The ArchitecTypes Saga Continues- what kind of architect are you? part 2 of 4

Our first post covered The Allstar, The ‘Meeter’, The Academic and The “I’m an Architect” ArchitecTypes. Subsequent to that post we elicited additional ArchitecTypes by playing the following mating call on a continuous loop “No really, if you provide me with design sketches and perhaps a few rendered perspectives suitable for marketing, I promise you will be the architect if the project moves forward.” Shhhhhh… what’s that?… we seem to have attracted some more ArchitecTypes, let’s have a look:

ArchitecTypes part 2:

The Designer:
Key Characteristics: Soft spoken (they’re only concern is speaking to and hearing themselves), calling trace ‘trace’ is blasphemy, it’s bumwad, prefers to hard-line draft on trace bumwad overlaying a cad drawing of the same drawing they are ‘designing’ employing a non-photo blue or col-erase 1277 carmine red pencil, sharpies are for sketching amateurs, pentel’s are where it’s at, if they know any of the code it doesn’t apply to their particular design, their aesthetic and rendering talents are amazing

Identifiers: Mock turtleneck, eyeglasses that are so un-fashionable they’re fashionable and can make the designer, very rare, but there are accounts of one’s donning capes and canes, amazingly they can pull-off wearing cargo pants and a cargo shirt at the same time, drives a beat up Volvo or Renault Le-Car, has the office’s only electric pencil sharpener (it’s under the french curve that is next to the bow compass right by the leroy lettering tool), still not sure if they’re The Designer… ask them, they’ll tell you if they are

 

The Pragmatist:
Key Characteristics: Posses a Yoda-like wisdom (the knowledge is strong in this one it is), they’ve ‘been there and done that’- listen to them, a lot can be learned, the dark side to them is all that is curvy and contemporary- but they can be persuaded, posses the ability to sit still and listen to BS without saying a word and then go off and do things the proper way

Identifiers: Quiet, limited sense of clothing fashion, speaks in the IBC dialectic, speed dial #1 is programmed with the International Code Council, they’re the individual everyone consults to review details, can tell you the size of every W shape without looking at the AISC Manual, while not the greatest designers they do know how a building gets constructed and the proper way to document such, clients and contractors can’t say enough good things about this individual- they love that this person understands that it is a ‘real’ project with ‘real’ budget issues

 

The Project Architect /Manager: 
Key Characteristics: The Mario Botta army knife of architects, they know a little about a lot, doesn’t care what layer it’s on or what filter is needed to be applied for it to plot correctly- the drawings damn well better be what they marked up, wrong layer, what? how about put it on one layer- ‘AIA_scoobydoosolvesamystery_new’ for all I care, it doesn’t matter, the drawing will be correct, typically a dry sense of sarcastic humor, knows what they don’t know and knows who to ask to know

Identifiers: Meets deadlines, profitable, plays well with contractors, knows what all the colored lines on the computer screen actually mean, slightly elevated dress attire (key word is slightly, i.e. khakis bought on-sale at Kohls), if you see someone arguing with superiors it’s a good chance they’re a Project Architect/Manager (what’s that Mr. Foxworthy, no this angle is all mine)

 

The Studio Manager:
Key Characteristics: Excel in managing their non-management skills, clients and interns actually believe the manager knows what they are doing, very good at talking the talk of business, excel in setting unrealistic deadlines, has no involvement with a project until the last two days- then they want to throw a monkey wrench into the scheme (no really, they want to spec a monkey wrench for the FDC), on a positive note- they always sport impeccable attire, if a male they are enrolled in the Perfect Fit rewards program at Men’s Wearhouse (new managers tend to, in err, opt for shoulder pads)

Identifiers: Attends as many Tony Robbins seminars as they can get reimbursed for and then try to regurgitate them to the staff (think Sean Penn in Colors trying to tell the newbie about the bull), consider themselves a wine connoisseur but think a sommelier is a new rain screen system that no one told them about, well dressed, has stacks of magazines in their workspace to make it look as if they are busy, as they burn-out they become ‘Meeters’, they speak in riddles, if someone routinely schedules meetings but then they themselves are absent- it’s a good chance they’re a Studio Manager, adhere to the mantra of “it’s not a lie if you believe it”

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Still can’t relate to these sub-species? Stay tuned, the following sub-species shall be presented in subsequent ArchitecTypes ‘installments’:

Part 3: The Poser, The Clueless, The 9 to 5’er, and The Lifer

Part 4: The Gentleman, The All Biz, The Gifted, and The Starchitect

My ultimate goal of ArchitecTypes research has gone unrequited by the History Channel. While Plan B is still plausible, I am currently pursuing Plan C- an animated cartoon featuring an architect who has a contractor for a sidekick. Together they traverse delightful suburbs adhering to the ideals of New Urbanism. When problems are encountered they consult a magical backpack that has plans that are actually buildable! Oh, I forgot the best part, they also teach you a foreign language, problem solving skills, basic math, and physical coordination…this is genius! This has never been done before; it’s my idea, BACK OFF!

