Justin Ribble, LEED AP, Associate AIA, B’Arch ’03 joins us for a conversation about a number of great three letter acronyms:  CAB, CSE, IDP, AIA, ARE, ACE, and BIM.

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Show Notes

Site News

• New Facebook Fans
  • Monica Shahrokhfar
  • Greg Wynn

• Tim’s big adventure with the CAB
  • A Big thank you to Elise Drakes and Mark Drwyer
  • What are the CAB offices like?
    • Shout out to Erin, receptionist at the CAB
    • Number of employees in the CAB office
  • Why do commissioners volunteer to give the oral exam?
    • They care about the profession
    • Free Food!
  • Shout out to Lily Dong!
  • What about loosing the oral component of the test?
    • Can IDP add it?
  • Pass rate of the California Supplemental Exam (CSE)
    • Haley has some numbers!
      • 2006-2007 –  1,082 candidates – pass rate = 47%
      • 2007-2008 – 901 candidates – pass rate = 50%
      • 2008-2009 – 1,043 candidates – pass rate = 48%
      • 2009-2010 – 838 candidates – pass rate = 51%
    • Tim thinks the pass rate is fair given his understanding of the process
  • Are Californian architects better than other architects from other states?

General News

• THE SIX-MONTH RULE
  • By the time you’re probably listening to this, it’s probably in effect, so get informed and get to logging those IDP hours!!
  • Due to system performance under severe volume pressure the reporting deadline for the Six-Month Rule has been extended to Friday, July 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The e-EVR is operating at full capacity. Please be patient as you may encounter lengthy response times. It is strongly recommended that you continue to be diligent in your efforts to access the e-EVR during off-business hours.
  • http://ncarb.org/

Rapid Fire Questions:

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? urgh… Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? T-square
• Facebook or LinkedIn? Facebook
• Arch Record, Arch Digest, or Architect? Record
• Drafting dots or tape? tape
• Yellow trace or white? yellow… only communists use white
• Ad Markers or Prisma? Ad
• Pen or Pencil? pen, all the way
• Mac or PC? both… Mac for home, PC for work
• What’s the Meaning of Life? FUN (to enjoy the time that you have while you’re still here)

SCORE: 746

Interview

• Who are you?
  • From Oregon, decided to see the world and rather than go to Univeristy of Oregon he decided to go to Cal Poly.
  • San Luis Obispo was actually like his hometown, so the adjustment was good.
  • He finished in 6 years, and is glad that he took the time to enjoy his senior year rather than hurrying up to finish and get out.
  • He was able to work in a few offices before he , so when he needed to find a “real job in the real world” he was able to apply those past experiences.
• He has felt disconnected in the years since graduation?
  • When he found sloarch.com, after searching for a Revit question, he was happy to have a place to feel more connected.
  • He’s only a few hours away from SLO and feels that he should get back and get involved.
  • It’s interesting since it is a larger program and students move all over the place after graduation, so having a chance to reconnect and get back into the network being created is a really good thing.
• He’s worked with a lot of Cal Poly grads.
• He spent his 4th year in the east coast program:
  • While here in CA, you can almost always find a Cal Poly grad in a firm, on the east coast it was “Cal Poly what?”
  • Living outside of D.C. and Alexandria makes you feel the political pressure in the area, so there is more competition and rivalry in all aspects of life let alone the program you come from.
  • It was a great experience, he was able to step outside and feel a part of programs outside Cal Poly, which was a great experience since it gave him persepctive.
  • The diversity of professors at the program, where they came from and their specialties was great.
  • It was nice to see how other schools teach design.
• Why stay in CA after graduation?
  • Looking back he wanted to get back east, it’s a great place to live but it’s hard to afford it.
  • Sacramento was a good market and affordable.
  • While there are parts of Oregon that he misses he feels that he has experienced all he could for the time being there, so he’s happy in Sacramento for the time being.
  • Oregon is to California as Sacramento is to San Francisco, to put it in perspective.
• Working towards licensure?
  • Doesn’t have to complete IDP, so he’s happy about that.
  • Took his first exam about a year or so ago, then work got really busy and it was hard to come home after a long day and study, so recently he’s getting back into studying, taking ARE study classes at the local AIA Chapter.
  • The goal is to take 4 exams between now and September.
  • The firm he works at currently is really supportive about professional development. Use this time to do what you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have time, to become better.
• ACE Mentoring, how is he involved?
  • It’s one of those things that he always wanted to do, mentoring high school students about what the profession is and what a career in the building industry is really like.
  • Pay it forward a bit.
  • He’s learned a lot about how others view our field, their perception of “architects” and what they do.
  • Exposing students to the multidisciplinary aspect of our profession as well as the professional and office conduct that you need to know to be a professional.
• Strong feelings about Autodesk??
  • His office recognizes that Revit is the direction to go, so they’re in the process of transitioning everyone to Revit one by one and they’re currently working on their first Revit project.
  • After going to an outside training session there was a need to develop their own way to use Revit based on the type of high end design and modern work his firm does.
  • His biggest gripe is the license process and releases, having to re-up every year isn’t sustainable or do-able, especially right now with the economy.
  • He’s slowly prying himself away from Sketchup and CAD.
  • He recognizes how powerful Revit is and how you can make it do what you want it to do… as long as you keep up your subscription.
  • Transistion is always slow and has it’s hang ups and resistance.
  • Revit is changing the role of the “CAD drafter”.
  • On the flip side, students now are learning Revit, and by the time they become employees think of the change the profession will have seen.

