Housing and Community Development

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  • 1.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-11-2011 09:17 AM

    I did not read the precipitating article, but have read many of the posts it generated, and know from them that this will not likely be a popular opinion by those participating in this forum.  Nonetheless I think the voice of reason should prevail.

     

    I would challenge my colleagues who think architects should be required on all residential projects to produce the proof to back up those beliefs. If statistics proving such can be presented, then by all means the AIA should use those statistics to lobby for a change.

     

    In the absence of such, can anyone even provide evidence based design from the home they live in, of features they designed in that a builder would have excluded? And are those features critical enough to be presented as rational outside our profession?

     

    Don't get me wrong.  I am an architect. As architects we definitely do have our place, and lend value to construction projects. We do more than create "artistic buildings" we protect the public welfare.

     

    The public welfare rational might at best be extended to hurricane or earthquake susceptible regions, although even in those requiring use of a structural engineer would likely be more appropriate.

     

    The AIA likewise does have its place in supporting and being a resource to us as architects.  But it should NOT become a self interested protectionist organization. That will not serve the public good, nor truly us as professionals.

     

    Like it or not, architects are simply not needed for all building projects including single family homes.  The wealth of practical evidence based upon the number of homes that exist, compared to the number of homes designed by architects suggests otherwise.

     

    The AIA can and should help an owner who wants something more customized to their lifestyle than what the vernacular builder can offer know that an architect can offer that.  They should even be able to help that owner find a local or other preferred residential architect for their project. Lobbying to require use of an architect for those projects should not be part of that.

     

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    Kim Otten AIA
    The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
    Sioux Falls SD
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    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13


  • 2.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-12-2011 02:58 AM
    The following are a couple of quotes from previous posts concerning Professional Home Designers:

    "The public welfare rational might at best be extended to hurricane or earthquake susceptible regions, although even in those requiring use of a structural engineer would likely be more appropriate."

    "I am fine with home designers making design decisions, but frankly, too many of
    them are making structural decisions when it comes to houses and small
    commercial buildings."

    My tendency is to disagree with the first statement and somewhat agree with the second, although I understand that they are both generalizations.  I'll add my own.

    As a designer, I am always reluctant to give up on many structural design aspects.  I don't know how many times I have worked with other architects that design something then require the structural engineer to make their systems "fit."  The results tend to be expensive and inefficient structural systems and architectural compromises where there are structural / architectural conflicts that can't easily be resolved.  We were educated in structural systems for us to understand them so that we can select appropriate ones for our designs.  That is part of the value of having an architect onboard.

    As long a someone hiring a Professional Home Designer understands that (at least in the case of hiring myself and many other architects) they won't enjoy the process of exploring interesting and rational ideas about practically all the design aspects (not just structural) of their home, then I wouldn't want to get in their way.  Everyone has heard the wishes of others that I have said that they have always wanted to design their "dream" home.  There are some aspects of democracy associated with that notion.  However, as much as we all need the work, I am not sure that we want to part of all those nightmares. 


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    Ken Brogno AIA
    Architect
    AIA, LEED AP
    San Francisco CA
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    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13


  • 3.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-12-2011 10:22 AM

    The comment  "I don't know how many times I have worked with other architects that design something then require the structural engineer to make their systems "fit."" Got me to wondering how many of us design our own structure? I do my own structural design on most residential work. Sometimes I get help from an engineer if it is something out of the ordinary or over my head but for most suburban residential work I do the entire building. Commercial work is a different story; usually have an engineer on board from the start.


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    Thomas Streicher AIA
    Thomas Streicher, Architect
    Monroe NY
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    Original Message
    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13


  • 4.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-15-2011 12:34 PM
    I do a lot of it for Type V wood frame construction.  If I want to express structural elements, I like to design the exact aesthetics.  Sometimes I contract out for calculations, but ultimately I take responsibility for it.  A lot of times I overstructure because costs are not at issue, it increases the margins for safety, and plan checkers respond positively.

    I am really a purist at heart.  Nothing jangles my nerves more than seeing an irrational approach to a structural system or the poor use of a structural element.  Given the context, I even see decorative elements as being structuraly expressive.  I guess that there are some age-old historical precedents for that!