(Read this in a Lucky the Leprechaun accent)…….It’s some crazy times out here in architecture land, keep on designing and remember architecture will forever be magically delicious!

** I’ve been careless on properly referencing the images to their source…meaning I haven’t and just used an image search engine. Inform me if I’ve used any copywritten images and I’ll remove the image and send you an apology card.

ArchitecTypes- what kind of architect are you? part 1 of 4

We Architects are a curious species- even more so if one delves into the sub-species of the genome. Over the years I have encountered many types of Architects- and I myself have been morphing throughout my career. I thought it would be interesting to document my ‘sightings’ over the years. The sub-species below indicate the primary traits. While 100% pure sub-species exist, they are extremely rare- the typical is an interbreeding of many. Use this as a field guide, and track your own personal journey with-in the ArchitecTypes as you shift past and through the architectural planes.

The ArchitecTypes have been broken down into 4 separate posts- primarily to reduce the verbiage so some might actually read this post.

ArchitecTypes part 1:

The All-Star:
Key Characteristics: Employment usually achieved by being a friend of a principal, limited design talent but a ‘whiz kid’ at any and all software, the ladies usually think he’s dreamy- a Leif Garret for the new millennium (without all the legal and drug abuse issues), believes that the Teen Choice Awards are credible, goes the extra mile to get things done, needs supervision but a decent worker

Identifiers:Typically a male and a recent graduate, referred to by management as “sport”, “chief”, “big guy”, etc., extremely handsome, so much so other guys can even admit to his striking good looks, key man on the league volleyball team, usually golden in color

 

The ‘Meeter’:
Key Characteristics: If you spot one in the office and you happen to corner or threaten them with any decision needed from them, they will look down at their BlackBerry and yell “Got to go! I have a meeting at that place with that person about that stuff that only I know about,” while the individual is constantly attending ‘meetings’, no one can corroborate such meetings nor is any new work generated from such meetings

Identifiers: Typically absent from office, at ‘meetings’, due to their prolific absence no specific identifiers can be confirmed, clients will question who this person is and whether they really exist or is the bill being padded with shadow architects

 

The Academic:
Key Characteristics: Book smart, captivating speaker, although they know things do get built- they themselves have typically never had a project constructed, theorizes ad nauseam why a home located on Lloyd Wright way in Hibbing MN must be on axis with Fallingwater in Mill Run PA, hangs up the college lecture series posters but never actually attends (they know it all already)

Identifiers: Sports a real turtleneck (no mockery turtle necks), corduroy pants are of the thick-rib type (tracing back to toughskins), eyeglasses of Corbusian lineage, bow tie, sport jacket with elbow patches, owns a slide rule, some sub-sub-species don ascots

 

The “I’m an Architect”:
Key Characteristics: Typically graduated low in their class, barely passed the ARE’s, their holiday card will have the entire family in matching clothes and some ‘toy’ version of a dog as well, limited interpersonal client skills, clients develop a disdain for the individual, oddly they usually have excellent free hand drawing skills and are adept designers

Identifiers: Greets all with “I’m an Architect”, refers to themselves in the first person as “I, the Architect”, second person as “I, the Architect”, and third person as “he/she, the Architect”, uses the term Architect in describing themselves at a minimum of 783 times a day, yells at clients when clients questions their ‘architectural-ness’, this makes “I’m an Architect” upset and angry- unfortunately they do not turn green nor do they become a better architect

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Can you relate to these sub-species? If not stay tuned, the following sub-species shall be presented in subsequent ArchitecTypes ‘installments’:

Part 2: The Designer, The Pragmatist, The Project Architect/Manager and
          The Studio Manager

Part 3: The Poser, The Clueless, The 9 to 5’er, and The Lifer

Part 4: The Gentleman, The All Biz, The Gifted, and The Starchitect

Please feel free to post sub-species of your own witness or additional characteristics and/or identifiers to the sub-species already indicated. My ultimate goal is to produce an episode on MonsterQuest (I’m looking right at you History Channel) that attempts to track down these sub-species. They never catch or film a ‘monster’ so why not? Or go with Plan B, develop the sub-species of the architect genome into a prescribed dogma that can be taught at the collegiate level- with a syllabus and all!

(Read this in a deep Walter Cronkite/Tone Loc voice)…….It’s some crazy times out here in architecture land, keep on designing and keep a sense of humor!