Haley is out this week but Elise Drakes fills in as co-host and Seth Pare-Mayer, Kelli Franz, and Alaina McBride join us for an unusual show on Architectural entrepreneurship and how to market yourself.

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Show Notes

Site News

• Tim’s Big News… he passed the California Supplemental Exam!!
• New Facebook “likers”
  • Chris Allen
  • Chris Foisy

Cal Poly News (no general news this week)

• Hearst Lecture: 04/23/10 Ray Landy Business Rotunda, 4:00pm
• reKINETIC exhibit still ongoing
  • http://lib.calpoly.edu/learningcommons/gallery/10spring/
  • Thursday, April 15 – Sunday, June 6, 2010
• Spring Job Fair, Thursday (4/22/10)
• Henry DeHahn updated his image gallery http://gallery.me.com/henridehahn

The Show!

• Seth and Kelli decided to go out on their own the day after graduation
  • Atelier-KS
  • They did their IDP and gained experience with Architects part-time throughout school then they moved to San Francisco and worked for a couple years with firms similar to the type that they wanted to start.
• Were you scared? Tim is!
  • Never afraid, it was always a goal, and they had good training in the firms they worked for.
  • Seth was laid off at the same time they got a job, that pushed them to go out on their own.
  • Seth has finished the IDP, Kelli is almost done and they are starting to take the ARE’s.
  • Their goal is to do small residential and light commercial projects.
• How are you getting work?
  • Networking. Shmoosing everybody. Farmers market as a networking tool.
  • Were listed in Dwell online: http://www.dwell.com/articles/sunset-district-renovation.html
  • Also on Daily Candy: http://www.dailycandy.com/san-francisco/article/80802/Local-Mission-Eatery-Opens
• Alaina’s perspective
  • How to use Social Networking for marketing:
  • How to use a Facebook fan page
  • Collaborations – a key marketing trend as a way to offer unique combination services
    • Seth and Kelli have been collaborating with Chris Allen: http://www.cwastudios.com/.  Chris designs and builds custom casework into their residential projects.
    • Building relationships with contractors
• Kelli and Seth: What is it like to work with contractors right out of school?
  • Worked with other firms and learned not to have an adversarial relationship with the contractor
  • Working towards a common goal
  • Involve builder as soon as possible
  • Sometimes they have better ideas, it’s a give and take
  • Clear communication prevents problems
• Elise’s question to Seth and Kelli: How do you avoid being taken advantage of (i.e. underpaid and overworked) by Owners because you are young/still gaining experience?
  • Kelli and Seth feel as though they bring energy to their projects, and typically they establish a pay schedule which allows them flexibility to put in as many long hours as needed, while not feeling underworked/overpaid
  • Alaina encourages Seth and Kelli to use their youth as a marketing advantage; older consumer generations are realizing that younger generations are more receptive and skilled at innovative technology
• Whats the greatest challenge of working on your own?
  • Realization of how long the process is from the first contact to getting a signed contract
• Where do you splurge and save?
  • Splurged on their desk, made by Chris Allen
  • Save everywhere else they can
  • Many tasks often outsourced by other architects (i.e. photography of projects, editing, website building) are done by Seth and Kelli to lower costs and keep work in-house (Elise’s side note: they are fantastic photographers
• Alaina’s perspective:
• Gorilla Marketing = Time, Energy, Imagination, not a large marketing budget
  • The farmer’s market architect is a great example of marketing yourself and gaining contacts to sustain work
  • Linked-In! (www.linkedin.com/) Your profile is highly ranked in Google
  • Typically an older demographic, more professionals are on Linked-In
  • Twitter! (http://www.twitter.com/sloarch), find out what your competitors are doing
  • Google Local (http://www.google.com/local/add/); puts you on a map literally; gets more reviews by local residents to increase your search visibility
  • Use the “ladder effect” to get noticed
    • Contact local media, they love talking to business owners!
    • Yelp.com – Ask your clients to add your firm’s link to their profile
    • Mission Eatery: http://www.yelp.com/biz/local-mission-eatery-san-francisco
• Some general business advice from Alaina
  • Have a good understanding of the cash flow process
  • Have six months working capital when you start so you can wait out the start up process. Assume you are working for 6 months without pay
  • Get good business advice
    • Some free sources
      • http://www.score.org – Service Core of Retired Executives contributing their time
      • http://www.sba.gov – Small business administration to find a Small Business Development Center http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbdc/index.html
    • Business development classes
    • Find local non profit business organizations
    • Find good mentors, don’t be afraid to cold call people
    • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich -
• For unemployed designers, you have the skills, design and sell something
  • Ponoko.com – use digital manufacturing to design something to buy or sell directly on the site
  • http://www.etsy.com/ - Make and sell stuff (jewelry, furniture, art)
• Do Seth and Kelli plan on growing or staying a small firm?
  • They hope to maintain a steady workflow of projects, working side by side, in close contact with people they enjoy collaborating with
  • Seth and Kelli saw a Cal Poly presentation and were inspired by the motto, “Start your career how you want to end your career.”
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber
• Get to know your ideal clientèle then you can learn to attract other people like them
• Baby-boomers are looking to younger professionals to leverage technology which gives younger people a competitive advantage
• Tim predicts Baroque Architecture being the next big thing
• Using your cat as your financial adviser; establish a person at your office (fictional or real) as the “financial person”; you want the face of the company to remain loved by all
• What are our best memories from Cal Poly?

