Starting a Design: First Thing's First

I am going to guess I look at the start of a design differently than any of the other architects writing about this topic today.  I think most people picture a person hunched over a slanted drawing table in a dark room, inking lines on vellum under the halo of the single incandescent bulb of an articulating lamp.  While I do get to look at each and every project in our office, my input has more to do with compliance and practicability than design notions.  And instead of ink and vellum, I typically have my codes pulled up on my tablet.  Or I may have one book open on top of another book. 

How TV Shows Portray the Architect.

Normally, I see projects after they’ve taking at least a rough form.  Programming and discussions with the Owner have already taken place, at least to some degree.  Our projects are seldom “simple”, meaning they usually involve a good bit of renovation and connections to existing structures, which means firewalls and other code related goodies.

To get started, I need at least three bits of information.  What is the Occupancy?  What is the height & area?  What is the construction type?  A fourth component may often be:  What are we connecting to?  This is assuming we know which codes to use in this Jurisdiction.

This is What My Desk Really Looks Like at the Start...

Occupancy (or building use) may seem simple, but it can get complicated.  Our focus is primarily senior living projects.  Many of the buildings in communities serve multiple uses.  Are we separating the uses by fire barriers?  Are they allowed to mix?  Can that occupancy be open to the corridor next to that occupancy?

Height and area is pretty straightforward until it isn’t.  First, areas could change due to design changes, so you have to make sure there is some flexibility in the allowable areas or be prepared for heartache.  Do we get extra square footage (SF) for sprinklers?  Do we get extra stories, or is it capped at 4?  Then, where there are more than one occupancy in a building and those uses are not separated, the sum of the ratios of actual SF to permitted SF of each occupancy cannot exceed 1.  And you thought high school algebra was a waste of time!

Construction type is the variable I can help determine.  The further to the right in the code chart, the cheaper it is to build, typically.  But the cheaper construction types are the most restrictive in terms of how high or how big you can build.  So it is a balancing act.  In wood construction you just can't build certain building uses or you can't build them high enough.  In other cases, we have to divide the building into two separate structures, connected at fire walls, in order not to exceed the allowable area.

 

Exciting, Right?

The dance continues.  In a building containing multiple occupancies, you can separate them or allow them to “mingle” together (unseparated).  Unseparated occupancies must abide by all the most restrictive conditions for any of the uses.  This means if you have apartments and assembly spaces in the same building, you may be looking at a higher level of protection in the whole building due to the presence of that one use.  Or you can separate them with protected construction.

A Little Later on in the Process, Code Books on Top of Code Books...

When buildings are renovated or connected to additions, there is another layer of compliance complexity.  If the building is not separated into two independent structures with fire walls, what do we have to do to the existing building to make it compliant with current codes?  Sometimes this is not much, but other times the added square footage of an addition will require life safety systems that aren’t provided in the existing building, like sprinklers, smoke detection or fire alarms.  There are other triggers for accessibility as well.

This May Be Closer to Reality...

This is the stuff I start thinking about when I begin to look at a building design.  A little more than form follows function, isn't it?  And we haven't even gotten to the details yet. Like:  Where's your vapor barrier?  What's the flame spread of that material?  What's the UL of that roof/ceiling?  But early is the time to address these topics.  

Never has anyone ever told me, "I wish you would have waited until after permit submittal to tell me about the flaw in my fire wall!"

This post is part of the ArchiTalks series where a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. This month’s theme is "Starting a Design" and was led by Jon Brown.  A lot of other talented writers who also are architects are listed below and are worth checking out:

Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)
Slow Down. Hold Still.
Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
where do we start?
Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
How to Start a Design
Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
Starting a Design: #Architalks
Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
On Your Mark, Get Set -- Start a Design!
Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
."starting a design..."..
Meghana Joshi - IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)
Architalks #35: Starting a Design
Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
Where do we begin?
Jeffrey Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
Where do you start when designing a new home?
Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign)
do-re-mi- Design
Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
5 Tips for Starting an Architecture Project
Mark Stephens - Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark)
How it all begins...
Steve Mouzon - The Original Green Blog (@stevemouzon)
Starting Wrong - The Amazon Mistake

The Reluctant Code Guru - Revisited.

The following post is included in a blog series called ArchiTalks, and is the 22nd topic.  Full disclosure:  I posted this about 18 months ago, but the assigned topic from the ArchiTalk's leader fit this post exactly.  Trying to recreate it seemed futile.

The topic is "Then and Now: How my career path evolved since graduation". 

When I was hired here at RLPS a mere 20 years ago, my position was to assist one of the partners, Gregg Scott, on his particular projects.  His position included leading projects as partner-in-charge for several clients, but he was/is also the main business development person for the firm, doing interviews for more work, lecturing at conferences and keeping clients happy and coming back.  As opposed to developing the same strengths Gregg had by the bushel: as his underling, my job evolved into a role that augmented the skills Gregg didn't have time for.  I became a very young project manager/project architect on day one.

