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Matarozzi/Pelsinger: Contemporary Builders and Craftsmen

“We like contemporary architecture. The buildings are refined designs that minimize fluff. Their lack of ornament actually increases their attraction for us as builders. There’s an organic feel to a well-thought-out modern building. We believe in the adage that form follows function.

“The best workers bring a dedication to craft to every job. You can tell who has it by watching how someone works on the job site. Watch how he or she goes about problem solving. Can he solve the problem and keep working? Can he apply what he learned yesterday to solve a new problem today? Some people need to be shown every single time. I look for other things, too. Does he keep his tools organized? Does he know how to work in rhythm? Does she anticipate what’s coming next? It’s having an intuitive feel for the job. I’m always watching out of the corner of my eye, to be part of the rhythm and flow of the team.”

Tuesday, June 08, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Collections Strategies for Design Firms

How do you handle it when your clients get behind?

“Call them up!” says Michael Bernard. Don’t push this task off onto your bookkeeper. If the client writes the checks, the principal should make the call. “Keep your voice neutral and unemotional. Rehearse beforehand if you need to. The message is that, as a small business, cash flow is vital to your operations, and you’d appreciate them sending an immediate payment.”

“One former client felt so guilty about a tardy payment that he paid up even to his current charges that hadn’t been billed yet!”

Saturday, June 05, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Michelle Kaufmann: Phoenix Rising

“My husband and I were looking for a place to live and all we could find was crap! We couldn’t afford anything well-designed, well-made, and energy-efficient. After seeing the thoughtless crap that was filling the landscape, we painfully decided to do something about it.

“We got a bit of property and built a little “green” house on it. Then we thought about the possibilities for mass production, and said, YES! Now, there’s no “if” when it comes to green, healthy, efficient homes. And they can be well-designed and affordable. It’s in how you make spaces, views, and light. The space should feel big, but you don’t have to build it big.”

(Photo: Sunset Breezehouse, designed and photographed by Michelle Kaufmann)

Thursday, May 20, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Brooks Walker: Respectful Designs That Last

I like to say that great clients create great buildings. The collaboration between architect and client is a dynamic tension, a matrix for ideas to coalesce. Constraints can be liberating because they give you a direction. It’s an art form, like classical music or haiku. You can’t just do whatever you want.

Our goal is to create a building that is so well designed, out of such durable materials, that no one would want to knock it down later on. We have to be careful about where and how much the architect’s ego should come in. After all, we’re not the end users. We want our buildings to outlast us.

A good motto might be, “Design something like you care.”

[Cover photo by Cesar Rubio]

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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From Dubai to Haiti: Richard Best, Sustainable Architect

“A master plan has to take into account the natural and economic resources available in the region.…You have to think about commerce. In order for such a plan to be effective, it has to include more than pretty buildings. It has to be realistic. You can’t plan on exporting pineapples from Haiti for example – not enough arable land for it.

For sustainable development, unfortunately the best opportunities often present themselves in the form of natural disasters, such as Haiti’s recent earthquake. This is an opportunity to turn human tragedy into a triumph by creating better, more livable cities.”

Friday, March 05, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Are Architects and Social Media Really Compatible? (Updated)

Mark English and Jerry James are presenting at the AIA East Bay on March 4th on how small design and construction firms can adopt social media to further their own marketing strategies.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Olle Lundberg: Hand of a Craftsman, Part 1

“Our firm’s work is really about small projects, carefully crafted. It expresses the hand of the builder. The role of the craftsman is so rare today. You can take something hand-crafted and replicate it by machine, but then it’s no longer craft.

I prefer materials with depth and heft, with an elemental power about them. The power comes from the natural piece that they came from, or from the way the material was created. Our palette is nature-oriented. Even steel, I consider a natural material, because it comes out of the earth.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Olle Lundberg: Hand of a Craftsman, Part 2

“[With star clients] you have to be really “on”. There’s not much time to impress them… it’s that initial gesture that counts. You have to gain credence quickly, and bring something to the table that they didn’t expect. [When I get a new idea] it’s dreamlike at first. The idea has to be vague enough to be flexible, but clear enough to be able to return to it. I have to be disciplined about working quickly; ideas can dissipate like fog.”

Monday, February 01, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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Karin Payson on Architectural Practice – Part 1

“Hugh Hardy once said to me that the problem with architects is a fear of drapery! Interior design is more tactile than architectural design… I think that many architects are afraid of this tactility. They’re afraid of color.

“Before I saw Aalto’s houses in their natural setting, I was married to the grid… [but] Aalto’s floor plans, while rigorous, did not use a grid. Instead, they focused on grabbing light, on nature, and on circulation.”

(Photo: Stephen Barker)

Monday, January 18, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

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