Adam Mayberry, Cal Poly B’Arch ’05, joins us as we start our campaign to designate intern architects, RGLAI’s.  Adam talks about the exciting things he is doing while in between jobs.

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Show Notes

News:

Cal Poly

• Big Thanks to Henri De Hahn, we are now on the front page of the Arch Dept’s webpage!
• Spring Career Fair
  • Thursday, April 22, 2010
  • 9:30 Chumash
• Best of Show Review Mar 12th
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/exhibitions/best%20of%20show/bestofshow-third%20year-031210.html
• Suggest a link for the Arch Department’s Sustainability Link’s Page
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/current/sustainability.html
  • email links to thestudio at sloarch.com or architecture at calpoly.ed

Other

Interview:

Rapid Fire Questions

Final Score: RGLAI!

Questions of Normal Speed

Teagan Andres MIT ’08, joins us for a passionate chat about the California Architects Board, the California Supplemental Exam, and we throw in a little green stuff for flavor.  Also, what’s the licensing process if you don’t have an accredited degree?

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Show Notes

• We break from tradition this week to talk with Haley’s roommate Teagan.
  • Teagan graduated in 2008, with a four year unaccredited undergrad.
  • She is originally from Connecticut and went to school in Boston.
  • After graduation she headed to Fresno to work for Darden Architects.
• She is also currently enrolled in Boston Architectural College (BAC), in the distance masters program. The program is designed for people like her that don’t have an accredited degree and are currently employed. She started in Jan. 2010 and should be done in Jan. 2012.
  • The program has a strong online component, most of the assignments and discussions take place online.
  • Teagan flew out to California to interview at Darden Architects and Haley was one of the people from the firm that she met with and gave her a tour of Fresno.
• She is currently in the middle of reporting her IDP hours but is holding off on taking her AREs. When she is done with her masters program she plans to start her AREs.
  • Her goal is to be licensed by the time she is 28, seeing that there are no hang ups.

