Architecture is Awesome #19: Every Day is Different

This is another in my series of posts inspired by 1000 Awesome Things, the Webby Award winning blog written by Neil Pasricha. The series is my meditation on the awesome reasons why I was and continue to be attracted to the art of architecture. 

The hallmark of the life of an architect is there’s no such thing as a typical workday. No two days are the same. 

Every new project is unique, even if the project types and clients remain consistent over the years. An architect often works on multiple assignments at one time, each at its own point along the continuum from project conception through design to construction and occupancy. Some projects are big and take years to complete; others are small and short in duration. Some involve large teams comprised of a diverse set of collaborators; others may only involve the architect in a study of limited scope. All are complex in their own ways.

Each workday is full of its own challenges. Senior architects respond daily to project needs, manage the efforts of team members, put out fires, and chase new work. Constant change and evolution are facets of every waking hour. Everything is fluid, demanding, sometimes teetering on the edge of chaos, but always interesting.

Working in a small firm—as I do—offers additional benefits. You get to learn all aspects of the business, inside and out. You’re less likely to get pigeon-holed, so your skillset diversifies. Small firms are less hierarchical, so you work alongside your supervisors rather than for them. All this translates to increased opportunities to see, learn, and do more.   

If anything is typical about my calendar, it is how atypical each day is likely to be. My schedule for tomorrow is a case in point. It includes an early-morning meeting with a client’s team for a massive project, succeeded by another meeting with the same client’s public engagement and outreach team. After that, it’s time to shift gears and turn my attention toward a project currently under construction by checking in with our design partners and review our urgent to-do lists. A conference call for yet another project entering the Design Development phase will then take place, followed by an Owner-Architect-Contractor meeting on site for a different project. Between these obligations will be time spent reading and responding to emails, phone calls with clients, contractors, and design consultants, and providing guidance to staff here in my office. Tomorrow will end with me teaching a Construction Contract Administration class in the evening for the Construction Specifications Institute. None of this will be repeated the next day.

The work can be grueling and stressful, and the hours long, but being an architect is also immensely rewarding. Being an architect means never being bored. Every day is different, every project uniquely challenging. Being an architect means never having to relive Groundhog Day. It’s AWESOME waking up each morning confident the day ahead will be new and exciting.  

Next Architecture is Awesome:  #20 Future Thinking

2020 CSI Northwest by West Bi-Region Conference

UPDATE: Event organizers have postponed the 2020 CSI Northwest & West Bi-Region Conference due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus and recommendations about social distancing and avoidance of large groups. The event will now take place October 25-27, 2020 at the Sunriver Resort.

Registration is now open for the 2020 Construction Specifications Institute Northwest & West Bi-Region Conference. The event—hosted by the Willamette Valley Chapter—will take place April 15-18 at the magnificent Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get together with other members of the construction industry for leadership development, education, networking, and fun under the high desert sun.

Learn

Attend multiple educational sessions and earn continuing education credits to meet your professional licensing or certification requirements. Educational sessions will focus on the construction industry’s adaptation to rapidly shifting economic forces, evolving codes, advances in technology, manufacturing & fabrication, and changes in project delivery. General educational sessions will include two or three simultaneous tracks on April 17 and 18, while CSI Leadership classes will take place April 15 and 16.

Education topics will include:

• Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) Changes
• ADA Code Changes and Design Issues
• Mass Timber/Cross Laminated Timber Design
• Modular Construction
• Resiliency Planning/Design
• Historic Preservation in Masonry Structures

The nearby city of Bend is booming, with construction happening everywhere. Look for more information soon on construction tour options associated with the conference.

Network

Network with your fellow design and construction professionals. Get to know people who can help you throughout your career. Attend the tradeshow to learn about the latest new products and trends for the future. Meet the architects, specifications writers, designers, facilities construction teams, and engineers who specify construction products. Make connections with other construction industry professions from all corners of the Northwest & West Bi-Region area.

Explore & Have Fun

Located 15 miles south of Bend on the dry side of the Cascade range, Sunriver is Central Oregon’s premier destination resort—the perfect basecamp for adventure, group retreats, and family fun. Enjoy world-class golf, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking, paddling on the scenic Deschutes River, and so much more while immersed in some of the most spectacular scenery to be found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. With over 300 days of sun annually, a sun-soaked spring getaway is virtually assured!

Register Now

Register now to lock in conference fee savings. Early bird rates end on Friday, March 13, so act quickly.

Conference Registration: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=jaxbm4dab&oeidk=a07egszl82936960f60&condition=SO_OVERRIDE

Additionally, book early (before March 16) to take advantage of the conference’s special room rates at the Sunriver Resort.  

