Useful Stuff

The Scant Difference Between Choking & Thriving

   Someone asked recently about the difference in competence between today's architects and builders and those of the early 20th century that could design and build the Empire State Building in about 18 months. The actual construction took only a year plus 45 days; the remainder was design. Here's what I think:

   On the one side, an unencumbered, highly motivated, highly capable person can get an astounding amount of work done.

   On the other side, with enough interruptions, you get nothing done because the time you spend fielding the interruptions (calls, visits, conversations, etc.) eats up your entire day, and you're actually going backwards... having more to do at the end of the day because you not only got nothing done during the day, but the interruptions brought new tasks.

   Often, the difference between these two extremes isn't so great. In my Town Architect consultancy, it came down to two simple policies: "You'll have my full attention when I'm there one day a month, but don't expect to hear from me between visits." And: "Always bring back your redlined drawings from the last review."

   When I instituted these policies in early 2004, if I recall correctly, I was on the brink of giving up the Town Architect part of my business entirely because it was so all-consuming. Afterward, it was a dream. And the projects didn't suffer in any substantive way, IMO. Rather, it created a discipline with their architects and builders of having to get the drawings done on a particular day... so they arguably got some stuff done more quickly. And the "always bring back your redlines" part actually relieved some of the developments of a tremendous amount of paperwork, because the development's paperwork went almost to zero as a result. Two little one-line policies made the difference between choking and thriving.

   Bottom line, I don't think the early 20th century architects/planners/designers were so much smarter or more competent. Rather, our professions are choking now. What one-line policy changes like the ones above might help this situation?

Sales Center Accident

   I'd completely forgotten about this until I stumbled across it a minute ago looking for images for Jennifer Hurley's SmartCode presentation this evening. Before moving the sales center to the town square, the Waters used to have a backlit light table in their sales office featuring the Lucas Point (first neighborhood) plan. It had a glass top, of course. So as Town Architect, I could walk into that room (adjacent to where I was doing Town Architect reviews) with prospective buyers and quickly sketch out suggested massing for their house on their lot. Don't like it? No problem... we'd just wipe off the glass and start over with another acceptable option. But it was all accidental... the table was never intended as a design tool. It just occurred to me as a happy accident one day. I don't know what ever became of that table after the move, but they need to bring it back. Nathan Norris, are you reading this?

Serenbe 2

I'm sitting in the bar (no, this isn't a joke) at the Hil at Serenbe because the place is packed and my table wouldn't be ready for another half-hour... so I found an open table in the bar and ordered there. Steve Nygren, the Serenbe Town Founder, walked in a minute ago. I told him I'd had a delightful day, but expressed the concern some New Urbanists have with Serenbe, assuming that everyone works in downtown Atlanta, 35 miles away. So I asked him: "Where do these people live?" The bar proper was off to my left. He started at one end and worked to the other. Every person except two lived within 4 miles of Serenbe, and 2/3 of them lived in Serenbe... within walking distance. And almost all of the ones who live here also work here. He named off their businesses, which I'd seen during the day. This has very much the feel of the countless little pubs I found in England last summer while traveling there after DPZ's Hertfordshire charrette.

   Steve indicated that if we walked out into the packed dining room at the Hil, that it would be the same story. Our conversation got interrupted once as a group of patrons were leaving. It was a prominent Noonan, GA family celebrating a special event that would previously have had to drive to Atlanta for fine dining, but can now find it nearby.

   It's now 9:45, and the place is still hopping, filled with locals. I asked Steve about some of the people I'd met during the day, like the delightful fellow that runs the market underneath my unit. He lives less than 4 miles away. As does almost everyone that works here, according to Steve. Most live within Serenbe.

   For transect aficianados, there's a handful of T-3 lots and a number of T-4 lots, but the greatest number of lots are actually T-5! Put that in your formula and churn it! Bottom line... the aerial photo that caused several New Urbanists to go postal simply doesn't tell the story. It's important to see a place at ground level, because most of us simply aren't so good at reading aerial photos today.