Get Dirty

I’ve never understood how some architects prefer to only design projects and never see them built or only provide drawings for permitting, but do not provide construction administration to finish out the project.  The process of designing a building, both the exterior and the interior, is exactly that … a process.  It begins with a site, then initial sketches and ideas, then drawings and then, ultimately, it ends with construction.  During the construction period, design continues, details are resolved and puzzles are solved.  No matter how good a set of drawings are, existing conditions or even details that just can’t be foreseen due to the nature of the beast, are dealt with, but only during construction and not by oneself.  It allows the architect to work out details, but more importantly, it allows the architect to create and foster relationships with the men and women building the project.  These relationships create a team and that team creates a better project for the owner.  The feeling of putting on boots in the morning, rather than my Pradas, grounds our profession in what architecture is really about … getting dirty.  Because when you get dirty, it means it’s being built and you’re a true part of that accomplishment.