Let Me Out! I'm Stuck in The Finish!

in many buildings, much gets lost in translation of what the thing should look like. In Colorado and other mountain states, the vernacular for a home dictates a Mountain Homestead sort of look; in Oklahoma, Texas and other southern areas the local taste may shape a commercial building as one would a prairie home. A structure is put up, the mechanical & electrical systems are installed, and barrage of finishes are applied to achieve the final look of the thing. What's wrong with this?: absolutely nothing - it works just fine. But it could be better with a little less effort:
It can be somewhat tragic to see what happens to a steel structure covered by drywall that, in and of itself, is a thing of beauty. Mechanical systems, mainly duct work, can add a dynamic that can't be achieved by the finest ceilings used to hide them. But that's what we do, we integrate the systems and cover them up.
A concept that is age old, "doing more with less," can be applied to so many situations. For example take a look at the economy: all over the world, people are having to apply this on an operational level. how about looking at this from a design/construction level? We can put a little more thought into the nuts and bolts of our buildings and use them to create a thing of unique beauty..

"Less is more"
Robert Browning, 1855

Hiya Hiya Hiya and happy holidays!

The pulse around here, with myself and other architects that I've been talking to, is an oddly busy one. During the holidays, we're typically cleaning out our desks, making projections for the new year, planning ski trips, basically filling our schedules with C-Time activities. However, I myself have been turning out various projects and deadlines. My desk is very messy and I've had no time to ski my home mountain,much less plan a trip.
Are any of us complaining? Absolutely not! We feel blessed, not only can we be billable during a typically non-billable time of year, but this is giving us an extremely positive indicator of what 2011 may bring. And that appears to be a few more steps out of this recession.
Another exciting thing, at least for this architect, is that the source of the work seems to be changing. JR has promoted an approach to design from a three dimensional aspect from day one - where the design profession has been traditionally filled by 2 dimensional plans and other "descriptive" types of documents (all of which are critical to building but typically confuse the layperson); JR has made it a point to communicate with the client in terms that the client can understand. This includes 3d renderings, video, and other types of media. Well, the rendering and video part has transformed into a side service in and of itself, and the more JR can offer clients the better for JR and the client!

Happy Holidays and feel free to stop by for a chat!

@%!!!*@@

Not really, things are very good!

Thanks Marcel

When I attended Art School in Holland, one of my professors would say regularly: "focus on the BIG lines...don't get stuck with the little ones." What he was telling me, in a simple and understandable way, was to think more conceptually and less operationally. 85% of people think operationally - hey, it's just how stuff gets done. But the designer has to look at the bigger picture, i,e. think conceptually, if the design will be understandable and comprehensive. The professor's name is Marcel Ponjee. Thanks Marcel.

Thoughts

• Just because it's always been done that way doesn't mean that it's the right way. However, just because it's different doesn't always mean it's better. The key, and challenge, is to use what works; sometimes that means using a tried & true method - sometimes that means inventing a new one.
• People do better work when they are happy. Cosimo Medici, godfather of the Renaissance, embraced this, allowing his artists their quirks, excesses, mood swings, and the like - out of this came some of the most groundbreaking works of art and architecture known today: such as Donatello's "David" and Brunelleschi's tower for Florence Cathedral. The big stuff comes out of people who are able to work in their optimum operation style; within "their" parameters.

What is Strawbale Construction?

So what is straw-bale construction anyway? Simply put, it is a post-and-beam system with straw bales; the bales are infill.

Why would anyone do this?

- Well, it's green for one - straw bales are a naturally growing, renewable resource: the post and beam system also uses less lumber than 2x stick framing or steel studs in light gauge metal framing.

- While standard residential exterior wall construction has an R-Value of 20-25 (this is your insulating value), straw-bale has an R-Value of 60.

- What's more is the finish; plaster over straw-bale gives a wavy, organic wall profile. It finishes with true character.

Using What's Already There

Do you have to create something new to make it yours? We have a lot that's already there to work with. The big plus in retrofitting, renovating, and recycling, is that you are working with something that has a history, and with history comes character. New York's Highline Park is an example of this on a grand scale:

"There was nothing to be said of them, except that each structure was inevitably what ie needed to be."
From 'The Fountainhead,' by Ayn Rand

Think outside the box? Sometimes it's necessary to think inside the box, but fly under the radar.
That's a quote from Thomas Umbhau, AIA.

Monday

It was Monday and Monday was good.

Got up a little late - I've been feeling a bit out of it. The sleep helped though.

Arrived at the studio and worked on my bike; I swapped out all of the cables last weekend and am in the process of getting the new handlebars to work. Alas, there was no solution to be had, but I foresee it being in the form of duct tape and cut up coke cans.

Made some phone calls. Had a nice conversation with a colleague that I'm contracting some work for. Followed up with some invoices.

