Vision Conference

Here are some pictures of the first vision session we've ever attempted. We started with some boards which ask the owner about their home and what they do at home, then moved on to some boards going over their aesthetic likes and dislikes, and ended with boards that tried to synthesis that information with information we got from the client before hand to create a prioritised program and a summary.

Lazarus?

Clemson’s been a huge disappointment this year, and I have the feeling they are teetering on the edge of collapse. One or two more bumps and they may quite on the season. It happened last year to Tech late in the season.

I tuned into the Wake Forest / Clemson game last night with that in mind. An emotionally crushing defeat at the hands of Wake Forest could carry over to Clemson’s game against Tech.

That alone was enough to get me, a die hard Tech fan interested, but the match-up promised an interesting game. Wake is everything Clemson is not. Their well coached, fundamentally sound, mentally tough, and slow and not athletic. Clemson is still a very talented team with playmakers all over the field. They can break a big play at any moment.

The difference between the two teams was clear. Wake was methodical and efficient, reaching in their bag of trick plays at just the right moment to go deep. They missed on those trick plays, but the opportunity was there. On the other hand, Clemson’s offense had no rhythm. If the front line held up and gave Harper time, he could hit someone for a 15 to 20 yard completion, but it was all or nothing. They managed to only run for 21 yards.

The end score was much closer than it should have been. Wake moved up and down the field all night, only to bog down in the red zone. To complicate matters, Wake’s starting kicker was injured. Wake missed two field goals on the night, and while one of the misses was due to a bad hold, the other missed by a wide margin. Had the starting kicker been in the game, wake would have gone into have time with a 6 or 9 point lead.

Clemson didn’t look well coached. On third down and in the red zone, their team speed allowed them to close the angles and stop Wake, but given room to operate, Wake’s play calling and execution gashed Clemson for 5 to 8 yard gains all night. Wake was able to run straight up the middle against Clemson, which bodes well for Tech. They didn’t do it with tricks or misdirection; they just shoved Clemson out of the way. Clemson was effective when the blitzed and rushed Skinner’s passes, but Skinner is surprisingly athletic and was able to scramble for positive yards several times.

Clemson’s offense is just too cute; too many moving parts, too many strange quirks. On one play Harper faked a double end around before attempting a pass. It fooled no one because the fakes happened in such quick succession and were so poorly executed. Of course part of the problem was that Harper had to turn his back to the line of scrimmage to make the fakes and then turn back around to make the pass. That takes a long time. It forced him to rush, which through off his mechanics, and made the whole thing pointless.

What does all this mean for Tech?

Clemson’s defense is fast, but they are also weak up the middle, and undisciplined. So Dwyer has a good chance to gash them all day long. Their lack of discipline will probably keep them from really shutting down the option, but their team speed could keep tech from breaking anything really long, and they could capitalize on any loose footballs.

Clemson lost CJ Spiller to a pulled hamstring in the second quarter of the Wake game, and guards, Cory Lambert on the left, and Mason Cloy on the right were knocked out of the game. If those players are still missing when Clemson plays Tech, the Tiger’s offense may struggle. Though fellow running back James Davis and wide receiver Jacoby Ford can bust loose for big plays, clearly Spiller is the biggest threat to do so, and it looks like the Clemson offense is all big play or nothing. Tech’s defensive line has been dominant all year long, and there is no reason to believe they would be anything but against a beaten up Clemson offensive line. Tech should be able to bottle-up the running game and make Clemson one dimensional.

Tech has a chance to jump out to a lead, because I don’t think Clemson is going to be well prepared for this offense, and I think the Tigers might struggle to rally in the second half

Untested assumptions about the SEC

1) The SEC doesn't play anyone out of conference.

2) The SEC doesn't have to play anyone out of conference, because the conference is so tough?

3) SEC teams loose an inordinate number of games to conference teams thus the SEC doesn't have to play a tougher out of conference schedule?

"1" May be true, it may not be true.  this can be tested by comparing the final standing of SEC School's out of conference opponents to other conferences

if true "3" does not prove "2".  SEC teams beating in each other only proves that the quality of the teams in the SEC are similar.  They could be equally bad, good or mediocre.  The only way to verify the SEC's strength is to compare the quality of opponents it plays out of conference to the quality of opponents other conferences play, and their records.

searching for answers, how to vet and communicate with clients

PROBLEMS

1) Most people don’t know what architects do or how they work.
2) It takes a lot of time to understand an owners values and how those values determine their needs.
3) Trust breaks down when architects don’t know their client’s values and clients don’t understand how architects work.

