Thoughts on Difficult Clients

I haven't met any architect lucky enough yet to avoid Those Clients. You know the ones. The husband and wife that disagree on everything and put the team in the middle. The owner who meddles with the construction on site. The committee that can't make a decision. The client with an outrageously aggressive schedule.

Archdaily posted a cute graphic about some of the typical problem clients an architect (or really any design-based field) may run into. (Originally posted here on Digital Synopsis.)

A Field Guide to the Wonderful World of Clients, part I

Women in the Built World Symposium: The Men's Perspective

The third annual Women in the Built World Symposium was held this past February in Chicago, and was better than ever. Among the panels were lectures on terra cotta restoration, roofing best practices, the renovations in the Old Post Office, and panels on advocacy and women in construction. One of the more encouraging panels was The Men's Perspective, a panel discussion among principals and presidents of an architecture firm, an engineering firm, and two construction firms. "But wait," you ask, "I thought this event was Women in the Built World - why do we need to hear from more men?"

Shutting that Sh*t Down: In Action!

The sad truth is, there is no shortage of opportunities to shut bigoted and derogatory language down. Today's example: a phone call with a contractor, which he thought was with just one person but was in fact on speakerphone.

Blake (not his name), who thought he was only talking to my boss instead of the full internal project team, told a story about a past friend-turned-client who asked the same question at every single meeting. The question was fairly innocuous - is there a problem with pouring concrete foundations in winter? Blake was getting increasingly frustrated by this repetition, since he was giving the same answer - yes, as long as it's above 10 degrees; we do this work all the time - every time the question was asked. Finally, he told the client, "Please stop asking this question. I've answered it the same way every time." And then went on to say that the client's "pussy husband" spoke to Blake after the meeting and was upset at how he dressed her down. And further added, "I'm sorry, but I have to put it this way, her husband was wearing women's underwear --"

I interjected at this point with a sharp "Woah woah woah!" and as soon as I had, the contractor exclaimed "I didn't know I was speaking to the whole office!" and my boss switched the phone off of speaker, and made some remark about "Blake's man-talk."

Here's the litmus test, fellas: Are you upset to learn that your female / black / gay / trans / disabled / immigrant / etc. colleagues heard something you thought you were saying to "just one of the guys?" Next time, SHUT UP.

What the... An Ongoing Series

Pro-tip: If you are a (sub)contractor on a project, DON'T TAKE A PISS IN THE STAIRWELL OF THE BUILDING YOU ARE CONSTRUCTING DURING NORMAL WORKING HOURS WHEN THE ARCHITECT IS VISITING THE SITE.

What the... An Ongoing Series

When a contractor says "this is the drop-dead date for upgrades" on a new construction condo building, and your client gives confusing upgrade information a week after that drop-dead date, and then new and different information three months after that drop-dead date, and then yet again new and different information a whopping six months after that drop-dead date, you probably don't drop everything to get the details figured out that third time.

But you might decide to crack open the whiskey under the sink and put a slug in your afternoon coffee...

 

Grenfell Tower: Building to Reap the Whirlwind

image by Chris Barker

With the global economy hurtling toward a greater and more insurmountable chasm between the rich and poor, symptoms of these societal structural inequalities will continue to occur. The deadly and terrible fire in Grenfell Tower is just one more in a chain of tragic disasters that continue to impact the most vulnerable people in disproportionate measure.

Public and affordable housing remains a hotbed of political and social strife, in no small part due to the continual implementation of disastrous policies, lack of oversight and regulation, and straight-out malevolence from the governments and landlords of these properties toward those people these projects are meant to serve. The US has more than a few particularly infamous housing projects, many of which have been vacated or demolished as unsalvageable failures.

By now there has been a great deal of press about the flammable cladding, the single stairwell for a 24 story building (completely legal per British building code and ASTONISHING to this US architect), the misinformation given to residents, the previously-aired fears of a disastrous fire, and the overall heartless deregulation to give financial advantage to landlords and disregard the health, safety, and welfare of tenants.

