When communicating with your design team or anyone, it is imperative to define keywords. Those keywords might have different definitions than your expectations of them. It is that way with me. Maybe ...

It sounds like a song. I will write it someday. Planning for the future, with knowledge. The future is the next step. How does that apply to an architect’s office? Each breath, each thought, each do...

Recently, James Heimler, Architect, Inc. was named one of the Best Residential Architects in Ventura, California by Home Builder Digest.    About Home Builder Digest Home Builder Digest is a nation...

So, everyone loves the idea of being able to work from home.  With all issues related to IT, many issues when working from home need to be considered. A work area needs to be set up to be efficien...

Why is your level of community involvement important? The world is coming together at a faster and faster pace. Nationalism is still very active in many countries and the sense of entitlement is grow...

How does a middle size architectural firm stay in business through thick and this?  The answer is staying open for new clients and project types. You need to be open to seeing the future and respondi...

How has JHAI, as an architectural servicing firm, stayed in business for over 35 years?  I have been researching business practices, Stoic lifestyles, leadership issues, and attempting new business m...

How do we focus our energies from home to work? What keeps us going over 35 years? Why do clients keep coming back? Our politics are all over the board. Our life-sustaining beliefs are in line with e...

As I look back on my life I now see a pattern in all my actions.  From a kid in elementary school up and including today I always plan to free up my time in the future. In the planning, I am seeing t...

Architects are known for their high level of Ego. It’s their way or not. We need to have confidence but not be delusional. We need a true understanding of what we can do and we need to be realistic. I...

I have finished reading multiple books on Stoics going back over 2000 years. I have some thoughts that might apply to others. If you believe in shared purpose and shared missions for those living on e...

Game planning upfront and following through with it is the first step in the management of a project. This plan needs to stay flexible. It needs to be adjusted as the job and payments come into the of...

Have you heard about you get what you pay for? In many ways it is true. Which Doctor or Lawyer should you hire? There is a time and place for this selection. Who do you trust to make you well or defen...

In June 2019, I was contacted to be on a Podcast by “L.I.F.E” MicroFame Media. What is L.I.F.E. and what does it stand for? We will never know, but this L.I.F.E. stood for ...

I recently read “Between Silence and Light” by Louis Kahn, the architect of the Salk Institute in San Diego. It inspired some thoughts, as a good book should.    I kept thinking on what I would real...

JHAI searches for clients who seek a special home, place of business or investment, or who have conceived of innovative design ideas to create that perfect environment that will truly inspire their li...

Ever since the Pacific and Central Railroads first met in Promontory, Utah, to complete in the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, it was clear that mass transit was never going to be the same. C...

When I’m reading, my thoughts usually swirl around to what types of projects I’m working on and, inevitably, the issue of aesthetics turns up. In this case, I’ve been reading “The Unbearable Lightness...

  “Repair what is broken, protect what is vulnerable, cherish what is beautiful and be a good steward of creation.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.   Emerson’s words sound so beautiful and simple, don’t the...

Back when I was a student at Cal Poly Pomona, I had an architectural instructor named Steven Bocher. As a “Greek,” he believed in cafes in front of every project. He also regarded the shared music as ...

As a professional, you would think that all building codes are consistently enforced. You would also think that once your project is under construction that means that all code issues and designs have...

I’ve written before about the so-called NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) (see my blog entry, Wealth Inequality). Recently I read an article on the website of the Sierra Club discussing the people referred ...

When I first started taking construction documents to the Building Department, even people who were putting their design ideas on napkin were getting permits. You could draw up construction documents ...

I have been called a “true visionary,” which is a wonderful complement, but it got me thinking about what that word actually means.  It is in my nature to look at the big picture. I’ve always surveye...

About 15 ago, I had the pleasure of meeting space architect/designer John Spencer “the Wizard of Space Tourism,” with whom I share an appreciation for space tourism and sustainable concepts. I’ve now ...

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit The 606, Chicago’s newly created urban walk and bike path, and I think they did a great job in converting what was once the Bloomingdale Line (elevated railr...

   I am asked all of the time, “What makes a good design?” There are many possible answers to this question, but my most frequent reply is: “the principle of center stage versus background architectu...

Clients expect their design team needs to be responsive to the changes, requirements and issues that arise throughout their development project. This is vital to the success of small projects and even...

A strong team leader is key to a successful development project. Among his or her many functions is to educate clients and the design team as to the proper expectations for the project: processes rela...

In discussing historic preservation with a friend recently, I was reminded of my trip to New Orleans’ French Quarter last year. As the oldest still-intact neighborhood in the U.S., its character and c...

In this new world of fast paced multi modes of communication all parties involved in the design process need to define their primary means of communication. The phone, fax, and mail used to be the sta...

I was reading the Los Angeles Times a few months back and there was an article “L.A. takes a step toward tighter rules to curb Mansionization.” and it brought back so many memories for me. Each of the...

Architects’ Design Team Compensation The design team is not just the Architect. It can include many different designers and specialists. They all get compensated similar to the Architect with similar ...