TJCAIA News Blog

Recently a high school student asked me to reflect on my career in architecture. Here are my responses:

• How did I get into this business? My mother encouraged me to do so. She supported the talents that she saw in her son. Even though I had not known an architect personally until I entered college, several family friends were contractors. And yes, I played with Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, and Legos.
• What is the best thing about your job? The best aspect of my work is seeing concepts come to reality. It is very exciting to walk through a building that has just been framed, after it has been in your head and on paper for months or years.
• What are the biggest challenges? That’s easy—government bureaucracy. Most people are surprised to learn how much government regulates the building process.
• Do you have any advice? Interview an architect and visit a school of architecture. College training is rigorous but it should be. The profession of architecture is big enough to accommodate a wide variety of talents, from math lovers who lean toward engineering to artistic types who specialize in design.

Get more info on our External Resources page. Also check out careers at www.aia.org.

El Gabilan Library's New Landscaping

El Gabilan Library's New Interior

“I remember checking out countless books at the El Gabilan Library as a child. I am so glad to see the city invest in our libraries. I hope the improvements cause more parents to take their children and invest in reading and learning .” –Johanna Ceornocut

TJC was hired to redesign the reception counter, upgrade the restroom to meet ADA standards, and modify the electrical and mechanical systems. We have received compliments about the new landscaping, but credit for the plants and pavers goes to the Public Works Department. We would like to thank all of the library and city staff for making this a successful project, to include Elizabeth Martinez, Library Director, Maria Roddy, Deputy Librarian, and Frank Aguayo, Senior Civil Engineer. The general contractor was Boronda Construction.

The internet is full of interesting information and RSS will deliver it to your desktop. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a method for subscribing to websites that deliver continually updated information, such as this blog from Thomas J. Carleton Architecture. News sites, magazines and blogs are typical uses for RSS.

Sites that are RSS compatible display a link to their RSS feed with this icon:

Many software programs for email and internet browsing can also manage you RSS feeds and present the content for your perusal. I like to use Google Reader, which I can access my feeds from any computer as well as from my iphone.

Subscribing to a site is easy, maybe too easy since I’ve got 74 subscriptions and read only a few of them. I enjoy getting the latest product design trends from Core77, keeping up with the obsessed greenies at Inhabitat, and get clever tech tricks from Lifehacker.  Only the internet could teach you how to make guitar picks from credit cards (Instructables), maintain a minimalist home (Dwell Mag), and see your friend’s latest baby candids (Flickr) in five minutes or less.

-James Carleton

Standard Pacific Homes: Spreckels

Standard Pacific Homes has two communities in Monterey County, Sorrento in Salinas and Spreckels. Tom Carleton was hired by SPH as a design consultant on the new homes in Spreckels.

Bonnie Sharkey (408-626-6922) claims that “people would be surprised to know how well we have done over all in this marketplace. We have sold 37 homes this year between the two communities.”

She points out the home shopper should understand recent changes in financing guidelines. “There are special programs to help out first time buyers,” she says. Go to their website for details.
Bonnie reports that most of the new buyers who are purchasing homes in Spreckels live in the Monterey area, Salinas, Spreckels and surrounding areas. “They are families with and without children. They purchase because of the area and Spreckels Elementary School,” she explains.

More information:
Standard Pacific Homes: Spreckels

Tom Carleton has lined up another group of stimulating guests for this month’s installment of the Your Town television (Channel 24) and radio (KNRY 1240AM) program from 5-6 PM on August 25, 2008.

Jeffrey Weir, Economic Development Director for the City of Salinas, will explain enterprise zones; Kurt Gollnick, Chief Operating Officer of Scheid Vineyards, will discuss the proposed wine corridor in the Salinas Valley; and Kathleen Ventimiglia AIA, Director for Campus Planning and Development at CSUMB, will show us the new library on the campus.

You can also watch the program live on the web at ampmedia.org.

