First, the portmanteau "Archi-Title" is a playful jar at the tendency to synthesize the term "architecture" with others - hey, I am guilty, too!
Anyway, I recently stumbled upon a fossil of a blog post debating this title quandary.
Should the term "intern" refer to STUDENT interns? Should professional interns go by a more definitive title? Perhaps, "Architects in Training?" I think the general public does not understand the degrees of interns within the profession. Whenever I tell someone my position, they ask what is it that I DO. Well, I do pretty much the things an architect does, but for a fraction of the price (and responsibility). I'll save you the reiteration, just check out the post yourself and let me know what you think!
I think there needs to be some distinction between a freshman student intern and a 45-year-old with 20 years experience and who has completed 8 of his/her AREs.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Official AIA Assoc Member!
Today I received my official AIA Associate Member ID #. Holler! Now I can see about plugging in some of those luncheon credits... Evidently you get a membership card as well as a lapel pin (!??!) - which I totally plan to sport at work as soon as they arrive. Man, I haven't received a membership card in the mail since I joined the Art Stuff club at Bath & Body Works. I wonder if I should tag "AIA Assoc." onto my email signature at work. Might make me look kind of badass.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Shamless Shilling
http://www.amazon.com/101-Things-Learned-Architecture-School/dp/0262062666#noop
I wish I could have saved the money on all that fancy skoolin', but what are you going to do.
I wish I could have saved the money on all that fancy skoolin', but what are you going to do.
You could have the Car or THE MYSTERY BOX
I decided to post a mixed bag of things I have been trolling away for an event such as this:
"What is architecture anyway? Is it the vast collection of the various buildings which have been built to please the varying taste of the various lords of mankind? I think not.
...
Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his circumstances as they change. That is really architecture." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space." - Philip Johnson
"Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five years, so increasingly there is a discrepancy between the acceleration of culture and the continuing slowness of architecture." - Rem Koolhaas
"The dialogue of architecture has been centered too long around the idea of truth." - Michael Graves
Finally this quote actually goes:
"Architecture arouses sentiments in men. The architect's task therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise." - Adolph Loos
but I really wanted it to be:
"Architecture arouses...men" - Adolph Loos
Also I found this one the other day and thought you might enjoy:
Dear Architect:
Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion.
My house should have between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.
Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).
As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminium, vinyl or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminium, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)
Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that the kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refigerator.
To ensure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in- laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.
Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the colour of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.
Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.
While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has.
I advise you to run up and look at my neighbour's house that he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 25 meter swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new home without impacting the final cost.
Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.
You must be thrilled to be working on as interesting a project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.
P.S.: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions that I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.
P.P.S.: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.
"What is architecture anyway? Is it the vast collection of the various buildings which have been built to please the varying taste of the various lords of mankind? I think not.
...
Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his circumstances as they change. That is really architecture." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space." - Philip Johnson
"Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five years, so increasingly there is a discrepancy between the acceleration of culture and the continuing slowness of architecture." - Rem Koolhaas
"The dialogue of architecture has been centered too long around the idea of truth." - Michael Graves
Finally this quote actually goes:
"Architecture arouses sentiments in men. The architect's task therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise." - Adolph Loos
but I really wanted it to be:
"Architecture arouses...men" - Adolph Loos
Also I found this one the other day and thought you might enjoy:
Dear Architect:
Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion.
My house should have between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.
Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).
As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminium, vinyl or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminium, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)
Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that the kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refigerator.
To ensure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in- laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.
Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the colour of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.
Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.
While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has.
I advise you to run up and look at my neighbour's house that he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 25 meter swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new home without impacting the final cost.
Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.
You must be thrilled to be working on as interesting a project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.
P.S.: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions that I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.
P.P.S.: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Making the Switch
So I MANUALLY migrated all my posts over to this blog - granted I only had 15 so it took like 7 minutes. HOWEVER, I did this migration before setting the correct time zone so some of the times have become exaggerated - i.e. the previous post at 12:30 AM. No bother as I doubt most people concern themselves with such things.
However, now I must find a way to get the Corm dog's posts over here - as the LJ to Blogger migration is more complicated with "Community" blogs - i.e. multiple authors.
Stay tuned, though I think this blog will turn out nice!
However, now I must find a way to get the Corm dog's posts over here - as the LJ to Blogger migration is more complicated with "Community" blogs - i.e. multiple authors.
Stay tuned, though I think this blog will turn out nice!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Taxes
I have two items to discuss here.
First, I wish I had realized that I could include such tax deductible items in my tax returns, and thus saved the receipts for them and/or applied them in the correct years:
1.) signing up for IDP (I think this was like $250??)
2.) printing resumes, portfolios, and any necessary documents for acquiring a job
I did realize, and have the documentation for, such job-related non-reimbursable expenses, such as my subscription to Architectural Record (I got a 3-yr subscription last year for the student rate of $83 - I know, it sounds like a ridiculous price for a monthly journal whose content is 85% advertisements, but trust me it was a good deal!).