Book now: https://www.destinationhotels.com/sunriver-resort/meetings/csi

The conference website includes additional information regarding registration package options and the complete event schedule. Full registration includes the Welcome Reception, all breakfasts and lunches, the Awards Banquet, and the aforementioned abundant learning and networking opportunities.

Sponsorship Opportunities
Additionally there are numerous sponsorship opportunities available; check out the full listing here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07egszy4874d5c710e&llr=jaxbm4dab

Questions?
If still have questions about the 2020 Northwest & West Bi-Region Conference, contact Willamette Valley Chapter president Geoff Larsen at csiwnwbiregionconference@gmail.com

Every CSI conference I’ve attended has bolstered my belief that CSI members are hands down the friendliest, most generous, and brightest agents of change when it comes to the goal of improving construction communication. Each of these events has underscored my certainty in the value of building relationships. The personal connections we establish are the most potent tools we can leverage in our professional lives. The key is connecting with those who share common goals, and the determination and chutzpah to make things happen. This spirit is best exemplified by the very special people I’ve met at past CSI region conferences. Join me and the many other CSI Northwest and West Region members this April in Sunriver and see what I mean.

Plus ça change

The Willamette Valley Chapter (WVC) of the Construction Specifications Institute is hosting the 2020 CSI Northwest + West Bi-Region Conference this coming April 15-18 at the Sunriver Resort in central Oregon. As is always the case with such gatherings, this year’s conference promises plenty of opportunities for continuing education, networking, a trade show, and numerous recreation activities. If you haven’t previously visited Sunriver, you owe yourself a stay there to soak in the sunshine, scenery, and crisp High Desert air. Look for conference registration information soon. 

The conference organizers will field a veteran panel of speakers for one of the educational sessions that will compare and discuss advancements in various fields of expertise (construction, architecture, and contract law) that have occurred over the courses of the panel members’ professional lives. I’m certain many will find such a panel discussion intriguing, particularly younger people just beginning their careers in the design & construction industries. There’s no doubt rapidly evolving paradigms will impact how they work in the coming decades. Reflecting upon past changes is a useful means to appreciate the necessity of skillsets and strategies geared toward resilience in a future fraught with challenges of global consequence. 

I’ll be one of the “veteran” speakers on the panel. Though I once found it odd to consider myself in such terms, the fact is I’m now in my fifth decade of professional life: I first worked in an architectural office in 1978. I’ve been a licensed architect since 1985. Even if I don’t think I am, by virtue of my experience I’m probably as qualified as anyone to take stock of the massive changes that have occurred during my working life. 

One thing I hope to avoid is succumbing to using a variant of the old trope “when I was a kid, we had to walk fifteen miles to school, barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways!” Yes, it’s easy to denigrate how much easier it is now to perform certain tasks—such as quickly generating multiple 3-D renderings of a design—than when I first started out. The reality is all the new-fangled modern conveniences we have at our disposal today are simply necessary for survival in a far leaner and meaner profession than the one I entered more than forty years ago. 

The following are the key advancements I’ve seen during my professional career and will speak to during the panel discussion: 

The Emergence of Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
Some of you youngins might find it hard to believe, but there was a time when architects had to rely upon primitive implements we called “pencils” to help prepare elaborate technical drawings on “vellum” or “mylar” for reproduction as “blueprints.”(1) I cut my teeth learning how to hand-draft, and spent my first years mastering the distinctive style of lettering architects were known for. 

2D CAD software made for use on personal computers—most notably AutoCAD—appeared on the scene during the 1980s. I began using AutoCAD in 1989 and haven’t relied upon hand-drafting ever since.(2)  For all its nostalgic charm, hand-drafting didn’t make sense once CAD appeared on the scene. The increased productivity, ease of editing and sharing, and convenience of data saving & retrieval afforded by CAD technology meant it was the future. 

Any architect today who asserts the slowness of method associated with the use of tools of the hand to produce construction drawings is superior or preferable to computer-aided design is a romantic Luddite, plain and simple. 

(sketch by Eric Gunderson, AIA)

The Sustainable Design Imperative
The 1970s energy crisis (triggered by oil embargos, wars in the Middle East, and the advent of “peak oil”) as well as a nascent environmental design movement were very much part of the architectural agenda while I was in school. The University of Oregon’s architecture program was a leader for sustainable design education then, as it is now. Since I graduated from the school in 1983, I’ve witnessed attentiveness to the impact of buildings upon the natural environment grow by leaps and bounds such that “sustainability” and “resilience” are commonplace in the lexicon of design and construction.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, rolled out by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1998, spurred mainstream awareness of “green building” and the vast ecosystem of green commerce we’re awash in today; however, by reducing sustainable design to a set of checklists that fail to take actual building performance into account, the LEED rating system may not do as much to limit environmental degradation as it promises. The way forward is de-carbonization, which demands far more drastic measures, beginning with reduced consumption on all fronts.

