To Observe and Protect
I am going to discuss the role of the architect in the construction observation process, during the construction phase of project.
The architect in most normal contracts is responsible for the design of the building. This entails the part of the design most people imagine, the layout, the elevations, the material selections and basic systems. However design also involves the integration of the local and national codes, laws and ordinances that must guide the design. From the first drafts plans of the building these codes must be part and parcel of the design. The number of exits, the width of corridors, the ramps between levels, the size of bathrooms to comply with the ADA, the fire separations between uses, the overall size of the building, and many other factors. This is part of the design.
When the design is approved by the jurisdiction with authority (a city, county, etc.), it is issued a permit that basically states this design is approved as shown in the plans, and inspections will compare the construction to the approved plans. Making the construction conform to the plans is the role of the Contractor.
The architect during the construction phase may be contracted by the owner to observe the construction, to make sure it conforms to design intent. There is a major difference between observing construction and inspecting it. Inspection is the certification that every step in process has yielded an assembly that meets the minimum standards specified in the code. Observation is keeping a record of progress, and notifying the client and general contractor that there are items that do not conform to the design intent.
For example, on one hotel project we had a corridor wall that was to rated 1-hour, and to have an STC of 55. (Sound Tansferance Coefficient) The wall was the product of off site construction, built in a factory. The contractor installed it backwards. I noted this and contacted the structural engineer for his opinion. His opinion was that it didn’t matter structurally. The wall had what is know as a sound clip, it separates the drywall from the studs to cut the transfer of noise through the wall. Instead of running continuous along the corridor it was running on the room side, interrupted at each unit demising wall. I had to inform the client and the contractor that the walls did not meet design intent, (the location of the channel that should deliver the STC 55 required by the hotel franchise) but would probably pass inspection. (still maintained the 1-hour rating and performed structurally).
This left the client to decide what to do next; have the contractor disassemble the wall sheeting and rebuild it – wasting time, but meeting his franchise requirements, or let it slide and hope it made negligible difference in the long run. As it turned out this mistake did pass inspection, because it met the minimum requirements of the code. As far as the STC rating, unless expensive and controlled experiments are performed by an acoustical engineer it would be hard to determine objectively how the wall performs. But it leaves the client room to sue the contractor if subjectively noise is an issue that effects his business – the evidence is the record of the construction that did not meet design intent.
That’s the role of the architect in this process, to record observations about the conduct and product the contractor is providing to the client. The architect documents for the benefit of the client what is being done with out making claims as to the prospect of the certification of the product. We can further serve the client by giving our opinions and professional advice to remedies to meet the design intent of the documents.
Chase (iPhone) Banking
Banking with Chase just got a whole lot better. The only thing that could be better is if I opened up my account online and it was loaded with millions of dollars. What I’m speaking about is the new improvements to the Chase iPhone app. You now have the ability to deposit checks from your wherever simply by using their app.
There are two rules.
- The check can’t be more than $1000
- You can only deposit a maximum of $3000 per week
The app is extremely simple to use. All you do is take a picture of the check (both sides) with your phone. The camera is built into the app and is proportioned for the rectangular shape of checks. On the next day, the money is magically deposited in your account without ever leaving home. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Here are a few screen grabs I found online of the app in action.
Gravity
I remember watching Bill Cosby do some stand up comedy when I was a kid. There was a story he told that caught my attention. It was an “A-Ha” moment. He told this story about a neighborhood kid who walked past his house. There was some fence that this 2nd grader would climb on top and walk across. Each day, he would do this without falling. Then one day in science class, they learned about gravity. After that class, he could never walk across the top of the fence again.
I wonder if ignorance is truly bliss? Can we have too much information processing in our brain? Sometimes, maybe it’s better to just concentrate on what you know and not be brought down with the day to day lessons?
Not sure I know the answer. Any ideas?
photo credit: timailius
That looks like a good box…
The old Seinfeld joke – “When you are moving, all you see are boxes everywhere, and you think: That looks like good box!” I have been involved in several office moves in my career and they all suffer from one commonality: Too Much Junk! Especially samples.
I was a temp at an A/ID office that was moving from Wicker Park to Downtown and we filled two dumpsters. A lot of it was samples. We all love getting things for free, concrete simulated stone, granite counter tops, glass blocks, binders full of paint chips and Formica planks. But home much space do they take up? How often are they used? I spent hours of man power throwing all of these things out. I could have built a house from the debris.
Every architecture office seems to collect tons (literally!) of this material, and has to provide space for it. Granted during the shop drawing review stage we may need to select colors, finishes, but then what? For the needs of documentation we’ll need it to prove we selected “bone white” not “Autumn white” for the trim at the 9th floor. But do we need to keep the actual sample?
There is a hidden cost in accumulating all of this stuff – it takes up space – either in square-footage we pay rent on, or in garbage costs when we end up filling a dumpster with it, or when we pay to have it moved to our new office. Then we find out a few years later they have discontinued that color or texture of that material entirely.
