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Architekwiki

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Conference Room Layout Rule Of Thumb

1/9/2021

 
Conference Room
SIZING A Conference Room

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How To Design - Schematic Design

12/6/2020

 
Schematic Design
The benefits of this Seven Step Process of Schematic Design

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Contingency

9/12/2020

 
Contingency
A Contingency works better than a range. Here is how much.

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The Technical Design Diagnostic

2/1/2020

 
Technical Design Diagnostic
Leverage Design Time
The best way to understand what a good design solution requires is NOT to start designing.

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How To Use A Master Deliverables Checklist

9/14/2019

 
Deliverables Checklist
The master deliverables checklist and its many uses.

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The Main Thing Different About Working For A Public Client

8/26/2019

 
Public Work
That one thing that is common to all public clients...

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How Codes Affect Design - Rule Of Thumb

6/30/2019

 
CODES
Just about every project needs to address zoning and building codes.

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Bridging Construction: A Project Delivery Method

4/22/2019

 
Bridging
OVERVIEW OF “BRIDGING” CONSTRUCTION
A Method Of Project Delivery


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The Six Key Issues

4/14/2019

 
6 Key Issues
Every project faces 6 key issues.

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Coffee Bar Planning

3/17/2019

 
coffee bar
Our design of coffee bars / kitchenettes improved
immensely after we designed one for ourselves.
 

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The Key To Estimating Building Costs

2/2/2019

 
Estimating Costs
The accuracy of estimating costs
​relies on just five concepts.

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Construction Administration Economics

1/26/2019

 
Construction Administration
If you do a good job of Construction Administration,
you, the architect, will lose money.
Guaranteed.

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How A Site Analysis Impacts Your Project

10/7/2018

 
Site Analysis
A Site Analysis is a tool for maximizing the opportunity that your project represents by telling you up front which paths of site development will lead to achieving your goals. ​

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A Business-Like Approach To Additional Services

8/5/2018

 
Additional Services
A while back I posted an article about Additional Services. There are a lot of circumstances that arise where additional compensation for Additional Services is called for. In that first post I offered a simple way to get the issue on the table and approved. The second part of the issue is recognizing Additional Services. ​

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The Ideal Janitor's Closet

6/11/2018

 
Janitor
orig pub 7May13
Most of us don't give a thought to a Janitor's Closet. We put a sink in a small room of 5'x5' and move on.

Well there's a little more to it if you want the space to serve the building owner. We learned what is really needed when we designed a supply warehouse for Banana Republic / The Gap. The owner's project manager, who was in charge of supplying the whole company with stuff for operating the individual stores, was basically an executive janitor.

​We received very specific requirements for the janitor's closet. I am passing on his wisdom to you.

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Zoning Analysis Tools

6/4/2018

 
Zoning
Zoning is an odd duck. Zoning is unique among codes because you might not be able to build.      Period.

Every other code will allow you to proceed if you can show compliance, which is generally just a matter of money - more of it.
​
With zoning, no amount of money can buy permission to proceed if you don't meet the requirements.   Sometimes you have to wait a year before re-applying!

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Project Delivery 101

5/6/2018

 
Project Delivery
click for attribution
A year after I started my own firm, I was invited to design a hangar for my Dad's golfing buddy, who happened to have started an airline that was growing by leaps and bounds. We designed projects for his airline for about twenty years until they were bought out by one of the major airlines. One of the main skills that allowed us to keep up with their growth was my knowledge of project delivery methods - mostly book-learning, driven by interest.


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Designing A Truck Dock

4/22/2018

 
Picture
There are a number of things about a truck dock that add up to truck docks needing to be more than an afterthought. 

I am not thinking of a distribution center when I say that. The docks are the central focus of that kind of building and will get plenty of attention. I am thinking here of the incidental truck dock that may be a convenience or an efficiency measure. In that case safety is a paramount concern, but every truck dock that isn't part of a professional trucking operation should have a safety focus because people will sometimes use the dock who haven't been trained. 