HOW ARCHITECTS WORK

Design is not arbitrary. It’s subjective, and subjects exist within a context. The context is a kind of environment in which the design develops. The architect and the client are the strongest elements in this environment. Therefore the client-architect relationship is the most important factor affecting the success of a design.

Design is not the product of single person’s imagination. A good architect is not Howard Roark, the solitary genius of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, who pursued his own agenda without regard to the wants and needs of others. The example of Roark is a one which creates dystopian disasters. This approach to architecture is responsible for disasters such as the Pruitt-Igo housing complex. Pruitt-Igo is the poster child for architectural ideals executed without an understanding of the full range of issues that surround a building.

CASE STUDY

Pruitt-Igo was an award winning public housing complex erected in St. Louis in 1954. The building quickly became a den of crime, and remained empty for large periods of time. It was demolished in 1972.



Instead of pursuing a megalomaniacal vision, design is a process of discovery from which innovative solutions emerge. When done correctly the process is fun and surprising for both the architect and the client. It begins with the architect developing an understanding of the elements that make up the client’s values and needs, and understanding how different elements relate to each other. Often values and needs seem to contradict each other in unexpected ways. Design is the process of reconciling these contradictions. This process often creates innovative solutions. For example clients will often ask for large open spaces, but confess a preference for traditional design. Traditional designs are based on masonry or stick-frame construction. These two structural systems do not allow for large openings. The desire for open spaces and traditional design are contradictory elements, but they can coexist. The design that reconciles these contradictions may end up incorporating traditional elements, such as wood trim and floors, with other elements, such as a steel structure, that allow for open spaces. The process creates something unique for the client.

GOAL

The goal is two fold. The first goal is to develop an understanding of the client’s values. The second goal is to educate the client about the full range of possibilities architecture affords them.

PROGRESSION

The first step is to discover who the client is and what the client’s values are. The next step is to help the client to think about the abstract characteristics they want in their space and how the characteristics relate to the values discussed earlier in the session. The final step is to develop the projects needs based on the clients values and the characteristics they want.

PRE-MEETING

Each session is custom designed for the client. 8 to 12 blank boards are prepared before hand. The boards can be large scale post it notes. At the top of each board is a title. The titles cover a range of subjects. For discovering the clients values say things like “who are you”, “what do you want to do”, “what’s important to you”, “what are your wishes”, etc. Sheets that focus on characteristics may be titled “tools to create space”, “elements”, “mood”, “texture”, “associations” etc. Sheets that deal with specifics say stuff like “program”, “spaces”, “specials”, “Things we’ve learned”, etc.

These sheets are put on the walls of the conference room along with images, material samples, oddities, and curiosities designed to suggest the range of possibilities. The idea is to spark conversation.

THE MEETING

The meeting is part meet-and-greet, and part brain storming session. The tone is relaxed and spontaneous. Everyone is there to learn about each other and to share ideas. People should really revel in the possibilities. The beginning of a project is an exciting time.

It takes at least two people to run the meeting. One person leads the meeting and keeps it on task. That person directs the client’s attention to each panel, prods them for more information, and writes notes on the sheets. The other person takes notes. Many of the key points will be written down on the boards, so it is important for the note taker to listen for subtle gestures and expressions the owner uses. Does the owner repeat certain requests? Does he or her have a special term or joke to describe something? If so, they’ve probably thought a lot about that point. Is anything said with particular emphasis or emotion? If there are multiple clients, note where they agree or disagree. When are they unsure? etc.

It’s very important to listen closely to the client, as clients aren’t always forth coming with information. This happens for many reasons. Sometimes they are embarrassed to talk about something. Sometimes they are intimidated by talking to an expert. Others may not know how to explain what they want. Clients sometimes tell the architect what they think the architect wants to here because they don’t want to look ignorant or naive. In any event the note taker and meeting leader must be sensitive to the client’s more subtle messages.

THE PRODUCT

After the session the architect turns the raw data into a booklet that summarizes the client’s values. The booklet is not just a list of client’s values and needs. The design of the booklet incorporates the client’s values and demonstrates how those values can be expressed in a visual medium. In many ways the booklet is a predecessor to the final design.