(And you thought this speech by Rik Mayall on "The New Statesman" was satire.)

Perhaps what is saddest and most infuriating is that this largely-preventable tragedy was not the first of its kind, and won't be the last. Remember the Ghost Ship fire - less than a year ago? This fire, in a building that was not intended to house residents but was home to dozens, killed 36 people in Oakland, California.  And like in Oakland, the survivors in London are without much hope of finding a new place to live within the city. London is suffering from its success - in a booming economy and with increased population growth, affordable housing has been sluggish to keep up, resulting in a severe gap between the median home price and median salary. These are not "market forces" at work - this is the deliberate policy of the government choosing not to invest in this desperately-needed sector. This is in stark relief to the "Billionaire's Row", a street of empty and derelict mansions worth millions of pounds. 

While there has been an outpouring of funds and donations from around the world to help alleviate this situation, this is merely a bandaid on the open wound of unjust housing. What would it mean to the UK (and the US, and the rest of the world) if the government were to adopt a Right to Housing as part of a bill of rights for all people in these nations? Not just nationalists, not just citizens, not just legal aliens, but every person would have the right to access adequate housing. How would this be defined? How would it be supplied? How is it to be believed that some of the wealthiest nations on the face of the earth are unable to afford the basic sheltering of their people?

Perhaps I am being hypocritical. I'm an architect that designs in the luxury residential market - highly specialized and profitable, and for the most part ignores the need for affordable housing by building single family residences on oversized lots in the wealthy suburbs and rural landscapes. Then again, the city of Chicago where I practice has an Affordable Requirements Ordinance which demands that residential developers building in the city provide either affordable units within the project itself, or build affordable housing elsewhere in the city. This does not apply to every project, but it does apply to a substantial number of them, one of mine included. While this does not address a right to housing, it does help to ensure that affordable housing exists in the marketplace and is available for those who need it. It's a small step in the right direction.

Monica Ponce de Leon at the Art Institute

The Art Institute of Chicago, with co-sponsorship by Chicago Women in Architecture, recently hosted Monica Ponce de Leon for a lecture to discuss her work and her approach toward architecture, particularly with respect to digital fabrication. Ponce de Leon took us through a sample of her body of work with particular focus on materiality and experimentation. This is an ongoing theme in her work that extends across the built spectrum from art installation to sculpture to building and back again.  What particularly captured my imagination was the idea of digital fabrication as a natural evolution and extension of hand craft, and the notion that architectural design can be an act of discovery through the exploration of materials.

Learning from Experience: Pack a Sandwich

Two weeks ago I visited a window company plant to observe some air and water penetration tests of the assembly we're using on a new project. As with many factories, this one was in the middle of nowhere. I had to take a 7am flight from an airport that is about 20 miles from my house (instead of the one that's only 10 miles from my house), to an airport that was two and a half hours' drive from the plant. I couldn't eat the lunch the company offered (religious reasons), the company had the wrong sill installed in the test assembly, the assembly failed two of the three tests, our long drive back to the airport prevented us from eating anywhere but in the airport, the airport bar where we had dinner only had two things on the menu that I could eat, and as I discovered by biting into it, one of them I actually couldn't eat. If there hadn't been beer, I don't know what I would have done. All told, I was on the clock for almost 17 hours with just an iceberg salad.

Next week, I get to go back for the retest, with the correct sill, and some modifications to the assembly to help it pass. This time, instead of a 7am flight from the airport 20 miles from my house, we're taking a private plane at 7am from an airport 40 miles from my house.

I'm packing a sandwich this time. And probably a flask.

Building the Resistance

On Saturday I had the great privilege of marching with 250,000 people in Chicago in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington. It was a tremendous demonstration of the country's (and indeed the world's! All 7 continents were represented - including Antarctica!) opposition to the new administration and a loud and many-voiced criticism of the United States as it stands now. I saw signs against Trump and his cabinet of cronies, heard (and joined in with) cries of "Black Lives Matter!" and "This is what democracy looks like!" and "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!", saw signs fighting against threats to women's body autonomy, against transphobia, in defense of sex workers, in defense of public education, in defense of the environment, against the repeal of the ACA, promoting gun control, signs declaring "I can't believe I still have to protest this shit!" and "Nasty Woman" and "This is what a feminist looks like!" I saw tens of thousands of pussy hats, in all different hues of pink and red - some sewn, some knit, some crocheted, but nearly all handmade and distinctive.

