This series is not intended for the reader to join me in reminiscences of my professional career. The purpose is for me to share, in the first person, my observations, both positive and negative, regarding project management and office organization, through the various stops that I have made along my professional path.

Early in my career, I was a Project Designer for a national architectural/engineering firm. My experience at this firm was exceptional! I worked with dedicated, talented designers who respected my design expertise.  We designed buildings and planned communities throughout the United States and internationally. The firm was very structured, with Directors managing each aspect of the firm – design, production, structural engineering, and MEP engineering. The overall projects were administered by a Project Manager.  Members of the firm clearly understood their roles and interrelationships, with projects moving forward sequentially. As a designer, I designed. I was exposed to unique opportunities where I was able to hone my design skill. While I loved my job, the organization of the firm put me in a vacuum for understanding how a building was detailed and assembled. As a result, I did not pass the architectural exam on my first try. I passed all of the sections except Building Construction – in part because I had never been to a construction site!  The lesson I learned was that even though staff may be talented in a particular aspect of architecture, it is critical to expose them to all aspects of the profession. With regret, I left this firm to work at a medium sized firm where I would be a Project Architect able to manage a project from start to finish. Read the rest of this entry »

Sustainability and Green Design are the buzz words of the day, especially in reference to architecture.

What’s it all about?

Well, the way we talk about it is a great place to start; language can be a challenge because each of us might think a term has a different meaning. Three terms commonly used interchangeably in reference to the building and construction industry are Green Design (GreenBuilding), Sustainable Design (Sustainability) and High Performance Buildings. Definitions of these vary by who is defining them, for instance:

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines “GreenBuilding” as:

“The practice of maximizing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use resources – energy, water, and materials – while minimizing building impacts on human health and the environment, through the complete life cycle – from siting, design, and construction to operation, renovation and reuse.”

The US Green Building Council defines “Green Design” as:

“Design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and its occupants. This includes site planning, safeguarding water and the efficient use of water, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, conserving materials and resources, promoting indoor air quality for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The United Nation’s 1987 “Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development” (The Brundtland Principles) defined “Sustainable Development” as:

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In the book Cannibals with Forks, author John Elkington defines “Sustainable Development” as: Read the rest of this entry »

Over the years, as I’ve progressed and matured in the practice of architecture, I’ve come across quotations from a variety of sources that have become my moral compass. I thought I’d share these. Maybe they’ll inspire you, guide you, or reaffirm your values. Enjoy:

Values

“Maintaining strong values is the key to success in any field, chief among them is a solid work ethic.” – Cal Ripken Jr.

“Self-Discipline – Having purity of thought, being true to your values” – Source unknown

“Doing the right thing pays off.” – Source unknown

“The success of an organization is best measured by the quality of the people and organizations which it serves.” – Source Unknown

Passion Read the rest of this entry »

DLA Partner Steve Wright usually keeps a busy schedule, but this week he’s taking some time to get away from the office and get his hands dirty.

He and his daughter have hit the road to New Orleans. This is their second trip to help rebuild the Lower 9th Ward which was inundated with 12 feet of water after the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. He helped rebuild 2 homes three years ago and this year they are working to complete a church in time for Easter this spring.

Believe it or not, after 6+ years there is still a great deal of work to do down there.  When he was last in the area, there was literally nothing left except foundations and a few homes that had been constructed by Brad Pitt. It will be interesting to see how much progress has been made in the last three years.

For those interested, there will be daily progress updates posted on the website www.restoretrinity.org  and the log for the mission trip he’s on is at http://www.restoretrinity.org/january-2012-mission-trips/jan-8-14-daily-log/.

When he returns, he’ll update the DLA Architects team on an overview of where things stand to date in NOLA and what progress has been made since he was last there.

We’re proud to share that DLA Architect’s new Multi-Purpose Classroom Building for Elgin Community College has been awarded the Merit in Architecture for Preservation and Adaptive Reuse from the Northeast Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ at the biennial Design Awards. Congrats to all involved!

Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111007/news/710079811/#ixzz1a8Ii02EA

Excerpt from the article:

“We took something that was basically a couple of rectangular buildings and transformed them into a facility that meets the needs of today’s students,” said Paul Dawson, the college’s managing director of construction projects, in a news release. “This was a great accomplishment for our college.”

UPDATE

AIA Northeast Illinois 2011 Design Award Winner: Preservation / Adaptive Reuse – Merit in Architecture Elgin Community College Multi-Purpose Classroom Building…

ECC’s Multipurpose Classroom Building garners design award for … Chicago Sun-Times Sun-Times Media File Photo ECC-ECN-1111-001.jpg ELGIN — DLA Architects Ltd. has described the addition that turned two formerly light-industrial properties …

Architectural organization honors ECC for building design TribLocal The organization gave Itasca-based DLA Architects, which designed the building, … William Templin of Itasca-based DLA Architects said competition judges …

Choosing the right bit of real estate and where on that site a building should be located can make or break a project. For schools in particular its important to consider things like whether the public will have easy access to the building. How safe is the area not only from a security standpoint but also pertaining to geographic features and, if it was previously developed, environmentally. Speaking of the environment, how will the building impact the site and its neighbors. The list goes on and on.. and new federal guidelines for the location of school facilities make this more important than ever!

Next week we’ll be participating in a continuing ed program that will certainly be of interest to schools and other governmental bodies who are interested in the policies and practices that affect the well-being of a community. The webinar is available to anyone and information can be found at the Council for Educational Facilities Planners (CEFPI) website. Hosted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the presenters will be discussing how decisions for siting schools play a role in the health of the students, local residents and the surrounding neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »

Be sure to take a look at the latest issue of American School & University Magazine.

DLA Architect’s new Multi-Purpose Classroom Building for Elgin Community College is recognized as an Outstanding Design for Interior Renovation. Congrats to all involved!

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/8c62a0fd?page=68

In the latest issue of Illinois ASBO Update, our team discusses how school districts can prepare their facilities for the future. In “From-the-Field” our own Dwain Lutzow, AIA asks “How do your facilities measure up?” and discusses how existing schools can rethink space to “keep up” with new schools.

The cover article “Forward Thinking Schools: Shaping Schools to Invigorate Student Learning” was written by Bruce Dahlquist, AIA, LEED, AP, BD+C. In it he discusses how 21st century schools face the challenge of adapting existing infrastructure to meet current and future technology and educational delivery methods. He explains how creative architectural design, sustainable design and classroom remodeling can shape inspirational environments that are the focal point of the community.

Take a look:

Generally people think of a Program as an overview or outline of an overall production, including a cast and what their role is. At least that’s what you get when you go to the theater…

Architecturally, it’s the background research and decisions that all come together to define the Scope of Work for a project. While, I guess you could start a design/construction project saying “I have ‘x’ dollars to spend” or “I want a project completed by a certain date,” when all is said and done, the ultimate judge of success is “does it meet my needs?” Designing something within budget and on-time is important, but it’s a useless waste of time and money if it doesn’t solve client needs. Rather than starting a project blind, it’s important to have a strong Program established at the outset. The Program is really about the “Why” and “How” and since building systems are so interrelated with many decisions affecting others, it really helps to define and prioritize what the client is looking for.

This is something we were very aware of in the design of our new DLA Architects’ corporate offices. In this project we took on the role of client and the programming process gave us the opportunity to take a close look at our current needs and farther into the future.

Sharing a brand story by weaving it into the office environment

One of the most important aspects of our program was Branding. We looked to our Read the rest of this entry »

We, as architects, cannot lose sight of each of the roles in the design/construction process as we fulfill our day-to-day responsibilities. This includes the role of the client, architect, and the contractor. It was once said that:

“The architect is one who prepares plans, conceives the design, draws out the specification, in short supplies the mind…The builder is, in fact, the machine; the architect is the power which puts the machine together and sets it in motion…”

The goal of an architect is to Read the rest of this entry »