WHY THE CLIENT LIKES IT

1) It gives the client a chance to express him or herself to the architect and know that the architect really cares.
2) The client gets to learn about architecture. Understanding allows the client to play a bigger role in the project.
3) The client can use the booklet to explain their ideas to any other people that may be involved in the process. This could include bankers, investors, contractors, potential customers, friends, partners, etc.
4) It jumpstarts the relationship between the client and the architect.

WHY THE ARCHITECT LIKES IT

1) It jumpstarts the relationship between the client and the architect.
2) It allows the architect to earn the clients trust.
3) It gets the owner to take partial ownership of the design.
4) It gives the architect an opportunity to learn why the client wants to build.
5) The architect gets insight into what it will be like to work with the client. Is the client rigid or flexible? Are they assertive or timid?
6) The architect can learn exactly how much service the client wants. Do they just want a permit, or do they really want to develop a special design?
7) It allows the architect to screen potential clients. Is the client serious? Do they have the means to complete the project?
8) The architect can use it as a marketing tool.
9) It shortens the design process by getting a maximum amount of information out on the table early in the design process.

THE BUSINESS MODEL

The architect will charge a fee for this session. The fee serves several purposes
1) The architect is paid for work that he or she wouldn’t be even though it is a key part of the design process.
2) The fee will cause less serious clients to back out before they waste the architect’s time.
3) The fee can be waived as a favor to clients the architect has worked with before or that the architect already knows is a serious client. The cost of this season can then be taken as a loss against the books as it has a value assigned to it (check tax laws).
4) For clients that have already committed to work with the architect, such as when the architect earns a government contract, the Vision Conference can be incorporated into Standard Design services and include the cost in the design fees.

A House For Two

The economy is slow, so I goofed around with a few ideas and put them into one house.

The first thing I wanted to do was free the design from the need to be new or innovative. Modern architecture places great value on creating new forms. The result has been a reactionary practice of one generation defining itself in opposition to the immediately proceeding generation. Formal innovations that are praised upon their grand opening look dated and stylized within a few years, or worse yet are empty gestures and functional nightmares creating unnecessary expense. In the past my design processes ground to a halt over worries that a design wasn't “innovative”. This led to an obsession with innovation that caused function and budget to suffer, and the forms often felt self conscious and supercilious. I didn’t eliminate innovation from the design process; instead I made it a much lower priority. This allowed formal innovation to devolve from deeper inside the design process and have more meaning. The result was a hip roof. It sheds water better than a flat roof, still makes an interesting shape, and who cares if it’s a two hundred years old form.

The next thing I wanted to do was design a glass house, but take the idea one step further. Many famous architects have designed glass houses (Mies van der Rohe, Phillip Johnson, Bernard Tsumi), and the overriding theme of these houses is glass's ability to connect the interior with the exterior. I stole an idea form van der Rohe’s Tugendhat house and Paul Rudolph’s Florida houses. The glass panels on the front and rear of the house open like garage doors to let in fresh air. This makes the interior and exterior a continuos space.

The third thing I was interested in was the idea of designing a prototype. Any prototype has two parts; a part that is fixed and provides function, and a part that can be adjusted to fit into any environment. In this case I set the house on an earthen plinth. The plinth can accomodates the topography and creates a flat area for the house. It also creates an outdoor extension to the house's living space. Also it's a cheeky reference to Le Corbusier’s pilotis. It does the same thing, but it is formally the complete opposite.

The house is a glass box with an irregular wood box inside. The wood box contains the functional elements of the house; two bathrooms, storage space, mechanical space, a fire place, and pocket doors to separate the living spaces. The windows are made of two layers of glass with interior blinds that can be closed for privacy.

I’ve shown the house in a variety of locations to emphasize that it is a prototype that can be built anywhere.

Above: a view of the interior without the roof
Above: a front view of the hose. The panel's on the right left are open

Above: this view shows the kitchen and guest bedroom side of the house

Above: an arial view from the rear showing the house perched on an overlook
Above: from this side you can see the masterbedroom and living room.
Above: interior view from guest bedroom through the study to the master bedroom. Individual rooms can be closed with hidden pocket doors that lock into special jambs built into the exterior wall
Above: view from living room past recessed entry to dinning area in kitchen. The wood paneling on the left is part of cental service block.