Increasing Diversity and Universal Design
Designing with universal access in mind and seeing diversity within the architectural profession has never seemed new or foreign to me. The design brief for my very first studio project (at the British Columbia Institute of Technology) was for a fully accessible, barrier-free student housing project. It wasn’t uncommon for my studios at the University of Oregon to be evenly split between men and women, or to include numerous persons of color. And my early years working professionally were spent in Vancouver and Los Angeles, two cosmopolitan metropolises with especially diverse (and largely progressive) populations. So why am I listing increasing diversity and universal design since the 1970s as among the significant advances in architectural practice?

The fact is addressing inequities in the profession and in society in general has been necessary. Notwithstanding my encouraging personal experiences, inequitable practices were very much present back in the 1970s and persist today despite the Americans with Disabilities Act being placed into law in 1990 and widespread recognition of the disproportionate lack of representation of women and minorities in senior leadership positions throughout architectural firms. While much has improved over the years, the fact is intractable structural inequities are only slowly abating; regardless, I consider increasing diversity and universal design to be among the significant developments during my career.

Integrated Design
The proliferation of various project delivery methods is a phenomenon I’ve witnessed in real time. When I started out, by far the dominant way of doing things was the linear design-bid-build process. It was conceptually simple, and everyone knew their roles. It did (and still does) have its shortcomings, which spurred development of new project delivery methods. These include design-build (wherein the design team works under a general contractor and holds no direct contract with the owner), an arrangement which was once regarded by some architectural licensing bodies as unethical (since the architect’s allegiance might be construed to lie first with the contractor rather than the building owner, the public interest, or the project itself). Other project delivery methods, such as CM-at risk (Construction Manager/General Contractor) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), have become commonplace on larger, more complex projects. 

The bottom line is I’ve participated in the trend toward working in a more consultative, networked manner as part of project teams whose focus is to deliver projects with greater assurance of being on budget and on schedule. Aligning interests, objectives, and practices through a team-based approach is the common thread. In my current experience, the “alternative” project delivery methods, and integrated design & collaboration have become mainstream. Use of any one type is dependent upon the specifics of each project. More is better because one size no longer fits all. 

Increasing Complexity/Accelerating Project Timelines
I’m probably wearing my rose-colored glasses as I look back, but I’m pretty sure life was simpler and the world a little less complex and hurried when I started in architecture than it is today. I’ve seen building codes become more voluminous, expectations grow unreasonably, and litigiousness rise to worrisome levels. The decisions we’re compelled to make on every design project have multiplied exponentially: What type of weather-proof barrier should we specify for the rainscreen assembly in our project? Should it be breathable? Liquid-applied or a self-adhering membrane? What thickness? Back in the day, we didn’t detail our exterior wall assemblies as rainscreens, and our weather barriers were often simply “building paper.” The scope of many other concerns has expanded as well. We worry now about a building material’s carbon footprint and whether its constituent elements are on “red lists”; such concepts didn’t even exist at the start of my career. 

We must have had more time at our disposal back when we prepared drawings and models by hand, did not use computers, and lacked email, video conferencing, and smart phones. Perhaps we didn’t but the time we had was certainly proportionate to what our projects demanded of us. Increasing complexity and diminishing project timelines have changed the equation.

If our clients truly understood architecture, they would regard the time they allow us to do our jobs just like the money they leverage for future profit—as an investment. The bottom line is without such an investment the likelihood of a profitable return is diminished. Our clients would realize real benefits accrue when architects enjoy the luxury of schedules that are commensurate with the scope and complexity of their projects. The most obvious benefits include greater efficiencies in the completed buildings—improved productivity, lower life-cycle costs—as well as enhanced property values. Devoting more time to significant projects could also yield something less tangible: great architecture that possesses integrity, presence, and beauty. 

The Hegemony of Building Information Modeling
2D CAD dominated the production of design & construction documents for many years (roughly from 1989 until 2010 in my office). During that same period, software developed around the concept of the Building Information Model (BIM) began making inroads on projects, promising much more than mere electronic drafting. 

