This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Housing Knowledge Community and Custom Residential Architects Network .
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PLAQUE INCOME GOES TO CRAN FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS PROMOTIONS:
David, having this become an AIA logo plaque is a great idea, HOWEVER, since this idea is being designed, developed and promoted on the CRAN, let's please keep it as a revenue source for CRAN, okay? We can use any monies obtained for the CRAN's efforts to develop this for CRAN-specific purposes such as promoting to the public an awareness that licensed residential architects exist and that there are good reasons for anyone to consider hiring any architect to design their home or renovations. Okay, that being said, I have a couple of other ideas for consideration by CRAN members in this regard:
David's idea that this be an AIA-logo plaque is very good, in that it immediately establishes credibility.
We can take this several more steps forward.
We need to make this plaque become an indispensable feature of any new house; it needs to provide information that no other non-architect designed home can possibly provide. This provides a CRAN Architect value-added bonus that no non-architect home design source can provide, with anywhere near the credibility we can.
COMPUTERIZED LINK FROM PLAQUE TO CRAN MEMBER DATABASE:
How about this: Since the AIA has been around for 157 years and our CRAN will hope to be around for at least that long or longer into the future, we of the CRAN could fairly easily establish an ancillary website exclusively run by our CRAN, and onto which there is critical information about each of the homes we architects in the CRAN design and furthermore, MAINTENANCE information that any homeowner would want to know. This can be a forever database and THE LINK TO THIS CRAN HOME DATA COULD BE LISTED ON THE PLAQUE. This gives a very good reason for any homeowner or home buyer to want such an AIA CRAN plaque on their home and it gives appraisers a good reason to value the home at a higher amount, because registered architect design and maintenance data on this home will be on a forever database that will be around for as long and longer as any home buyer will be alive. Someone who buys any CRAN architect designed home that sees the plaque (wherever it is permanently mounted (I suggest the Foyer, at a height of 60" off the floor)), even 100 years from now, will be able to access the CRAN database and understand the reasons for the design, basic original layout perhaps, and very important: maintenance data; even the original architect's contact information, although, we may be dust be that time, however, any future evolution of our firms would be the new inheritors of such a legacy).
Now that the cat's out of the bag, my guess is that the main AIA will now establish this practice on all commercial AIA member designed buildings to start another income stream for the main AIA. Mark my words. This will become standard practice within 2 years.
Let's just make sure that since this is CRAN's idea, that CRAN starts, develops and maintain our residential part of this and from the get-go have it clearly understood that this is our product copyright and our income stream that comes directly to CRAN, not to the main AIA. I hereby declare commonlaw copyright for this CRAN Home Website Connected Project Plaque System (regardless of any future name derivations) on behalf of CRAN. There. It is done. CRAN now owns this copyright.
Okay. So who wants to help develop the ancillary website for this?
Happy Friday all.
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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Home Architects
Cashiers NC
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