News / Discussion

• Fires!
  • Theta Chi House on Upham at about 12:40, Mon Morning
    • http://920kvec.com/Fraternity-House-Fire-in-SLO-An-Accident/6578414
  • Piedmont Lumber Yard, Walnut Creek, Sat Morning
    • http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14674966
    • http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7331391
    • http://cbs5.com/crime/lumber.yard.fire.2.1561562.html

• Home Construction down from last month but up slightly from last year
  • http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/16/news/economy/housing_starts/

• Off Topic, best Craigslist Ad ever!  (language may not be appropriate for your kids)
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/19/the-most-amazing-craigsli_n_468664.html

• Tim’s CSE Experience – Okay so I could seriously rant about this for an hour
  • More CAB maddness. Changed testing center from Walnut Creek to Burlingame, South of the SF airport.
    • Testing letter sent on Feb 12th had the hotel address as 250. When I Googled for directions it showed the hotel was on a bridge, thats when I knew something was up. The CAB website had the correct address of 150.
    • The website had BART directions pointing to the former testing site in Walnut Creek!
  • Not all complaints, staff was very nice
  • Met Chuck Crotser (He says “Hi” Haley) – Haley says “HI” right back!!
  • Many Architecture Alumni, Dan ’05 (flew in from Australia), Jakie ’03, Jose? ’92
  • Overall the test seemed incredibly random in parts and very repetative in others. Test seems more like luck of what questions you get than anything else.
    • From ARE forums: “3 robots read pre-written questions and the exam taker [tries] to come up [with] an answer that matches that on a standard answer sheet”
  • CSE pass rate ~45% or ~50%
    • can’t find a verifiable source for this statistic
  • Bar exam pass rate ~70% (for graduates of CA ABA accredited schools)
    • http://www.calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/admissions/Statistics/JULY2005STATS.pdf
  • Do I think I passed? No … Maybe? Yes?
  • Should the test be changed to a written format?

More LEED / Green discussion

• LEED Support Slips Again in Construction Industry
  • http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/03/12/leed-support-slips-again-in-construction-industry/?graph=full
  • More than half of all respondents indicated that a LEED Gold rating increased project costs by four percent or more, while nearly 30 percent of respondents reported the costs of LEED Gold rating at significantly lower than four percent.

• Rain, even urine, would help make Bullitt HQ city’s ‘greenest building ever’
  • http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011354845_bullitt16.html
  • Goal is to create net-zero building for energy and water
  • Requires changes to potable water laws
  • “Living Buildings”
    • 24-29% cost increase – per the USGBC report also mentioned in the prior article
  • Resource Cost of building an entirely new structure vs. upgrading their old un-insulated historic building.

Haley and Tim talk about the news of the week, we try to get to the bottom of the NCARB and CAB’s disciplinary action against an Architecture candidate, and we talk about the the future of the licensed Architect in the construction industry.

Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes and vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Other Stuff:

• If you have a story about the CAB let us know!
  • What do you do if your supervisor isn’t supportive of the IDP?
• What’s the future of the Architect License
  • Do you need a license to be an expert?
  • The building profession is changing, it’s not just about the Architect anymore.
  • Is it even relevant to get a license anymore?
  • If I’m not an Architect what do I call myself?
• Tim’s taking the CSE on March 15th!
• We want to start a scholarship for CalPoly Architecture students!
  • Tell us what you think on our forums.

Rapid Fire with Haley and Tim

• Hilarity ensues…. too crazy to write!
• Shout out to David, Roger, Gino, Lisa, Richard and Justine at Frick, Frick & Jette Architects!

This short drive and the recent building collapse of the residential block in China made me reflect again on the very serious nature of the Architecture and building professions.  As Architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and draftsmen, the decisions and the work that we do have very serious real world consequences.

Not all problems result in loss of life, but sometimes the costs can be unimaginable.  Over the years I have seen many, many bad designs and construction mistakes, as has anyone who has worked in the profession for any amount of time.  I’ve seen structures sliding down hills, doors that don’t open, and shoddy and dangerous construction in abundance.  In order to protect the innocent I won’t be posting any of those problems here, but I’ll more than gladly share other people’s mistakes.

Below I have compiled some serious and not so serious building errors for your reflection.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge, June 27, 2009

The Tacoma  Narrows Bridge collapsed on Nov. 7th, 1940 only four months after completion.  The only casualty was a dog stuck in a car on the bridge when it collapsed.

This unoccupied 13 story residential building collapsed while still under construction, apparently from over excavating the foundation while constructing a parking garage coupled with heavy rain.  Amazingly only one casualty was reported.  (Chinese news article | English translation)

13 story Shanghai building collapses, June 27th, 2009.

Improper excavation and rain apparently led to the buildings collapse

The 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston killed 492 people and resulted in sweeping building and fire code reform. The filled over capacity club, highly flammable decorations, and a poorly designed and modified egress system resulted in this tragedy. Today designers must follow strict laws regarding the sizing, construction, and placement of a buildings doors, stars, and corridors.