The Map and the Territory

Or, the danger of photorealism and client expectations.

I've written before about the benefits of sketches on this blog and my reluctance to embrace photorealistic renderings. This is not a wildly popular view, and I have made no secret of my reasons for this preference. Part of my reluctance stems from the ease with which clients and designers alike mistake the rendering for reality.

Picture Day: Looking Up

As you may recall from the post "A Field Guide to Architects", one method for spotting an architect is the awkward photography angles and tortured posture to get them.

an architect in the wild

Architecture vs Shootings: An Impossible Fight

First, I want to express my rage and grief at the mass murder in Orlando on Sunday. This was the act of a man propelled by hate and bigotry against people who have been systematically abused and made vulnerable by the lawmakers in this country. It is obscene for public officials to bleat on about "thoughts and prayers" and in the same breath condemn the queer and POC communities to yet more discrimination. I fear there is no end in sight for these events, and that our country and government will continue to abandon our families, our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends to men with guns.

There simply isn't enough time or space to list every mass shooting in the US in this blog; we don't even have a confirmed record of the mass shootings in this country. The best we have is the National Violent Death Reporting System, which is a state-based program under the CDC and includes only 32 states. And the House recently vetoed a proposed amendment to allow the CDC to research gun deaths.

But we need to start somewhere. If we use the definition of "four or more people are wounded or killed", there have been more mass shootings in the US this year than days passed of 2016. Let me repeat that.

There have been more mass shootings in the United States this year than we've had days in 2016.

Death of a Starchitect - Dame Zaha Hadid

THE SERIOUS STUFF

I just learned of Zaha Hadid's death about ten minutes ago.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/mar/31/star-architect-zaha-hadid-dies-aged-65

What impact she had on the architectural world is immeasurable, though I'm certain in the days to come there will be many out in force attempting to do so. I confess, her architectural designs interest me less than her approach to life and practice. I admire her audacity, her unapologetic and uncensored personality - the Queen Bitch that some loudly deride but many secretly (or not-so-secretly) want to be. And to be a woman and an Arab woman at that in this profession - such incredible will.

An obituary (like the article linked above) is by its nature somewhat bland and matter-of-fact. I rather think this profile from a few years ago is more appropriate to someone so much larger-than-life as Hadid:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/08/zaha-hadid-serpentine-sackler-profile

MAKING IT WEIRD

Better Late Than Never, I Guess: The AIA Gold Medal Award

The AIA Gold Medal, the highest award of the American Institute of Architects, has been awarded posthumously to Julia Morgan for 2014.

Morgan is the first woman architect to receive this award from the AIA - an award that has been in existence since 1907.  It's taken 107 years for the AIA to award the Gold Medal to a woman architect.  Let me repeat that:  it's taken 107 years for the AIA to award the Gold Medal to a woman architect.

The Fountainhead, revisited.

Following up on this post about The Fountainhead film, I started wondering how the story would be reinterpreted in the hands of a contemporary (or nearly) director.

• John Waters' The Fountainhead, with bonus smell-o-vision!  
• Spike Lee's "The Fountainhead: A Spike Lee Joint."
• Pixar's The Fountainhead, in which Roark is not an architect at all but instead a modern building trying to get established in a neo-classical city.  Dominique is a flirty and flaky piece of marble.

Architects in Cinema - "The Fountainhead"

The movie The Fountainhead was released in 1949, starring Gary Cooper as Howard Roark, architect, and Patricia Neal as Dominique Francon, architectural critic and author mouthpiece.  Roark is arguably the most well-known fictional architect ever, and this film (based on the book by Ayn Rand of the same name) helps illustrate just why this is such a problem.