On my first day on the job with him, he told me we were running up to visit three projects in Northeastern PA, and to "wear a blazer".  Each of the projects was in a different state of completeness - one in early design, one in construction, and one post construction.  After a couple of months and a few meetings with these Clients, Gregg eventually left me on my own, without the life vest of having him attend all the meetings with me.  Gregg was out of town very often, so in place of his direct guidance back at the office, he encouraged me to utilize the office resources, which included not only code and technical books, but the people in our office who had the knowledge to help me.  I had only been in the field nine months prior to starting with RLPS, I had very little experience with Codes, especially in the Department of Health arena.

My part of the library.

Of those three first jobs were included a very messy skilled care facility addition and renovation starting in the design phase, a personal care provider in a mansion from the 1800's currently under construction, and a large retirement community that had just been completed.  I had to very quickly learn the ins and outs of building codes, health codes, constructability, construction management, and the coordination with our engineers and the in-house drafting team.  All of whom had many decades more experience than I did.  I was lucky that Dave the Contractor was (mostly) gentle with me and helped lead me to the proper decisions sometimes, Tom the Structural Engineer didn't laugh at me when I thought it was his job to fire proof the steel, Bill the Drafter I had on the job with me was able to draw the sections based on his vast experience, and we had an in-house resource for code support, Paul.  All that and I was making the transition from MicroStation to AutoCAD.

After a few years’ time, I eventually became a more traditional project manager, leading a variety of projects for any of the partners-in-charge at our firm.  But having been left to sink or swim in my early days, I had developed an ability to find things out for myself, whether calling on Code Officials or Plan Reviewers for guidance or consistently bugging our in house Code Expert.  When I did bug Paul, I always gave my best effort to read and understand the Code before I interrupted him, which he appreciated.  I used Paul as a resource to verify my interpretations, not as a substitute for reading the books.

Fast forward to 2014 and my annual review with the Partnership at the firm…this review is an opportunity to discuss how things are going and perhaps how things in the office can improve.  All suggestions are considered (I was the one to suggest sparkling water to be added as an option to the soda fridge – score!).  We had been operating without the benefit of Paul's guidance for a few years at this point, so I happened to mention that, based on the upswing in new projects at that time; a lot of designs were progressing without a seasoned project architect on board to review for fundamental code analysis.  It is always better to head off an issue early, I said, because I had been on the receiving end of some very difficult positions once the project got into Design Development with me at the helm. Some examples: bathrooms or kitchens far too small to be accessible, fire walls separating buildings that would be extremely hard to build or would require rated adjacent windows, occupant loads too large not to be separated or needed additional exits - just to name a few.  It would be great, I said, if someone could look at these plans before we have the Owners super excited about a building that will be too difficult to build without various changes.

Some of the literature at my desk.

Well, be careful what you wish for.  That guy is now me.  I was not suggesting that we get one person do this job more or less full time, let alone it being me.  I wasn't sure I was qualified me to do it, really.  I had been an unofficial resource for codes in the office for some time.  I had a lot of experience (as much as anyone in the office I suppose) with Department of Health work that included NFPA reviews. I had a pretty good grasp on the International Code Council (ICC) codes as well.  Everyone from partners to drafters were already stopping by with questions.  But I had no formal training in code compliance or quality control.  I also wasn't sure I would be able to give up working on one job for months or years at a time, as I was accustomed to do.

Turns out I can still work for the Clients I have a relationship with, just in a more managerial way.  I have to adjust my thinking sometimes, but I can still be a team member.  And I started to really like seeing more projects our office is working on, where I may have never seen them prior to the finished product photos.  Analytically I am able to look at early plans and try to sort out construction types and area/height limitations, building separations, occupant loads, etc.  As I understand it, others don't find this as interesting as I do.  I describe it as "reading the Matrix".  I try to look at any limitation or hurdle with a problem solving eye, very much the same as I do when I am laying out building programs and adjacencies in floor plans.  It is just another type of problem to solve - split the building this way, provide sprinkler coverage to get height increase, perhaps change the construction type...and not knowing everything there is to know about the project or client just means that I need to think in terms of options.  You can do this or that and get to five stories - you choose.

The Matrix - Isn't this how everyone sees buildings?  I see clearances and ratings as readily as doors and windows.

I also do a lot of reviews of projects near the end of Construction Documents as part of our quality assurance procedures.  This way I get to see the (almost) finished product and see which options they went with.  I try to go through the code sheets as if I am seeing it cold, however.  I try to take on the persona of the Plan Reviewer.  I try to take out any of the questions I feel may be asked with the help of a red pen.

