There have been a few threads dealing with Architecture and in one of them I had sort of implied that I would start one of the ‘ask me’ threads after the current slate had disappeared.
So this is it!
I work at a major Architectural office in the Northwest. I have 25+ years working in this field. I think there are some major misconceptions about the field of Architecture out there and hopefully I can shed some light.
So feel free to ask me questions and I will endeavor over the next few days to respond as timely as I can. If I don’t respond right away–doesn’t mean I have abandoned the thread! Just have to work
Did your training involve structural engineering? I’ve seen some pretty wacky buildings and I’ve always wondered how you figure out if it will be strong enough to survive high winds, earthquakes etc.
My wife and I are looking at building a house on my pareents property in Skagit County in the next five hears or so. Would it be advantageous to talk woth an architect or just buy and modify plans from a service that offers plans?
What is the architectual fee for consulting on private homes?
Our training does include structural engineering as well as mechanical/plumbing/electrical/landscape/acoustical, etc. However it is more of a passing knowledge of that information. Not to short change it, because it is several years of structures I had to take, but 90% of the time I hire a structural engineer to the actual design and calculations on the structure. But I need to be conversant in the language to understand the structural engineer and frankly to know if what he is telling me is correct. I have had structural engineers want to do the structure very rectangularly which is way easier for them–but it severly compromised the design. Having an understanding of what is possible we were able to find a solution that met both of our needs.
And the whackier the design, the more input you will need from the structural engineer. But structural engineers are my best friends–they in general are very good advocates of the design.
Hmmm…that is a difficult question to answer. Most houses are NOT designed by Architects, just the way it is these days. Custom homes tend to be Architecturally designed, but it is a difficult way to make a living, but also probably the most rewarding. My opinion most new houses are very badly designed with poor circulation and cheap materials. There are a few Architects who do plan services–here is one (not affiliated with this guy–just like his houses!). This guy does Craftsman style homes;
Personally I would recommend you hire an Architect. You can contact the local AIA office in your area and they usually have a book with photographs of the housing that local Architects have done. This way you can find an Architect who has a similar approach to design that you do.
The main reason I would recommend hiring an Architect is that one I think you get a better designed home that is custom to your needs. Secondly the Architect is your advocate and voice with the General Contractor when you are building the house. Unless you have a strong background in the construction industry you stand a good chance of getting taken to the cleaners by an shady contractor. The Architect is there to be your representative and protect your interests.
It can range from 10-20% of the estimated construction cost. Or you can do it on an hourly basis not to exceed a certain dollar amount. I know a couple that just paid for concept plans and then went to a drafting service, I don’t think they were thrilled with the end results since there is a design process that happens between the initial sketches and the final construction documents. Having someone who didn’t conceptually come up with the design can lead to some misinterpretation of the design.
How many years and steps were there between graduating high school and becoming a licensed architect? Grad school? Internship? Licensing exam? Did you work for free at any time just to get in the door?
Since you’ve been in it for 25 years did you see a huge shift in the way firms ran and staffing levels when Autocad came on the scene?
Do you find most depictions of Architects on TV and in movies to be humorously inaccurate?
What do you tell people that say “Hey, I think I want to become an Architect!”?
I will answer your last questions first. I swear this is what I hear from 90% of the people I meet. It always amazes me that so many people wanted to become Architects but dropped out for a wide variety of reasons. What do I tell them? “well it isn’t as glamorous as the movies make it out to be!”. Which leads me to your other question.
First I make decent money. I have nothing to complain about. But given my education level I am not in the same financial league as Doctors or Lawyers who basically have the same educational background. But if you watch any movie the Architect is always portrayed as being very well off with a houseboat and private secretary, etc. Man I wish I think part of it is that we as design professional enjoy beautiful things and we will go without something else to acquire that certain chair or painting or car. I also think that allows us to dress differently–more avant-garde. I can get away as a professional wearing things that bankers, lawyers and other business people can’t. It is expected that the Architect will be a little ‘different’.
I have a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Architecture. There is a 5 day exam–at the time I took it you had to take all 5 days of testing at once and it was only offered once a yea–and it was a *#()#) bugger!. Now you can take individual tests througout the year (damn youngsters have it easy!). Never have worked for free and don’t know anyone who has.