Cocoanut Grove memorial, dedicated in 1993

Poor rooftop access in Arizona, Jan. 20, 2008.  Unfortunately, the little details like service access are often overlooked by Architects and building inspectors alike.

On May 23, 2004, a 33 foot section of the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport terminal in France collapsed killing four people and injuring 3, just 11 months after going into service.  The main cause of the failure was determined to be poor detailing between the building facade and the structure.

Charles-de-Gaulle Airport Terminal 2E

While MIT’s Sata Center is heralded by some as architectural genius, MIT sued the architect, Frank Gehry, on Oct. 31, 2007 in response to leaks, cracked masonry, mold growth, and drainage and ice build up problems.   As of the date of this article the lawsuit is still pending.  The architect claims the owner value engineered the roof which resulted in the problems, and MIT claims the architect provided “deficient design services and drawings.”

Ray and Maria Stata Center, MIT, June 2006

The Gherkin, old vs. new

Yesterday’s British press was rife with stories about the Prince and his architecture views, it was as if he had committed a great sin against humanity just by threatening to again express his views on architecture.  Yet, for Architects, the Prince really has committed an unforgivable crime.  In 1984, he was invited to present the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture to the Indian architect Charles Correa, instead of giving a simple toast and presenting Correa with his medal he lambasted the state of current British architecture.  All of this occurred at the 150th anniversary of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).  So, now with the news that the prince was again to speak at the RIBA, and the release to the media of portions of his speech, he has reignited the flames.  What the prince doesn’t realize is that Architects more than anything hate to be critiqued, especially by those not in the profession.  In Architecture “everyone is an expert”, and that’s one thing Architects can’t stand.

Is Prince Charles really a living Ellsworth Toohey?  Is his mission to stamp out the original, level the playing field, discourage innovation, risk taking and profit?  Does he believe in designing only for the public good and keeping the architecture profession in the glory days of porticoes and Georgian design?  His speeches, books, and Architecture Institute give that impression, but the results have been much different.

Since Charles’ speech 25 years ago Britain has become renowned for some of the most modern structures in the world and architects like Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Daniel Libeskind, and Frank Gehry have all left their mark on the British soil.  Iconic structures like the Gherkin, National Space Centre, Selfridges in Birmingham, the Lloyd’s Building,  and the Millenium Dome stand in resolute defiance to the Prince.

Selfridges in Birmingham

The actual speech made by the Prince last night didn’t live up to the hype.  There were no attacks on famous Architectural icons but rather he gave a conciliatory, softer toned encouragement to British architects to embrace harmony and nature instead of modernity and technology with a focus on the effects architecture has on climate change.  The result?  Most likely a truce for now.

What are we to make of a Prince who is, it seems, at war with Architectural modernity?  Architectural beauty, like all beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  Everyone will have their own interpretation of what is good and bad, and no one can tell another person what they should like.  The Prince is no different, and as long as he is not imposing a strict architectural style on the nation I think he has all the right in the world to call Architects out on what he sees is poor work.  I find the planning commission member and the city staff planner a much scarier and bigger hindrance to architectural creativity then Prince Charles.  However, the character Ellsworth Toohey never made any policy, never signed any laws, yet through the power of public opinion he had great sway over the architectural designs of his day.  That is where I would issue a warning to the Prince.  You can have your opinions, but remember that they are yours and there is a good change you are wrong; then again, there is a good chance the rest of us are wrong as well.

The road to becoming a licensed Architect is a long one.  The requirements vary from state to state, but generally they require an intership, a certain number of years of education, completing a series of nine NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards) exams (is now reduced to seven), and in California, passing an oral examination in front of a panel of three licensed Architects.

We endure this agonizing process for one simple reason, we want people to know we are an Architect and we want to call ourselves an Architect.  Really, I think it all comes down to ego.  I’ve been designing buildings and drafting plans for years; I ran my own housing plan business for a number of years and have worked under the direction of other Architects for almost a decade.  For all intents and purposes I have been an Architect for the last decade, but I can’t legally call myself one and there are certain things I can’t do without the stamp of a licensed Architect.  I know many great designers and “architects” who are not licensed and will never be licensed, they work in an Architecture firm and perform all the functions of an Architect.  Frank Loyd Wright is a famous example, although the practicalities of some of his structural and waterproofing details may have been aided by a licence, or not.

I have the potential of taking the CSE in November of this year if there is an opening, and IF I pass (big if, 50% pass rate) then I can call myself an Architect.  Will the thousands of dollars and years of my life be worth it?

What do you think?