices made for you, etc. The route of an architect and design is littered with rusty signs along the way. Each of these signs requires a choice… choose wisely:           Design On,         * This post is part of the ArchiTalks series in which a group of ‘blog-ing’ architects select a topic and t ..read more

In contemplating how to determine the purity of gold, Archimedes, the Greek inventor and mathematician, made the sudden realization that the buoyancy of an object placed in water is equal in magnitude to the weight of the water the object displaces. While no source for the validity of this account exists, the popular version is that Archimedes made his discovery while bathing at a public bathhouse. Upon his discovery, he jumped out of the tub and ran home through the streets naked yelling “Heureka!!” (“I’ve found it!). I can only hope that my fellow architect don’t react in the same manne ..read more

The Architectural Registration Exam (ARE)… the ARE is the professional licensure examination adopted by the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories. The ARE attempts to assess a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities required for providing competent services in the practice of architecture. A lofty goal. During my early employment in architecture firms, the seasoned architects often spoke of their ARE ‘war’ stories. Prior to 1997, those taking the ARE were required to take nine divisions over a four-day period and the exam was only offered onc ..read more

There are very few words that I actively try not to use. However, ugly is one of them. It’s far too easy to say “I don’t like that house, it’s ugly!” It’s difficult to say “I don’t like that house because…” Much like beauty, ugly is in the eye of the beholder and is extremely subjective. However, there are a few objective things to address when designing your house to curb potential ugliness. Well, actually… they’re border line subjective as well. ug-ly • [uhg-lee] • ADJECTIVE 1. very unattractive or unpleasant to look at; offensive to the sense of beauty; displeasing in appearance. 2. d ..read more