The art of figuring it all out…
Detail sketch for a new residential elevator to examine how the new floor opening and hoistway will clear the existing steel beam for an existing residence.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what my first blog post topic should be. And yes, I know- I’m a bit late to the blogging game. The “latest trend” is having a YouTube channel- I’ll get there at some point, too. However, as I was trying to figure it all out, I realized that THAT should be the exact topic for at least a few reasons:
Because my firm opened its doors in 2018 and it’s truly been about feeling my way through the business end of it all, even with the 15 years of experience I have gained since graduating.
Because my chosen profession of architecture is the epitome of the art of figuring it out- on many levels (which I will cover in upcoming blog posts); often in ways that are not always apparent to the general public, clients and even to contractors.
And because writing relevant and engaging content that will hold a reader’s attention for (let’s be honest) the extremely limited amount of time that they have while somehow keeping it light yet illuminating(?!?) is something that I have been trying to navigate mentally for quite some time.
In short- all of it is “figuring it all out” and making the best decisions we can with the information we have on hand.
Image of the characters Howard Roarke and Peter Keating in the movie adaptation of The Fountainhead (Author Ayn Rand)
Disclaimer - I don’t like generalizations but, generally speaking, architecture (and Architects) tend to be viewed in a very narrow light (thanks Hollywood). It’s the drawings produced and the built environment. That is what is seen.
The reality is far deeper than that. It’s all the stuff that comes before creating the construction document set or the final built product. It’s the sleepless nights in the 5 years of architecture school, the humbling and long hours of internship, the countless hours of studying for the lengthy, multi-part licensing exams, the intuition and foresight that comes from experience, it’s the conversations we have with clients to truly understand their needs and wishes (which sometimes conflict); it’s the iterations of sketches and thoughts that come before we show the client the design concept, the workarounds that are inevitable with existing conditions, etc. Not to mention the less glamorous tasks of the profession- reviewing zoning and building codes, creating specifications, the research into the materials, answering RFI’s, field reports………….I can go on and on, but I digress for the sake of your time.
This is all part of the “figuring it all out”- be it designing a solution that not only works aesthetically and technically, while also, balancing program, budgets and schedules; or starting a firm and realizing a dream that has been with me since the start of my journey in becoming an Architect. But not just as an Architect- also as a female business owner who is also trying to juggle the demands of having elementary aged children in a COVID-19 landscape- because, why not?!?
It’s a journey I wish to chronical and share; aiming to keep it informative, relevant and authentic. Hope you enjoy, laugh and learn a little along the way.
Saúde! (Portuguese for “cheers!”)
