In the Nude

The Construction Expo ‘08

Attending construction expos or checking out new construction materials in these kind of exhibit are important for all architects, engineers and contractors. Here are some of the products:

This is a modular kitchen displayed in the exhibit. Most modular kitchen are made of fiber boards and laminated with plastic. These come in different designs, too.

It is best to place garden lights (maybe solar or not) to gardens and landscapes to be more beautiful and will be seen at night.

PVC vents, aluminum walls, roofing

Pavers or paving blocks are commonly used in patios, walkways and lawn or garden. Installation of the product is very easy.

Bathrooms are not just bathrooms. They have to be designed well, too. there must be this comfort we are looking for, that’s why it is called comfort or restroom.

Time for Interiors

I would like to share my works done in 3DStudio Max. Designing for interiors is more feminine than doing the exterior or facade design with requires it to be masculine sometimes.

Ready for SketchUp Vray

Woohoo! My second SketchUp work and now I’m ready to take the next level - using Vray. Just like to share my commercial building work. It’s a design from a previous employment.

Note: All works are originally made by the author. No one has the right to publish it or claim it as his own.

Google Wowed Me with SketchUp

It’s interesting how Google had their own 3D software also. The known softwares are that of Autodesk’s. the most popular is AutoCAD and then Viz and 3D Studio Max. What’s best is that it’s user-friendly - shows only a few toolbars when you open. It’s really easy to learn, faster than studying other softwares. It’s good when you don’t have the time to make a realistic presentation - speaking of deadlines. The program has Vray plug-ins for a better look when rendering.

Now, I’m sharing my first work with Google SketchUp. I had the copy of the plans from an old project from a previous work - a two-storey duplex residence. I just used simple colors and some materials.

Protect Yourself from Bad Clients

No offense meant to clients because we architects and designers are taught to treat clients well. And it is stated in the Code of Ethics to protect our clients’ interest. Every professional have to. But in reality, many experienced clients taking advantage of them. Of course, we still recognize good and honest clients.

Great that I’ve found this site as an additional information to my previous post. Read on
15 Ways to Protect Yourselves from Big Bad Clients. As summarized, these are the things we ought to do:

BEFORE BEGINNING:

1. State Policies. A clients may not know (most of them) our polocies and how we do things in order. Let us explain to them.

2. Meet in person. Of course, it is a need to discuss projects face-to-face.

3. Check their references. Not bad if you ask them, too. It’s a way of knowing them also.

4. Put everything in writing. In professional practice, we have to do that - black and white. So they don’t blame us, we don’t blame them.

WHEN CHARGING:

5. Charge for outcome, not hours. We always do. It’s in our professional practice bible. So it’s either we charge in percentage or per square meter.
6. Get a fairly sized deposit. We have our terms of payment - we all have to. In every stage of the projects - planning, scheme, design phase, construction phase.

7. Set up a payment schedule. Schedule will be agreed by both parties.

DURING SERVICE:

8. Only accept small changes without charging. Could be negotiable.

9. Give yourself enough time. Be honest in meeting deadlines. It’s better than having a not-so-good output.
10. Have deadlines for them too. Why not? We give them our service, time and talent. They have to give what a client should.

11. Learn to say no. Yes, true. It’s ethical; at least we are honest.

WRAPPING UP EVERYTHING:

12. Be in control of your work. Intellectual property comes in. Whatever our work is - we own it.

13. Have a Post Service Agreement. It must be clear to the client our services after the project and how far could we give our services. It’s better to let them understand early.

14. Have a clause of late payment interest. Whatever is stated in your contract, do follow them.

15. Double check everything. It’s better to be sure than sorry.

So we have to protect ourselves and credibility.

All About Interiors

I had the opportunity to check last week’s Interior Design Exhibit from the Interior Design Department of the school where I spent college. I’ve have taken only four pictures out six of the interior design exhibits by the students. There were other rendered presentations in watercolor and other media. And here is my point of views and comments:

This design has good balance between straight lines and curves. All straight lines at the wall which is also symmetrical and curves at the part of the ceiling. Choice in lighting is also good. Furnitures that come in brown are also comfortable and doesn’t have a heavy look.

This low-ceiling dining has a homey but a formal look with the use of fabrics at the ceiling and the choice of furnitures. I’m not a fan with these lights at the post but the ceiling lights are good. The peach and brown makes it a good color for appetite. Maybe a shorter centerpiece for the table will do.

Red would be the color that I will less likely to choose for a room in my house. I think it’s better for some kind of store or bar or a restaurant. But this design makes red exciting. The couch is beautiful and of good color- balances the dark color of the carpet for the floor and the red wall. That chest or small drawer is well-decorated with small pieces.

This blue and brown motif for the bedroom is a good design for most resorts and Asian-inspired design for hotels. Good balance and placement of furnitures; plus there’s an aquarium by the wall (not seen at the photo-left side). The brown backdrop made the interior look more interesting.

Working with a Bad Client?

I’ve read an interesting in the internet today. And of course, any architect will benefit from it. Even if you are employed or have you own our office or practicing freelance, we get to meet different kinds of clients. So it’s always better to know our clients in the early stage of projects. ‘Time is money’; so time wasted is money lost. Not only that, our skills and talent is precious. And we, as professionals, are worth more than what other clients think of us.

In my experience, there are clients who are just ‘window shopping’ - asking for sketch and scheme ONLY and not paying; clients who are good at first but will quit in the middle of the game which means no money; clients who don’t recognize how you protect their interests from contractors and suppliers. But of course, there are clients who are as professional when you talk about business and projects.

‘How Do You Know You’re Working with a Bad Client?’ is a good read. So here are the signs to identify a bad client.

1. Your client asks for several face-to-face meetings or lengthy conference calls before the project begins.

2. Your client brings in a “silent partner” that turns out to be not so silent.

3. Your client doesn’t value your time.

4. Project details and scope change regularly once the contract is signed.

5. Your client uses buzzwords they don’t understand.

PERT/CPM and its 3 Phases

PERT is Planning Evaluation and Review Technique. CPM is Critical Path Method. Pert is a result of looking for improved method of planning and evaluating progress of a large scale research and development program. And CPM was designed as a tool for planning, scheduling and control of construction work.

PERT/CPM is a control tool for defining the parts of construction job and then putting them together in a network form.

The three (3) pases of PERT/CPM are Planning, Scheduling and Control Monitor. Planning is defined as determining the relationship between the work operation and the sequence in which they are to be performed. Scheduling is the process of translating the arrow diagram into time table of calendar days. Controlling and monitoring keeps the schedule up to date and meaningful.

In PERT/CPM, diagram should be upgraded periodically to account for Time discrepancies, Deliveries, Weather, Change orders, and Unexpected events or condition.

Ad Congress ‘07: Where Philippine Businesses Unite

 

Here is the plan of the exhibit hall for the Philippine Ad Congress held at Subic Bay last November. This is a gridiron type of plan. Establishments and major businesses here in the Philippines will have their own booths for display.

The gridiron type of planning is effective for an exhibit area and also, this maximizes the space for a number of booths.