Above: view from study
Above: a view along the rear deck

David Cutcliffe "Quotes"

What Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has to say about Georgia Tech

On Facing Georgia Tech

“This is certainly the best team we’ve played far and away. I think they have some great players. They have some all-American type football players… Executing their offesnse well, a big strong great looking offensive line, weapons at receiver, weapons at halfback, they run the wishbone as well as you can possibly image somebody running it. It’ll make you cry. Just the site of Tech running their offense has been known to cure cancer.”

On B-Back Jonathan Dwyer

I mean, is that guy talented? He is a special back, but more so, he’s a special person. He has got it all. He’s got strength, he’s got the ability to move his feet, and he can fly. He lefts himself of the ground by sure will and walks on air. Very difficult to contain a player that can do that.

On QB’s Josh Nesbit and Jaybo Shaw

Nesbit, he went out last game hurt and it is a tribute to Georgia Tech and man kind that they never missed a beat with Shaw in there, a true freshman. He’s delicious.

What we know about the top 25

1. Oklahoma
· Oklahoma has played an average TCU team, but they took care of them easily.
Oklahoma is good, probably top 10 good, but what happens when they really get pushed
2. Alabama
· Dismantled a great UGA team. It’s safe to say Alabama is in it for the long haul.
3. LSU
· LSU has played Appalachian State, North Texas and Mississippi State, and an average to
poor Auburn team. We know next to nothing about this team. With that schedule, there
is no reason they should be ranked in the top five.
4. Missouri
· Illinois is a bad team. Missouri has shown us nothing this year. Are they really as good as
they were last year?
5. Texas
· The best team Texas has beaten is Rice. Seriously?
6. Penn State
· Oregon State and Illinois may be teams from BCS conferences, but both of them are
pretty poor.
7. Texas Tech
· The Red Raiders have played two 1-AA teams and two terrible teams; SMU, and Nevada.
8. BYU
· BYU has beaten two bad Pac 10 teams; Washington, UCLA, but they did it well
9. USC
· Beat an average Ohio State team.
10. South Florida
· Beat an average Kansas and lost to an average Pitt. They are an average team.
11. Georgia
· Beat an average South Carolina team, but was destroyed by Alabama. Georgia is average
to good.
12. Florida
· Lost to a very good Ole Miss at home, but hasn’t looked good out side of beating a terrible
Hawaii team. Florida is average to good.
13. Auburn
· Auburn has only played one team of note, LSU, and we aren’t sure how good LSU is. This
team could be falling. They certainly shouldn’t be in the top 25
14. Ohio State
· Has struggled with poor teams, and got walked in the only game they’ve played against a
good team. Ohio State probably shouldn’t be in the top 25 right now.
15. Utah
· Two good wins over solid Michigan and Air Force teams. Utah has a better resume at this
point than BYU
16. Kansas
· Has played two terrible teams, but also beat an average South Florida team in Tampa.
Their okay
17. Boise State
· Bet an average Oregon team on the road. The Broncos look solid
18. Wisconsin
· Wisconsin went on the road and beat an average Fresno State game, but lost to an
improving Michigan team. They are probably ranked in the right spot.
19. Vanderbilt
· Beat an average South Carolina team and a surprisingly good Ole Miss. 19 feels right
20. Virginia Tech
· Virginia Tech has the stoutest resume in the top 25. They lost to a surprisingly
competent East Carolina team at a neutral site. Then they went and beat very good
teams in Georgia Tech and UNC in back to back weeks. After that, they went to
Nebraska and beat a solid Huskers team.. They should be ranked much higher.
21. Oklahoma State
· The best team the cowboys have played is Houston. Why is this team getting any respect
22. Fresno State
· The Bulldogs beat poor UCLA and Rutgers teams, and lost to a good Wisconsin team, but looked good doing it. 22 seems fair
23. Oregon
· Lost to a Good Purdue team, but hasn’t played anyone else worth a darn.
24. Connecticut
· Beat a bad Louisville team.
25. Wake Forest
· has the second strongest resume in the top 25. They beat Good teams in FSU and Ole
Miss, and lost to a Navy team that hasn’t fallen off sense Paul Johnson left for Georgia
Tech

Teams likely to tumble but stay in the top 25

LSU and Texas Tech

Teams likely to fall out of the top 25

Auburn and Oregon, and Vanderbilt (though they deserve better)

Teams that could crack the top 25

Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Northwestern have all played well against tough early season schedules