You need to know the what and why of everything contained in your Construction DocumentsвЂ¦ if you donвЂ™t, find out or remove it. If youвЂ™re taken for your word, and are knowledgeable, your project has a better chance of being successful. ItвЂ™s hard to get projects built, itвЂ™s extremely difficult to get projects built the way you want them built. To be a Credible Architect, you need to instill trust in your clients and contractors that you know what youвЂ™re talking about. Another great read on the value of physical architectural models вЂWhy We Still ModelвЂ¦By HandвЂ™В by Build LLC.Д¬onverse intelligently about construction means/methods. More of my thoughts on physical modeling- ArchitectвЂ™s Next Top Model. An architect needs to be able to craft form to the idea. However, for me, itвЂ™s part of the design process and I suggest all architects give it a try if they donвЂ™t already. This is a вЂtouchyвЂ™ topic and some architects wonвЂ™t agree on the value of actually building architectural models. However, I am talking about Real, Physical, Touchable, MODELS! The importance of physically crafting a model is every bit as important to the design process as the idea itself. Virtual modeling does have its place, and I often model in SketchUp, as you can read about here- SketchUp 101. Not virtual models, as these inherently have a disconnect with the client and the process.

IвЂ™m not talking about runway modeling, I mean build an architecturalВ model. We architects use visuals until the visual is reality. This isnвЂ™t sketching to produce art itвЂ™s sketching to communicate visually. The point is you need to be able to sketch anywhere on almost anything with almost everything. and be able to sketch with a pencil, pen, marker, chocolate bar, blood, etc. and you need to be able to sketch on paper, cardboard, skin, wood, drywall, etc. You need to be able to sketch at a dinner table, coffee shop, swim meet, PTA meeting, airport etc. You need the ability to quickly get your point across more often than not your point will rely on visuals and sketches not notes and definitions. This isnвЂ™t a CAD/BIM issue/debate itвЂ™s about communication on the fly. You want good contracts that you can edit quickly per project specifics.ДЇree hand sketching that is. I have templates for New Single Family Residential, Renovation/Addition Single Family Residential, New Multi-Family Residential, Commercial Tenant Fit-Up, Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, as well as several others, you get the idea. My advice, have contract templates at your disposal for editing. The Purpose of a Contract is simple defines scope, responsibilities, relationships, and compensation. is a decision you need to reach yourself. Whether you use AIA contracts, author your own, seek the advice of a lawyer, etc. IвЂ™m not a lawyer, nor do I play one on this blog. However, many architects arenвЂ™t exposed to this if they have been working for others at a firm. Without any disrespect to Vladimir John Ondrasik III (google it), I present my Five for ArchitectвЂ™in: ItвЂ™s also worth noting that this is primarily geared to single family residential projects and will differ slightly based on other project types. This is not meant as all-encompassing nor are they the only things you need to be able to do, but they are a solid >** insert pun here**< foundation that you will typically use on a daily basis. In this post IвЂ™d like to offer up what I believe are five critical things every architect should be competent at to have a fighting chance at running a successful practiceвЂ¦ I even offer up a bonus tip, whoo hoo! If youвЂ™re a potential client, consider this a list of a few things you should expect your architect to provide as part of their services. That post covered more of the legality and visions for your firm, long range planning if you will. In a previous post, Firm Advice, I offered up advice for those of you contemplating starting your own architectural firm.

Maxwell sketchup bungalow