The building doesn’t matter. It’s easy to forget. You can get tied up in the creation, in the assembly, the structuring, and alignments. The worst of us are distracted by the process of it; the selections, the connections, the tools, the creation of instructions. It’s an easy distraction. You make. You craft. You spin forms out of thoughts. You layer meaning. … Read More
The price of coffee
It’s 1901 and coffee is a commodity. Great Granddad was a farmer. Somewhere down in Central America. Pulling coffee beans off the pod that grows on the stalky thing with the green flappy leafs and the cocoa blossoms … fine, I have no idea where coffee beans come from. But I’m sure the days were long, the sun was hot … Read More
The most interesting man in the room
I’m an Architect. I’m the most interesting man in the room. I’m wearing all black. I’m near sighted, but have compensated with extremely attractive and/or expensive eyewear. I have radical mood swings. But, only on the inside. You’d probably never know what I’m thinking. And, I’m sure I wouldn’t tell you. I have excellent taste in …. almost everything. Just ask me. … Read More
I may only have a few months to live
I may only have a few months left to live. (I should just let that line sit there for a while and see how long it takes for my phone to start ringing…. nope…, it’s not ringing) I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday. She’s been running her own firm for over 20 years, long enough to see her … Read More
Sometimes its better to say nothing
I’ve got nothing to say really. And, I may be in the minority on that. My profession (Architecture) has become thick with opinions. Our buildings generally require the user to “understand” them. We’ve strived to follow our star-chitect leaders into deeper and deeper webs of metaphor and symbolism and intellectual structural feats of fancy. We’ve tried to reflect the complexity of society … Read More
Passing myself on a bridge in Prague
I was young and cold as I walked towards the Charles Bridge. I’d spent the day walking around Prague. I was tired and, with the cold, had lost most of the feeling in my hands and toes. As I came closer I started to hear a mournful tone that I eventually recognized as music. I saw that a grey trench-coated man had set up a folding table … Read More
Success equals sleeping at night
Sometimes I forget what I’m trying to do here. I get wrapped up in whatever “hot button” issue my client is all worked up about today (It’s usually something related to how hard that’s going to be to waterproof) Then, I shift into “trying to please everyone” mode & work myself into a frenzy. I’m pretty good at this, … Read More
Architects follow like ants, Giant freakin’ ANTS!
Buildings are very complex and it takes a team to get them built. There’s property owners, investors, Financial institutions, City officials, Architects, Engineers, Consultants, Contractors, Building Inspectors, Insurance agents, Osha inspectors, lawyers, real estate brokers, marketing professionals, and more on the team. Swarming over the “soon to be” building like ants. Giant Freakin’ ANTS! Think about keeping all those diverse … Read More
Don Draper can suck it
. Remind me, when did Architects become advertising agents? During the first week at my last job I heard the word “product” used to describe the project I was working on. I should have dropped my t-square and walked slowly towards the door. When the hell did we become Mad Men? Are we selling something? Are we designing buildings or just … Read More
Hey Architects, we are all going to die!
. We are all going to die! If you drop a lobster into a pot of boiling water, it’s going to freak out, because that water is hot. And, it’s going to know that it’s going to die. But, put the same lobster into a pot of cold water and slowly heat it up, and the lobster’s just going to … Read More
In tunnels
Tunnels Eventually, you don’t have another choice. You have to dig through the mountain. I bet they’d built the road along the edge of the mountains for years. They took the easiest route, even though it was out of the way. They meandered along, using the indirect path. And, they made a scenic route. They tried to convince themselves that … Read More
Community on a Bridge
I got caught in traffic a few weeks ago. Before the accident, we had been driving for hours. We listened to podcasts. We drank coffee. The kids were watching movies in the back of the van. For hours, we just drove. If we thought about it (which we never do), while we’re driving, we’re surrounded by hundreds of other people. … Read More