A good design has a sense of place. Each building type has its specific uses, character, and building materials. All can be designed to have flexibility of use due to changing requirements over time. Building materials can be used based on how they will wear, cradle to cradle material analysis, and how you plan on maintaining them. In public buildings you look for security and openness for the community to match the governing rules of your society. You can design into each project the meaning and mission of the building. The new design concepts, utility systems, and the building materials can all be used to show what is important to you. Every design decision has a psychological impact. Visuals and quality enter into each choice. The layers of life and experiences are tied to the authenticity of the choices made. What we do as Designers is manipulate space, light, structure, and the use of utilities. I address the nuances of human experiences and actions. The honesty in design should be obvious to all. The enclosure of space, being secure from the elements, maybe from others is important. What was the original use of the buildings? The design is also a statement of art. How advanced are you in your thinking of the meaning of life?
Green Design Jim
To maintain an Architectural practice, you need to review what you do as a professional and the results you achieve for your clients. This active duty will keep one relevant and better prepared for the next project. Clients will want to pass your name around and refer others to you. Feedback from your clients on your services are essential in one’s internal review. Communication is key. The clients need to know what options are available and what to expect during construction. This includes what can be incorporated into their project advancing the design and be able to work through the community approval processes. This is getting harder every day. The entire design team needs to understand all these issues. If getting an approval to build needs some up front planning, then do it. Do not wait for the big ugly issues to come up when you are ready to submit plans to the city. Start it early. Brainstorm the issues. Use the entire development and design team’s knowledge and experience to define all the problem areas. If you are lucky, once those concerns are addressed and worked through, they will meet the required guidelines to achieve permitted plans without great delay.
So, here are some design thoughts for the day.
Design that is flexible, capable of being shared by others, adaptable for future use without building shell modifications are more effective and sustainable then others. This provides options without having to re-build. That is a sustainable principal. It also means that a sustainable building does not need as much square footage. You can design flexibility with standardized parts. The parts can then be interchanged providing even more flexibility to create a rich and enlivening space. With this method there is an inexhaustible gift for nuances and the expression of nature. Nature is like that. There is a balance in nature, enriched by its individuality in life forms. You can enjoy a room the same way you enjoy being in a forest. You can enjoy the moment, everywhere. The inside of a room can extend to the outside in design, views, detailing, and experiences. There can be a dialog between nature and culture. All design can be grounded in the function of the development, be rational in its decision making process, and incorporate the latest technical innovations. It just takes responsive thought, the right design budget, and the right amount of care by the client. Intelligent design has true value. It can also lead to short and long term improvements in the investment mechanism one is developing.
In May 2016 the City of Los Angeles issued a Mandatory Retrofit program for Soft Story Apartments. These building are at risk of falling during an earthquake. The link below will explain whether or not your building needs these upgrades.
LADBS Soft-Story Retrofit Program
In 1994/1995 my brother referred an earthquake repair apartment project to me from one of his property management clients in Sherman Oaks. As we got started the design team noted the need to strip the entire building down to its studs and then seismically upgrade the entire building and bring the building up to existing code. This was a major deal for our client. Project accomplished and all parties were very happy.
Fast forward to 2016 with the city of Los Angeles issuing the required upgrade of Soft Story parking upgrades for apartment buildings. The original structural engineering firm Reiss, Brown, Ekmekji, Inc. who ran the preliminary numbers, found the new loads to be unfortunately 170% higher than those used in 1994 (based on 75% of today’s code per the ordinance). The ironic part is if you built a new building in 1994 (same exact building) and used the same values we used in the 1994 retrofit, your building would not require upgrading since the ordinance only applies to buildings with permits for new construction before 01/01/1978. This is why even our structural engineer thought the City would grant an exception but based on the cities notice they need justification to satisfy the ordinance.
I love to design! When I am presented with a new project, I prefer to have all of the restrictive ordinances and site considerations upfront with the client program. These tell me what my design options will be. Starting the design process to soon creates unnecessary delays and negates many options. Such as: integration of elements, true sustainable design for each site, and limits the design responses to putting out the fires you now have to resolve because your design did not take into consideration the sites program opportunities. My process is layered, scheduled, and percolated in the night as a design meeting within my mind. Then the process is turned into sketches and ultimately full construction plans. When I design this way, it invites creativity.
This process provides a path, one step at a time, to create a development project that the client understands and appreciates. - J. Heimler
This process provides a path, one step at a time, to create a development project that the client understands and appreciates. They know why each element is designed the way that it is and the purpose it serves. This creative process works in a single direction with the least modifications. This is the efficiency that I thrive on! Well planned design, development, production, approvals, bidding, construction, and commissioning, gives our clients a leg up on other approaches to the architectural services we provide. It is not easy. This is an integrated design process that relies on all our design team to provide input in a timely manner. This keeps our clients schedules, budgets, and priorities on track. Unfortunately this process does not always go as smooth as we hope. Unexpected delays in Plan Check or Inspections can occur. But our process has greatly limited lost schedules, assisted in design opportunities, and controlled overall budgets. Our clients have appreciated this process. If you what any proof look at the quality and quantity of projects we have successfully completed over the last 30 years.