BIM is based on several principles that can be implemented with relative independence. These include assembling a virtual, 3D model of a future building, which is continuously modified throughout the project’s life, valuably even after the completed building is in use. In addition, the model includes attached metadata, such as the material properties of a building component, and parametric modifiers like the height of a wall. Preparation of specifications can be tied to the metadata embedded in the model, and objects linked to online libraries can be updated automatically. Because the BIM model is an electronic simulacrum of the real thing, immersive visualization of an unbuilt design is possible.

The evolution of multiclient databases and cloud storage facilitates access to and sharing of the model by several people at once. I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a futurist, but I doubt I could have predicted the power of building information modeling and how it has transformed the way the design and construction industries operate. 

My tools of the trade, circa 1978-1989

 

Given how much things have changed just since I’ve been around, odds are plenty more will change in the years to come. We’ll undoubtedly see continued pressure upon architectural practices to increase efficiency and commoditize fee structures, while creating ever greater value for our clients. In response, architects will work toward selling results as opposed to their time. As I mention above, we will rely more and more upon integrated design and collaboration, coupled with evermore powerful computer technology (including artificial intelligence). Most importantly, the profession of architecture—and more broadly the entire design & construction industry—must do its part to address the consequences of climate change, certainly the most pressing and challenging problem confronting humankind. 

Taking stock of how far we’ve come is useful. Doing so gives us some perspective. We may have had it tough when I was a mere child in architecture, but the profession is demanding today too, if only in different ways. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. 

I’m looking forward to participating in the panel discussion at the 2020 CSI Northwest + West Bi-Region Conference and hearing from my fellow panelists. I hope to see all of you there too.

(1)  Actually, blueprints were already obsolete by the time I entered the profession. The prevalent reprographics technology in use when I started was the diazo printing process (whiteprinting), which was simpler and less toxic than blueprinting. Regardless, the diazo process generated noxious amounts of ammonia fumes. Whiteprinting itself became a rarity by the early 2000s. In my mind though, I still vividly recall the odorous smell of the ammonia.

(2)  Hand-sketching during the initial design phase remains my most fluid means to explore and record ideas in a rapidly iterative process. Drawing by hand preserves traces of intentions and speculations in a way CAD and BIM software generally cannot.

They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot

A photograph of the old Eugene Armory posted by Jim Purscelley to the Forgotten Oregon Facebook group inspired me to write this blog entry. I had no idea such a remarkable building existed where the downtown branch of Umpqua Bank now stands. Indeed, it’s difficult for me to imagine Eugene’s downtown as it once was overall. People who’ve lived in Eugene far longer than I have may well remember the many significant older buildings, now lost to time, that served as a fine backdrop for a once-bustling city center. 

I won’t get into the details of why so many of the buildings featured here had to be torn down, mostly because I’m not entirely sure (please comment below if you know). Misguided 1960s and 1970s urban renewal was the culprit in a few instances, but not all of them. No doubt radically shifting needs and safety concerns prompted the razing of others. Tragically, some of the buildings featured in this post were literally removed only to be replaced with parking lots. 

I do remember the first time I visited Eugene (as I contemplated attending architecture school at the University of Oregon) thinking that—with the notable exception of the UO campus—the city was oddly lacking in architectural texture. So much seemed lifeless and absent the rich layering of historical markers characteristic of towns and cities people are drawn to. If I recall correctly, the downtown pedestrian mall was already an abject failure, the hollowed-out core of what should have been a regional draw; however, this doesn’t explain why nondescript, single-story shops replaced many of the older, taller buildings that once lined Broadway between Willamette and Charnelton. 

There are a few sources that preserve, in photos at least, the history we have lost. One is the book Eugene (Images of America) by David G. Turner. Another is the Lane County History Museum. The blog Eugene Lost & Found by J Bart is a rich trove of material, though it appears to be dormant since 2013. At the risk of incurring the reproach of Ms./Mr. Bart (I don’t know this person) and the sources of the photos she/he used, I’m including below direct excerpts from Eugene Lost & Found that describe a few of the notable buildings that once proudly stood.(1) 

Eugene Armory

Here is a view of the old National Guard Armory, which stood on the northeast corner of 7^th and Oak, now the site of Umpqua Bank. Torn down around 1975 after much protest from early preservationists, nothing replaced the building until the early 90s and the corner served as a parking lot in the intervening years. 

Old City Hall

Here is a view of the Old Eugene High School of 1906, which stood on the southwest corner of 11^th and Willamette Street. In 1915 the building was turned into the Eugene City Hall with the addition of a large wing to the rear and an entrance portico on the front facing Willamette Street. The building continued to house the city offices until the construction of the current City Hall in 1964. The building was razed soon after and replaced with the current bank building that has occupied the site ever since.