Did some filing,which made the studio feel better - things were starting to pile up...as does happen from time to time.

Worked on my main project, a barn. I like the barn clients, they are very nice and easy to work with. I did a lot of detailing in the horse stalls and on the structure; moved the crawl-space access to the mechanical room; there's more room in there.

Had the weekly coordination meeting with the barn-folk. It was short, I really had nothing to pass on other than I made the adjustments that we discussed in our last meeting and was proceeding with knocking this thing out for them. Next step, send my structural plans off to an engineer for his review.

Now I'm at home. There are three attention starved cats who are demanding an audience. The wife is house sitting out in Rafter J. I would join her but have to get up at the crack.

That's about it.

Occupational Health

Sitting down to get going. I hear ladies down the hall chatting before their power dance class. Outside someone is belting out the lines from "Don't Stop Believin," by Journey. Kids are playing outside, I hear an adult female voice patiently informing them that they will need to come back inside after two minutes.

Yes, the window is open and fresh air is coming in.

The door to the hallway is open too. Though I closed it after the power dance class down the hall started...they really get into over there, it's a good thing.

The building in which my office is located is a recycled Junior High School that was built in the 1940's. It is now privately owned and hosts offices, dance studios, artists, even a couple of apartments. The roof is lined with solar panels and the building collects so much power that it sells power to the city.

The feeling here is one of community, people are happy to come here to do whatever it is needing to get done.

In my space, I feel creative. I feel charged. I feel good.

This is important because, as the purpose of any business is to make money, the well being of the earners often takes a back seat or worse. While this is ignored, the place where many people spend more of their day than anywhere else in their lives can turn negative.

A key goal that I strive for is to keep the workplace healthy and enjoyable. When I get to work, I want to enter an environment where I feel charged about what I need to be doing and where I'm doing it. I want to foster that feeling in others. When I come home, I don't want to unload frustrations on my spouse an keep my home under a dark cloud. Again, this is important.

Testing the bounds of my mobile realm.

vocab

As designers, we have an unlimited language of how to do things. Our vocabulary includes terms such as pitch, suspend, support, transition, as well as component names like column, gable, reveal, brace, baffle and so on. For all purposes of practicality and manageability we limit our vocabulary to fit the project into a concise, obtainable goal. (well, most of us anyway) It's the really talented designers, I think, that can take the right words from their vocabulary and get the point across in a way that makes the client happy.

Simple, not always easy.

Give Back and Participate

One of the first things I did getting started with the studio was join my Chamber of Commerce. I also began attending local marketing, networking, and other community events. Furthermore, I began helping out by volunteering my time to Iron Horse Bicycle Training and other events or organizations where I found myself useful. These are things I did not have the time or energy for with previous employers; in my line of work - one is busy and the work comes first. I even had one boss say that doing these things was a waste of time because they did not make money.

What I find important, however, is that joining local clubs, volunteering, and other forms of participation are critical in being a part of the community. I live in Durango, Colorado. Many of us who live in Durango choose Durango because we want to be here. And, for me, one of the attractive components of Durango is the type of community it contains. I can live in any geographical location in the world, make money, and pass complete strangers as I go about my day to day activites. Durango has more to offer that that; in my day-to-day activites, I get to see people that I know or am acquainted with. It's refreshing. It feels healty. It feels human.

So I choose to give back to my community and participate in it.

Even more, I do not agree with those who claim that it I find it difficult to hold with those who say that it is a waste of time because these things don't make money. Where I live, just about all business is referred by word-of-mouth. Don't get me wrong, rightly placed marketing dollars are dollars well spent. But people here often call the companies that other people tell them to call or are owned by someone they know and trust. As a new business owner, what better way to give people the opportunity to get to know me that by doing things with them.

Please Pay Me

What's the biggest pants-kick lesson in being a new business owner? For me, I am astonished at the amount of time spent working for no pay at all. It's amazing. There's business setup: applying for loans, setting up bank accounts, applying for loans, buying office equipment, registering with all the people and places and things that make a business official and what not, applying for loans, and so on.

What's funny is I'm actually starting to get work and I need to find time to do it...insert chuckle here. But Jasper said; " having too much work is a problem that you can find a solution for." If you live in Durango then you know Jasper, if not then you probably don't.

Not complaining...just an observation.

Fully Mobile: manifesto?

One early focus of the JR Architectural is to be a fully mobile organization. Easy now, since the organization consists of one person - however, as JR grows, this needs to be on the forefront of the plan.

I love my studio, I chose it as a central location because I wanted it. But life happens and I can't always be most productive when I'm there. And, frankly, sometimes I wish to work at a coffee shop.

Through the use of services such as Twitter, Google Calendar, email, and this blog. It is possible for me to be of optimum productivity no matter what my location is.