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    Ken Brogno AIA
    Architect
    AIA, LEED AP
    San Francisco CA
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    Original Message
    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13


  • 5.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-12-2011 06:35 AM
    Kim,
    I'm sure you expect a disagreement from me and of course I see your self-defeatist perspective as the primary reason our profession is weak in comparison to even the most mundane building trade, not to mention the builders in general. Since plumbers plumb ALL buildings, their trade is strong, we design a small fraction of the buildings being built, so we are weak. Your view point relies on the assumption that a person who bothered to spend a decade of their life getting a masters degree, completing a 3 year minimum internship, and passing all of the ARE exams is somehow less likely to design a better house than a person with unknown qualifications that simply has a business card to prove their worth. You assume we can't increase our numbers by bringing the designers into the profession. They have NO qualification system in place and at what point are we building so many houses so close together that the safety and welfare of the public becomes an issue? 

    I have to argue that many houses in the urban areas are closer than 10ft and that's a fire code issue that's often ignored and "grandfathered". Many of my projects revolve around fixing code deficient structures that were designed by unqualified hacks. How are you going to get a designer to pay on a law suit when they don't have liability insurance? Who do you hold liable for design issues when no one knows who designed a defective spec house plan that was likely stolen from the internet? A builder can always claim they didn't design it and installation is their job. The lack of professionalism in the housing industry has greatly compromised the safety and welfare of the public from my experience in this sector.

    I know other Architects on this site can provide similar proof that the free market has spoken about which designs are most desirable. The houses I designed at spec in my neighborhood have out sold every "comparable" house of the same size, configuration, and location since 2004 and you can look that up on MLS. Some of my houses outsold the next best "comp" by $150K! I have several builders who pay me more to design their unique one time spec houses because my designs are proven to be more desirable than my hack competition, people desire unique homes over cookie cutter boxes, and most importantly the builders all tell me the designers do not understand structure nor can they draw a framing plan to save their lives. They don't know if their own designs work until the lumber yard engineer designs the structure. Their solutions are limited, simplistic, and culturally stunting. Between the agent's advice of hindsight, the limited aesthetic aspirations of the spec builder, and the limited vision of the undocumented designers our culture has been in a 100 year tail chasing contest when it comes to home design. This lack of owner vision is reflected in all of our structures, including commercial.

    This pessimism I hear from many presents a ridiculous, skeptical view of instantly "forcing" all jurisdictions to require our stamp at a time when our numbers have been cut in half and less kids are interested in the profession because the jig is up on the worthlessness of our career investment to pay ratio. It's a convenient loser stance to take when our current situation is quite dire. Pessimism lacks vision and embraces defeat. We can build our numbers by taking one jurisdiction at a time. Some areas already require our stamp like NY state, so this is not an impossible taboo situation. Urban areas already require the type of drawings that should be prepared by a licensed professional. My jurisdiction, Decatur, just started requiring structural stamps on all residential framing plans, but no Architect's stamp. We are going to be replaced by structural engineers if we don't act soon, ask the NYers. Napkin sketch plans are becoming a thing of the past. Certain rural areas may never have a need to require professionalism, but areas like Atlanta-Metro have suffered greatly from deregulated building activity. They didn't even start requiring builder's licenses until the bust happened. It is unbelievable how many code violating renovation designs that were allowed to pass because the inspectors couldn't keep up with the boom and the installers only needed a business card to operate. Now we have a real mess on our hands!

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    Eric Rawlings AIA
    Owner
    Rawlings Design, Inc.
    Decatur GA
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    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13


  • 6.  RE:Yes, you too can become a "Professional Home Designer!"

    Posted 05-12-2011 02:01 PM


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    Thomas Wagner AIA
    Thomas B. Wagner, Architect
    Haddonfield NJ
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    Kim,

    Are you serious?  I believe they call it health, safety and welfare!  I am not a Doctor, but how hard is it to look down someone's throat that is red, and know they need an antibiotic?  But to be the guy to write that simple perscription takes 8 - 10 years of training.  Should we allow someone with a 6 month crash course in medicine see patients and write perscriptions for basic stuff?  How about acne?  How hard is it to perscribe creme for zits?  Those guys go to school about 12 years before they can squeeze those things off you face and perscribe creme!! 

    There are so many lawsuits as it is in residential construction, poor construction practices, structural failure, foundation failures that if we let every Tom, Dick and Harry draw a house, God knows what you would get.  

    I don't know about your states, but in NJ, even a building contractor has to be licensed, it is not hard to get, but you need some classes and a test at the minimum to get licensed just to get a permit for even the smallest kind of construction.

    I am not saying that this is not easier and less of an issue than a Public Building would be, but if you are going to design a structure for someone other than yourself,  I think you have to make sure you know what you are doing and it would be nice if you had a little training and understanding of architectural design, styles and such so the world could be a slightly better place??  

    Sorry for the rant, but there are so many architects out there twiddling their thumbs because some kid who bought "Chief Architect" is selling their services for $10 an hour, and the builders are making the profits..





    AIA26 San Diego June 10-13