Geary School

Named for Dr. Edward Geary, an early Eugene educator, the Geary School built circa 1890 stood on the northwest corner of 4^th and Madison until about 1950 when it was torn down after serving as the Eugene Vocational School. One of the largest school buildings in Eugene at the time, it stood over two stories over a full basement, with a large attic gymnasium and a prominent bell tower. The building with its tasteful Victorian ornamentation was particularly attractive. The property, still owned by the 4J School District, houses offices and maintenance buildings. 

Intersection Broadway and Oak

What a shame the two nice turn-of-the-century commercial buildings on the NE and SE corners of Broadway and Oak were demolished and replaced with ugly 1970s concrete monstrosities that stand there today. This streetscape lost all its continuity with their removal. At the time this photo was taken in October 1928 they housed two competing grocery stores, one being Safeway. Further down Broadway on the right can be seen the Miner Building, which at that time housed Applegate’s Furniture on the ground floor. Other businesses on the block were Crown Drug and Jensen’s Café. 

Hovey Block 

This fabulous commercial building was built in 1888 by Albert Hovey on the NE corner of 8^th and Willamette and was known as the Hovey Block. For many years it housed a bank on the ground floor and attorneys George Skipworth, Charles Wintermeier, and George Doris. Other tenants were Isaac Bingham Land Company and J.A. Maurer Jewelers. The building was razed about 1920 after only standing 30 years. A very ugly parking structure has stood on this spot for the last 30 years. There certainly were a lot more people downtown 120 years ago than there are today. 

Patterson School

Another wonderful old Eugene school building was Patterson, built in 1901 on the northwest corner of 13^th and Alder. Named for Dr. Andrew Patterson, who along with his duties as an early physician was also a teacher. In use until 1930, the building was razed circa 1936 to make room for additions to Sacred Heart Hospital, who still use the site as a parking lot in its University District campus. The current Ida Patterson School is named for Dr. Patterson’s daughter, another longtime Eugene educator. 

The White Temple (IOOF Building)

For many years this building, which stood on the northwest corner of Broadway and Oak (now the site of the Wells Fargo Bank main branch), was the largest commercial structure downtown. Just north of the site can be seen the West Park Block. Out of view to the right was the East Park Block, and farther north of that stood the old County Courthouse until its replacement in 1959 with the current structure. The Park Blocks have for many years been the site of the Saturday Market. 

The Osborn Hotel

The Osborn Hotel was built in 1910 on the NW corner of 8^th and Pearl Street. The main entrance faced 8^th Avenue. It was Eugene’s largest and finest hotel until the completion of the Eugene Hotel in 1925. The Osborn had both ladies’ and gentlemen’s parlors which were elaborately furnished, a billiard room, and a huge dining room. Several pieces from the Osborn, namely the beautiful Chinese chair, are in the collection of the Lane County Pioneer Museum. 

Carnegie Library 

For many years this was Eugene’s library, which stood on the SE corner of 11^th and Willamette. It was a Carnegie library, which like hundreds around the world was a gift from industrialist Andrew Carnegie. 

Old Lane County Courthouse 

Here is a view toward the northeast of the old Lane County Courthouse. The Spanish American War Memorial fountain can be seen still intact on the corner (it can be seen today minus its wrought iron lantern at the Pioneer Museum) amid the lushly landscaped grounds. The structure, built in 1898, was nearly identical to the Polk County Courthouse (which incidentally still stands, beautifully preserved and still in use in Dallas, Oregon) and was demolished in the late 1950s. Why any one person, let alone a group of county administrators, would decide to raze this beautiful building is an astounding mystery. Even if the building had been outgrown it could have modified for use as the city hall or even the Lane County Pioneer Museum. A small sample of the gorgeous interior woodwork, namely the grand staircase and the courtroom interior, can be viewed in the collection of the Pioneer Museum. 

Regrettably, Eugene has proven proficient at erasing much of its architectural heritage. A few notable exceptions remain, including the Eugene Hotel, Miner Building, Quackenbush Building, Smeede Hotel, Tiffany Building, Lane Building, downtown Post Office, Schaefer’s Building, McDonald Theater, the former First Baptist Church (now the home of the Shedd Institute for the Arts), and First Christian Church. I have noted downtown’s revival in recent years as well. On the flip side, I also addressed the leveling of both Hayward Field’s historic east grandstand and Eugene City Hall, albeit with mixed feelings (particularly for City Hall). The bottom line is what’s lost will never be replaced as it once was. Such is the price of progress, some will say.    

(1)   I do want to be respectful of copyright laws and requirements, so let me know if I need to take down any images or properly secure licensing rights.