The first design step is to contact a local manufacturer's rep for dock levelers. They can look at your situation and give you great advice about the best way to set up the dock.
Here are a few things to consider about the dock, the building and the equipment:

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4 Reasons To Do Construction Administration

7/16/2017

 
Construction Administration
Construction Administration
As designers we aren't always comfortable on the site, observing what’s going on.

​But there are good reasons to do it anyway.

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Using Specification Notes = No Specs?

12/3/2015

 
Picture
Specification Notes should have a role in every project. By Specification Notes [SpecNotes] I mean a section by section listing of the key requirements of every type of work, arranged by CSI Division and Section Number. The SpecNotes are placed on the drawings. We usually place the General Requirements on a G-series sheet right behind the Cover Sheet. The Architectural Technical Specs are placed on sheet A001, A002 (if needed) per the National CAD Standards. Take a look at the embedded document to download our 30+ page master SpecNotes to start your own.



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Specifications

11/17/2015

 
Picture
The economics of design do not allow for the time it takes to write a specification and assemble a project manual.

You have to be extraordinarily well-organized to spend less than one hour on each spec section. There are usually about 50-70 architectural spec sections. Say 60 hours to produce the spec. If the specification represents 5% of the architect's fee (which I think is about right), then the math tells us that at somewhere above a $3,000,000 project, it might be feasible. This quickly rises to $4,000.000 or more if you aren't as efficient as my example. Or if your spec writer is better compensated. See my math below. You can quarrel with my numbers, but the point is that bound specs aren't affordable on a lot of projects, even public ones.



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The Problem With Selecting Colors

10/7/2015

 
Colors

Selecting Colors


I like to select colors. I think I'm pretty good at it. I don't do it often enough to be great, but I think my results are pretty darn good.

Maybe if I selected colors all the time, I would know more about the politics of selecting colors and get good at that aspect, too. Because politics is the problem with selecting colors. 

After an interiors person returned from a color-review meeting in tears, I developed the following process to head off more unpleasant experiences. Honestly we haven’t gotten to use it often enough to know if it can be improved; so feel free to contribute your experience/advice in the comments. The world -needs- a solution to the “color problem”!



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Thoughts On Curtain Walls

7/27/2015

 
Curtain Wall
Curtain walls have certain advantages. The main one is appearance, followed closely by maximized glass for daylighting.  Another advantage is that erection can be done as fast as any other system.

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Stage & Theater Considerations

7/18/2015

 
stage floor
In my experience stages fall into two broad categories. Traditional Theater Stage (proscenium, arena, thrust) includes stages that are used for plays, musicals, and dance; and Platforms include stages that are devoted to only speaking, town meetings, video and presenting. 

Stages can be designed for a specific purpose, e.g. drama, musical theater, dance, or musical performance; or they can be multi-purpose. Once you pass the limits in the building code for a Platform, there are several 'triggers' for specific requirements. Take a look at Chapter 410 of the International Building Code.

The type, size, flexibility and sophistication of the venue (whether Stage or Platform) is dependent on the function and end user: Amateur/Professional, Primary/Secondary School, University/Professional Theater, Broad
way Touring House or Regional Theater. All of these considerations will affect the design criteria much more.



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Ship’s Ladder Roof Access - How To

6/22/2015

 
Ship's Ladder
Roof access seems to have become more important to me as I got older (wiser?). Two realizations dawned on me. 1. Climbing a ladder to visit a roof is pretty ’thrilling’ for the unaccustomed. 2. How is anyone motivated to maintain the roof and the stuff up there if they can't easily get to ’up there’. Reason 2 is the main reason to build easy access to the roof into every project - even a remodeling.

So what are the options?

A. Do nothing - we’ve already covered that. However, this isn't an option for 3-story (or more) buildings because of code.

B. Permanent ladder and roof hatch - this is better than nothing, but it is hard to climb a ladder with a tool box, roofing repair materials or even a clipboard. It is even more difficult if the trip is over 20’ and you are caged in. OSHA! This is about a $3000 solution costing you just 10 SF, but it’s only rudimentary. If lack of maintenance creates problems because of roof access difficulties, you will regret not spending more.

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