December 2009
12 posts
4 tags
Another lost opportunity. Thanks government. →
Seattle, the beloved setting for my college years, is finally getting around to replacing the seawall as part of their seismic upgrades.  A complicated technical job like this is the most ideal type of project for Integrated Project Delivery because how the design gets built is a huge part of the design itself.  Yet because of public bidding requirements, the city won’t be hiring the...
Dec 13th
7 tags
Reduced hours gain credibility-win for women! →
This article is everything I’ve been saying for the past two years about how the drive for workplace ender equality is stalled because the reality of raising kids forces women to choose between raising kids and commitment to their careers.  The only way to break through this plateau is to legitimize the reduction of the work-week.  All too often, professionals who cut back their hours are...
Dec 13th
3 tags
Reason #3 why I'm getting my MBA →
Dec 13th
4 tags
Win, but partial fail →
My firm won a cool job, right down the street from us.  The client’s request for qualifications said they wanted an Integrated Project Delivery job, but when questioned further they didn’t really understand what it meant.  They didn’t hire the contractor right away, and had no intention of using a multi-party agreement or even tying the profit to the target cost.  Granted, I...
Dec 8th
“I know there’s a ball of yarn somewhere, but so far I’m only seeing...”
– Kelly Galloway
Dec 8th
4 tags
Dec 8th
3 tags
Article on Integrated Project case study →
Dec 7th
5 tags
Combining architects and MBA's →
Pretty good article, mostly about an architecture firm pushing the limits on how they do business-as-usual.
Dec 6th
2 notes
4 tags
Apologies to the Interns
Image via Wikipedia Sometimes, most poignantly when we receive new interns at work, I think the path for recruiting future architects is a cruel bait and switch.  The largest single factor in obtaining entry to either undergraduate or graduate architecture programs is a “visual portfolio.”  It is weighted more heavily than test scores, grades, or essays—by far.   During...
Dec 6th
1 note
“More ripping than a postponed brazilian.”
– Ruairi O’Connell, in reference to how much of a poster he ripped off versus how much was original artwork…
Dec 4th
4 tags
Self-directed IRA →
I tried to ask a couple investment specialists about this, and they had no idea what I was talking about.  I’m definitely doing this.
Dec 1st
1 note