Codes change of course, as we experienced from the SBC,  BOCA and the UBC to the ICC family of codes.  We work all over the country and, in my opinion; there is really no unified building code.  Every jurisdiction has multiple amendments and approves the more recent codes at their own pace.  Various State agencies require conformance to the NFPA Life Safety Code while local jurisdictions review under the International Building Code. And why is it International when only US States and Territories use it?  And depending on the State, there is potentially a 12 year difference in the Code edition enforced - 2003 vs. 2015 Editions.  So one of the more challenging parts of my position is figuring out what we have to comply with.  This is not always so easy to find on the State and Local websites.  In one case I found one department did not yet know that a legislative change revised the way townhomes were reviewed, essentially taking out of the State’s purview and putting it solely into the local review.   Anytime there is an overlap of responsibility between the State and Local, it is just an opportunity for potential conflict. It is all part of the fun!

So, a couple of years later, I am primarily the office "Code Guy".  There are still several jobs in construction that I had run, and am still involved with projects where I had been the primary contact for several years.  But now I am integrated into the front ends of many projects, assist project managers with issues, attend preliminary code reviews with them at the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), assist in the QC/QA process, as well as assist any client having code issues with existing facilities, etc.

It is challenging work, but there is a variety and overview that I find refreshing.  I had just recently worked on three projects with extremely long timelines, each taking 5 or more years to design and build.  I felt a little pigeon holed in those projects and felt like I didn’t get to see anything else we were doing as a firm.  While I have to broaden my depth of understand of code issues as I look at up to a dozen projects in a week sometimes, I see more projects, I work with a wider range of people in the office and I even correspond with a broader cross section of Clients in my new position.

The one area that I am still getting used to is the interruptions.   I have come to realize that my work days are now a series of disruptions with some intermittent scheduled work in between.  When I am working on any of my projects, I am often doing complex calculations or I have my head in the Code book(s), reading and rereading sections of code.  This is not an ideal task to interrupt, at least not for me.  I never claimed to have any Codes memorized.  In fact, Codes have a tendency to change with each edition, so it is not wise to rely on memory alone.  Certain tasks can take me into a section I have never really read before and the Code is not always particularly black and white for every situation.  I don’t carry code books to the coffee pot or the rest room, but that doesn't deter people from stopping me to ask questions along the way.  That doesn't seem particularly sanitary in any case.

Read, interpret and retain, right?

Everyone has their strengths, though, and where one has strengths where many others are unsure, you're bound to be popular.  Maybe I need a take-a-number dispenser like at the deli.  I’ve always liked those paper hats they wear, too.

Now serving:  Number 32.

The position I am in now all relates to whom I started working with and how I was able to fill in and learn a set of skills that were needed to round out those first three projects I started working on with Gregg.  Had Gregg been the technical guy, I may have never become the Code Guru.  I really don’t like that name though – sounds like I teach yoga on the side.  Other considerations are:  Code Sage, Code Shaman, Code Illusionist, Code Whisperer, Code Soothsayer or Code Clairvoyant.  Whatever you call it, I never, not in a million years, suspected I would be in this position.  If you would have asked me when I was 22 if would ever want to do this day in and out, I am sure I would have said no way.  But that is a dumb kid talking, one who doesn’t have twenty years of experience and doesn’t see the inherent value in staying out of trouble.

This post is part of the ArchiTalks series in which Bob Borson of Life of an Architect selects a theme and a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. This month’s theme is "Then and Now..."  A lot of other talented writers who also are architects are listed below and are worth checking out:

-->Bob Borson - Life of An Architect (@bobborson)
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/then-and-now-architectural-design-or-accounting/
-->Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)
Where It All Went Right
-->Marica McKeel - Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)
From Then to Now...Residential Architect
-->Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
Well, How Did I Get Here
-->Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
then and now
-->Mark R. LePage - EntreArchitect (@EntreArchitect)
The Biggest Surprise of My Life as an Architect
-->Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
Then & Now...and the middle
-->Nicholas Renard - Renard Architecture (@dig-arch)
15 Years of Architecture
-->Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
then and now: #architalks
-->Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
Then-Now: A Schematic Story
-->Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
then and now
-->Stephen Ramos - BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@sramos_BAC)
Big Ass Buildings
-->brady ernst - Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)
Pens & Fizzy Drinks: Or How to Set Measurable Career Goals
-->Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
How did I get here?
-->Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley)
Reflection on My Wonderful, Unexpected Career
-->Emily Grandstaff-Rice - Emily Grandstaff-Rice FAIA (@egrfaia)
Being the light in darkness
-->Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept)
The Joys of Being an Architect
-->Anthony Richardson - That Architecture Student (@thatarchstudent)
Then and Now
-->Kyu Young Kim - Palo Alto Design Studio (@sokokyu)
Career Path: Follow Your Heart
-->Nisha Kandiah - TCDS (@SKRIBBLES_INC)
Then & Now : Still Chasing the Dream
-->Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
10 Lessons Learned from a Young Architect
-->Mark Stephens - Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark)
#Architalks 22 - Then and now