Huge shift when computer drafting came on. Initially there was a huge swell and demand for cadd draftsmen—but this quickly disappeared after a few years. Mainly because there is more to being an Architect then drafting. It is easier to train a young Architect to be a good cadd draftman, then training a cadd draftsman to be an Architect. The two are not equal.
Have the standard specs for countertop height, seat size, and stair tread size changed at all? People are bigger than they were 100 years ago. I don’t mean just fatter, though we are. The height of a chair from the floor becomes very important to the fans’ happiness when you decide how high 50,000 seats are mounted in a ballpark.
Until I can get hydraulic implants in my femurs, I know that every ball game will find me with my knees compressed against the next row. Even in some fairly recent buildings and houses, I have to walk down stairs sideways, so my big feet won’t slip off the narrow treads. Every generation brings a higher percentage of people too big for furniture built to century-old specs.
Sure, I’m a bit wider than standard. I can lose some weight. No workout regimen is going to make me shorter. Just give me a little more room.
Personally I do not. They are buildings. But then again many of the dwellings you listed shouldn’t be Architecture. Not to say that there can’t be Architecture found in tract housing, or commercial or even industrial (I have seen some wonderful industrial projects), but in general 99.9% of them are in the end analysis just buildings.
In my opinion you have Architecture when it transcends the sum of the parts. I have worked on some very nice buildings in my career–none of them to my great sorrow do I consider Architecture. Some were close and they are nice buildings, but I think it takes a lot to go beyond the components and create a space that thrills the soul and your imagination. I feel like Falling Waters by Frank Lloyd Wright does this. St. Ignatius chapel by Steven Holl here in Seattle does that for me as well.
There is a book called Graphic Standards that is sort of the bible to this sort of stuff and is the book I would consult when I encountered these sorts of issues. Whether it has changed over the years I couldn’t truly tell you–I suppose it has. Codes and other technical data are always in constant flux. The number of toilets in the womens restroom is a good adjustment that finally happened for example! Stair tread widths are set by the building code and are a product of research on tripping hazards, etc. Too wide of tread vs. the height of the riser. Humans walk up and down stairs a certain way, and modifying that too much causes people to trip.
I have never worked on a stadium, but my sense is that, like an airplane, the goal is to provide as MANY seats as possible. Architecture like most things in this world is tied to the almighty dollar too.
Well this may be the dumbest question your ever asked but what do you do? The structural engineer makes sure the building will stand up the civil engineer makes sure building can actually be built and the interior designer makes sure its how the owners want it. I guess it just seems like you’re a concept man with drafting skill and everyone else changes your plans so they work in the real world.
I have used CADD systems mainly, although my office is dabbling in BIM. BIM I think will be the wave of the future, but it isn’t there yet. CADD is basically hand drafting done more efficiently on a computer. BIM is a three dimensional model of the building, and will allow for better conflict resolution, etc.
What percentage of your time do you spend designing, as opposed to badgering contractors? I worked in an architecture firm as a temp for a time, and was kind of surprised at how little time was spent designing stuff.
what do I do? Well obviously nothing if I am here answering questions instead of working!
Think of the Architect like the Director on a movie. The Architect is the primary consultant to the Owner. All those people you listed work for me and at my direction. If any screw up–it is me in front of the Owner explaining what happened. The Owner doesn’t really talk to those entities (in some form, but direction is always through the Architect).
I provide the design direction and coordinate all the consultants work. For example the mechanical system needs to work with the structural system and the plumbing system and the electrical system, and I am responsible for making sure they are coordinated and work with each other. These entities have no contractual relationship with each other and often are vying for the same space in the building. Thus you can see I am changing their plans to work with my design–opposite of what you laid out. I make their concepts work with my design.
But like a Director much of this work is not one by me. I run the team that produces the project. Unlike other artists, say a sculptor, I don’t build it either. There is a General Contractor who I must rely on to produce the final realized design. I am also the representative for the Owner during construction.
So you can see for not doing anything I can be pretty busy!
btw–the civil engineer doesn’t make sure the building can actually be built. The civil engineer is usually responsible for sidewalks, grading, utilities, etc on the project site.
I am sure some of you have seen a few of my buildingsmy firm has done, but I am not going to reveal what firm I work for We do work internationally and domestically in all the states here in the US.
Personally I like Gehry, but I do understand why many people don’t enjoy his work. Let’s face it at some point it is about aesthetics and we each have our own opinion.