Has anyone found a solution to this? Is the internet and your used monitor trust-worthy enough to forgo a sample entirely? Will clients put up with making all of the color selections themselves? Is it considered cheap to send samples as Christmas gifts to in-laws? Let’s discuss what we can do before I have to fill another box full of brick samples.
whats your take
“Your opinion counts, unless I don’t agree with it.” Yes, I’ve heard this one before. Talk about choosing your words wisely! This is a craft that I work on constantly. At every meeting, phone conversation or e-mail, I try to give the best opinion I can. Here are some things that go through my mind when I formulate my response.
Be Honest
Don’t lie. Sounds simple enough, but extending the truth doesn’t help anyone. If I’m asked what window style I like, or whether gold trim is back in style, I’ll give you my opinion. It’s just my take on it. Take it as another bit of information to process on your journey to making your decision.
Take Your Time
If I’m being asked a complicated question, like where’s the best place to put a bathroom, I may need to think about it. What factors go into location? Where’s the nearest plumbing wall? Does the spot work with the adjacent uses? Will the flow (sorry for the pun) work for the rest of the house/office/restaurant?
I Don’t Know
I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. If I’m asked how much something will cost, or how long will it take to build, I may not have the answer. If the question doesn’t fall into one of my specialties, I’ll have to decline.
Know Someone Who Does
BUT!! I make it a habit, if not a sport, to know where to go for answers. I may not know a lot about one specific thing, but I know a little about lots of things. And, I know a lot of people who are specialists in what they do.
Be Concise
I’m good at babbling. I work very hard trying to be concise. Every great design started with an even better problem. I strive to focus on solving that problem as efficiently as possible. Words can get in the way if you’re not careful.
Here are a few points I think about before chiming in.
Photo Credit: piterart
Space & Measuring it
How many square feet is your project? As simple question you say, it’s AxB=C and other geometry equations we all learned in the 4th grade. But what if your project is going to be leased out? Or owned as condos, but have common spaces? Do elevators count? Commercial spaces can have complex considerations for dividing up the area’s between the common areas, areas belonging to the building owner, and area’s leased to tenants. Thankfully there is BOMA – Building Owner & Manager Association – to set a standard to follow. I’m going to go over the types of building areas and some tips on how to measure them using AutoCAD. In general Area counts can go on a separate layer they you can freeze and turn off when not needed. Use an obnoxious color you can’t miss, so you can remember what they are for, and in AutoCAD set it so it is a “Non Printing Layer” in the layers options.
Gross Square footage:
This is your overall building size following the exterior perimeter of the building following the outer finish. This is used by building codes and authorities to establish your buildings’ square footage. If you are going to rent the building in whole, you could use this measurement, especially if the lease allows modifications to the building exterior, and the renter is responsible for all exterior maintenance. If however, the landlord is covering the maintenance and exterior of the building you would look at shell and core square footage.
Shell & Core:
If the lessee is only responsible for the area inside the building, the gross square footage is measured differently. The lessee area is measured up to the exterior wall, and halfway through windows that make up more than 50% of a room’s wall area. If there is a common area, elevator or other shaft the lease line would end at the exterior of the walls surrounding those areas. If there is another tenant the demising wall each share the wall equally. A way of figuring this out in CAD is to use a polyline and the “in-between” snaps. Start at a corner and follow the lease area as above. You can use the “in-between” snaps to get between the inside and outside of window openings, wall intersections and other areas. Always make sure to use the “close” command to make it a full polyline object. Using properties one can get an exact area take off. To get the landlord’s area you must be a little tricky. Start the poly line on the outside corner and follow the perimeter, but when you get back to the start point stop short so it doesn’t automatically close, go to the inside edge of the lease polyline. Follow it back along that line to the start point. Close the polyline as normal then zoom in on the part where you stopped short, edit the polyline so you can move that point back to the “start” area. The polyline object is a big “C” shape essentially. This polyline will now give you the total area of the building’s shell.
Net Square footage:
Net square footage is the area of the space minus the walls, columns, chases and shafts that go through the space. Think of it as the area of the carpet. This has couple of ways of being measured in CAD too. Start on an inside corner and measure around as above, but at doorways go halfway between the walls. To deduct columns and other objects in the middle of the space, drop the polyline down to the center of the column (Good old “midpoint” snap and “O-tracking”) follow around the object back to where the line dropped down, place a point there and continue back up to where you dropped down, and continue around the space. Another useful tool is “Bpoly” command in AutoCAD that will drop a polyline into an enclosed space – like the “Hatch” command can cover an area. However – there is some planning involved. To get columns and other objects included correctly draw a line that connects them to a wall. Lines between doors must made to enclose the room, and other objects like text, hatches, leaders must be turned off (freezing is probably better though). When all of your objects are linked you can drop the “Bpoly” command, then erase your guides. This may take some trial and error to get it right, but it can be very handy to do take-offs very quickly.
Definitely pick up the BOMA standards guide and review it, it is a great resource and you can help your commercial clients make sure they are renting and leasing the correct amounts of space.