Second, it has been rumored in my office that the governor of Pennsylvania will be issuing a sales tax to architectural services. That means that we will have to charge clients an extra 6%... this may deter clients, as bordering states like New Jersey do not have such a tax. I wonder, however, how the tax works exactly, because if the service is being performed in PA, shouldn't the NJ architects still have to pay it? Plus they'd have to be licensed in PA. That is how traditional sales taxes apply - though I am unfamiliar with service sales taxes. Anyone have any inside information? I may have to just google that and hope to stumble upon a clear concise explanation in laymen's terms.
Having done my taxes myself this year, I think I now know how to properly file my purchases and such things in order to have all the proper documentation for next year's taxes.
First, I wish I had realized that I could include such tax deductible items in my tax returns, and thus saved the receipts for them and/or applied them in the correct years:
1.) signing up for IDP (I think this was like $250??)
2.) printing resumes, portfolios, and any necessary documents for acquiring a job
I did realize, and have the documentation for, such job-related non-reimbursable expenses, such as my subscription to Architectural Record (I got a 3-yr subscription last year for the student rate of $83 - I know, it sounds like a ridiculous price for a monthly journal whose content is 85% advertisements, but trust me it was a good deal!).
Second, it has been rumored in my office that the governor of Pennsylvania will be issuing a sales tax to architectural services. That means that we will have to charge clients an extra 6%... this may deter clients, as bordering states like New Jersey do not have such a tax. I wonder, however, how the tax works exactly, because if the service is being performed in PA, shouldn't the NJ architects still have to pay it? Plus they'd have to be licensed in PA. That is how traditional sales taxes apply - though I am unfamiliar with service sales taxes. Anyone have any inside information? I may have to just google that and hope to stumble upon a clear concise explanation in laymen's terms.
Having done my taxes myself this year, I think I now know how to properly file my purchases and such things in order to have all the proper documentation for next year's taxes.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Drafting: The Pen vs. the Pointer
Today, as I was trying to coordinate my RCPs with updated floorplans, mechanical plans and area plans, pondered to myself... how was this all done before the computer? When I think about how many time we send out drawings to clients and consultants, and how many times we have to make changes, or try a different layout or something, I wonder how in the world they were able to do such things in the past by hand?
But then I thought, in the past people didn't have email. They didn't have cellphones. Shoot, they may not have had fax machines. Drawings were probably hand delivered or mailed. While in some cases that is still done today, a lot of these little changes I mentioned above are handled through emails and FTP-style uploads. I truly wonder how it worked, because even as I try to think how things could have been simpler - like maybe not trying to design all the mechanical systems before the design is finalized - the conception of architecture is not a linear process. You have to be developing the overall design, while designing the systems within it, otherwise you could entire scheme could be thwarted by a duct that is twice the size of the space you have alloted for it.
Then again, architects were much more well-rounded back then. They didn't just solve a few load problems in their schooling. They designed ductwork. What they'd consider rule-of-thumb, us CADmonkeys would consider Calculus. No wonder they think we're slackers with all our computer wizardry and keyboard hocus pocus.
I guess the question is - how were multiple architects and interns able to collaborate on a single project at the same time? For example, I can update the RCPs as someone else is making changes in the floorplans, and I can simply reload that XREF. Would you have to draw something in the floorplan and then pass the sheet down the table to someone so they could trace in the new wall on the RCP? Maybe they were better communicators back then. If I'm not CC'd on an email, I won't find out about something until weeks later. I pretty much have to ask around every couple days to see if there are any new sketches or design elements or details that I should be aware of.
In some ways the computer seems to expedite things, but in other ways it seems to impede. I think I prefer the computer method, but sometimes when that plotter gets on the fritz I think to myself, "man I could freakin' hand draft this in less time!"
But then I thought, in the past people didn't have email. They didn't have cellphones. Shoot, they may not have had fax machines. Drawings were probably hand delivered or mailed. While in some cases that is still done today, a lot of these little changes I mentioned above are handled through emails and FTP-style uploads. I truly wonder how it worked, because even as I try to think how things could have been simpler - like maybe not trying to design all the mechanical systems before the design is finalized - the conception of architecture is not a linear process. You have to be developing the overall design, while designing the systems within it, otherwise you could entire scheme could be thwarted by a duct that is twice the size of the space you have alloted for it.
Then again, architects were much more well-rounded back then. They didn't just solve a few load problems in their schooling. They designed ductwork. What they'd consider rule-of-thumb, us CADmonkeys would consider Calculus. No wonder they think we're slackers with all our computer wizardry and keyboard hocus pocus.
I guess the question is - how were multiple architects and interns able to collaborate on a single project at the same time? For example, I can update the RCPs as someone else is making changes in the floorplans, and I can simply reload that XREF. Would you have to draw something in the floorplan and then pass the sheet down the table to someone so they could trace in the new wall on the RCP? Maybe they were better communicators back then. If I'm not CC'd on an email, I won't find out about something until weeks later. I pretty much have to ask around every couple days to see if there are any new sketches or design elements or details that I should be aware of.
In some ways the computer seems to expedite things, but in other ways it seems to impede. I think I prefer the computer method, but sometimes when that plotter gets on the fritz I think to myself, "man I could freakin' hand draft this in less time!"
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