I have never met a client that did not have a budget. So the goal of delivering a building for an estimated cost can be challenging. I have found that competitive bidding between general contractors to be less satisfactory for our clients than other delivery systems. In competitive bidding (often used for public buildings), the architect must coordinate a complicated set of construction drawings with a book of material and installation specifications.  General contractors then submit private bids based on those documents, from which an apparent low bidder is identified. A contract is then drawn up between the owner and contractor for construction. Any deviation from the bid documents may result in requests for information from the contractor, field orders from the architect, and change orders from the contractor which add to the bottom line. This method often puts the contractor and architect in adversarial roles. This is not fun for anyone, and more importantly, it does not necessarily deliver a better or cheaper building.

Our experience has shown that the negotiated bid is a better alternative. The general contractor is selected by the client, usually before we finish our drawings. He presents the client with an open spread sheet of all costs. If a line item (carpeting for example) seems too high, alternative materials or suppliers can be negotiated. Sometimes this review requires the architect to revise drawings to lower square feet or simplify a construction detail. In this way, everyone is working together as a team to solve problems before and during construction.

Additional Information:
TJC has published a new article on our website, Competitive Bidding vs. Negotiation, which provides a detailed examination of project delivery options. For a comprehensive analysis you can view our copy of The Handbook on Project Delivery by AIA California Council at our office or purchase a copy at California AIA’s website.

Our magazine rack fills with a dozen or so magazines sent unsolicited to our office each month. Free copies are sent to architects presumably because they may be influenced by advertisements for doors and windows. The granddaddy of the magazines is Architectural Record, which comes with my AIA membership. This weighty periodical often focuses each issue on a building type such as libraries in January. Their annual Record Homes edition is a keeper. By email, AIA sends its own newsletter, plus World Architecture News to keep me informed about the latest skyscraper in Dubai.

Our shelves hold a few titles that only an architect could love, such as Metal Architecture. The pages of most periodicals are flipped only once, but a few are picked up repeatedly. Residential Architect always has interesting reviews of well designed homes and housing across the country. California Home & Design was clipped more than any other for a contemporary remodel we are doing in Pebble Beach. Dwell is the most stimulating magazine blatantly promoting modern residential design. Shockingly, the editors intentionally insert real people into their photographs. We actually pay for this one. I do not subscribe to Architectural Digest, but I try to catch up at my dentist’s office. At home, I regularly scan Valerie’s copies of Sunset and Better Homes and Gardens.

The green movement has spawned a slew of new publications. James likes GreenSource, EcoStructure, and Environmental Design & Construction and is sure to recycle them after they are read. Our magazines could end up as your next to-go cup, paper napkin, or wall insulation. He also peruses a wide range of RSS feeds (online magazines and blogs like this one) on topics from international design trends to D.I.Y. tech.

The editors know that I just flip through the photographs and read only a fraction of the articles. I save about half of these publications, thinking that if I ever design a concert hall in Spain, a particular photograph may prove to be inspirational. It is probably time to purge the magazine collection again.

-TJC

Green building is a popular movement in our industry which aims to reduce the negative impacts a building has on the environment and its occupants. An important aspect of a green building is conserving natural resources. Many legendary structures have been built using beautiful wood elements. Picture the massive beams of The Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Asilomar’s Merrill Hall, or any other example of the great craftsmanship used to create beautiful wood structures throughout history.
A clever way to reduce the impact of new wood in your building and add architectural heritage is to use re-claimed wood. Several companies specialize in collecting wood from older structures and selling it for new uses. Wood can be re-claimed from buildings, bridges, logging rivers, sunken forests, wine barrels and other sources. Re-claimed wood often is from old growth trees which can have superior strength and beauty. It can be used for structural beams, posts, siding, paneling, flooring, decking, cabinetry and more.

-James Carleton, LEED AP

More information:
BuildingGreen.com: Reclaimed Wood
Wikipedia: Reclaimed Wood
Terra Mai Re-claimed Wood
Black’s Farmwood
Crossroads Recycled Wood

Tom Carleton is pleased to be a member of the Board of Directors of Common Ground Monterey County. For several years, they have consistently been a balanced voice of reason in the contentious debate over Monterey County’s new general plan. Show your support by joining us for an enjoyable evening, August 8th, at Scheid Vineyards in Greenfield.

Vines & Strings: An evening of Vintage Wine and Vintage Rock
Hosted by Common Ground Monterey County
Good Music, Great Food & Live Auction
Friday, August 8, 2008
Scheid Vineyards

Download the PDF invitation for more info.