tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17646907927133214202024-03-20T06:41:42.596+08:00Philippine Architecture and Construction NetworkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-25179377886856314442020-08-19T09:23:00.000+08:002020-08-19T09:23:01.963+08:00Face-to-Face Review or Online Review? Your Choice!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wGLdSsI6Xha88RgaJowzbTT0dvmJVng4HP7JXx2FsEbzQE5_CscFw-FfNytnC1HygwltVG3r6zz7bCMR3E1CYK9aUYw6tQ-XPb1SJiO-v5eikzWvhM0wwWXihS7PyWUx8dase0dx9GI/s1600/Instagram+Post+1080x1080+px+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wGLdSsI6Xha88RgaJowzbTT0dvmJVng4HP7JXx2FsEbzQE5_CscFw-FfNytnC1HygwltVG3r6zz7bCMR3E1CYK9aUYw6tQ-XPb1SJiO-v5eikzWvhM0wwWXihS7PyWUx8dase0dx9GI/s640/Instagram+Post+1080x1080+px+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">(Note: For social distancing measures, we will only accept up to a maximum of 45 students per class for face-to-fa</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">ce review)</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />For more information and online registration, please visit: <a href="https://atlas-cdc.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-schedules.html">https://atlas-cdc.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-schedules.html</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-2643133765990184942013-06-21T19:39:00.002+08:002013-06-21T19:39:40.339+08:00BELIEFS about STAIRS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UAfmPvvQX-UdAMzAi2lhOKWu0eSaYOpUic3bmfulumELAC5nt1R_JrN470NHScK_n5TotMOyaZBOMFHTP62TfSfBJvL3v30qfZ68Aq7uLUvO_wqpa34XJPaXee_EPJ6ZoM9ZLdlo8ec/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UAfmPvvQX-UdAMzAi2lhOKWu0eSaYOpUic3bmfulumELAC5nt1R_JrN470NHScK_n5TotMOyaZBOMFHTP62TfSfBJvL3v30qfZ68Aq7uLUvO_wqpa34XJPaXee_EPJ6ZoM9ZLdlo8ec/s200/zarate.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">By <b>Arch. Ernesto R. Zárate, </b>FPIA</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">An eastern orientation is usually required for stairs. Ilocanos position their stairs so that they rise with the morning sun. To them, if it were the other way around, you would be turning your back on your fate. But builders in Pandi, Bulacan, just like many typical Filipinos with the spirit of controversy running strong in their veins, believe tha</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">t a stairway facing east is considered bad luck because, they say, anything facing the early sun dries up ahead of all others and, in the same token, wealth that is brought into the house will dry up much faster.<br /><br />If there is no way you can make the stairs face east, at least make them face any nearby mountain. If your lot abuts a river, locate the stairs so that they rise towards the direction of upstream. This is so in order that good luck from your house would not be washed away together with the river’s flow. If the proposed house is beside the sea, or if you are building a beach house, plan the stairs in such a way that they run parallel with the shore to avoid having to grapple with the above precept. If the stairs were placed perpendicularly to the shoreline luck may flow in, but also flow out with the tides.<br /><br />Do not place a large window in the wall directly facing the stairs so that good fortune will not easily go out through that window.<br /><br />Most Western countries consider it bad luck to walk under a ladder. (Personally, avoiding this is more of a safety precaution.) In the early years of Christianity, according to mystics, the triangle symbolized eternity. A ladder set against a wall forms a triangle; thus passing under it is sacrilegious because it would be as though one was defying eternity.<br /><br />Locally, one should not make into a passageway any area under the stairs. Tagalogs never use the space beneath the stairs as sleeping quarters (as the poor Harry Potter did). The underside of wooden stairs of Ilonggo houses are usually completely covered not because of peeping Toms but because the old folks say so.<br /><br />For business establishments, especially the home-based small ones, the cashier or the place where money is kept should not be located under a staircase. In homes, rice should not be stored under the stairs because it would mean that whenever one goes up or down the stairs, “parang inaapakan ang grasya ng Diyos,” (It would seem like one is treading on the grace of God.)<br /><br />When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the stairway should not be positioned at the exact center of the structure that would divide the building into two equal parts.<br /><br />It is believed that the dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter of the house owner inserted in the staircase will strongly bond together the stringer with its supporting girder.<br /><br />Workmen going up newly constructed stairs the very first time are admonished by the old folks to always use the right foot on the first step. As they go up and down the stairs on that first day, they must have full stomachs and must have money in their pockets. This is to ensure that prosperity and abundance will always be present in the house being built. The owner or contractor usually lends some money to the carpenters assigned to do the stairs. Oftentimes, the money lent for this purpose is not returned but later spent for snacks (pansit and soft drinks) to celebrate the successful erection of the stairs.<br /><br />There was a time when dwellings in the north, from Moncada in Tarlac, and Pangasinan all the way up to the Cordilleras, had stairs—well, these were actually short ladders—that were removable and were stowed inside during the night or when the owners were away to keep off predators, rats, and thieves.<br /><br />The Manobos of Agusan, meanwhile, place two spears across their doorway when they are away; if the spears point upwards, this would mean “keep out” but if they point downwards, the owners are saying “Please come right in and wait.”<br /><br />It is but proper for a Filipino to call out “Tao, po!” when he announces his arrival at a house even before knocking at the door. This doesn’t mean he is asking if anyone is home—he is just declaring that it is a human being who is there, neither an animal nor a ghost.<br /><br />In the olden days, Ilocanos living in small huts make known their absence from their houses by putting away the short run of their bamboo stairs or by straightening up the stairs making them point skywards thus not leaning on the threshold of the entrance door.<br /><br />(From the book MORE FILIPINO BUILDING BELIEFS by Ernie Zárate.)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-51830816843665021742013-06-21T09:49:00.001+08:002013-06-21T19:32:52.347+08:00Feature Project: “BALAY TAWID” (FACTORA RESIDENCE), Sarrat, Ilocos Norte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This article illustrates the detailed process of an architect’s professional service in a residential project from its conceptualization to its completion.</i><br />
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The Factora Residence or Balay Tawid (Heritage House, Ilocano) is a 700-sqm, 2-storey, 11-bedroom house designed by Architect Raison John J. Bassig for the Factora family in 2012. Located in a 1,100-sqm corner lot across the 16th-century Sta. Monica Church in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, the design of the house was influenced by the architect’s desire to meet the family’s spatial requirements and the perpetuation of the traditional Filipino-Hispanic dwellings of the Ilocos Region.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA3FuDDpa54nz1wbspwxBNiZLZeSX2Ufh4QbtGwZ7DsAwRiyJ-wtup1Z_drumGFR4Ty3Uqb-7SLJmd7CRIoqI9jHlsrCcoSLdWsUsgPzBUEQRuJFTEE-o8agX-EmcO2O2ixaRIkud800/s1600/bassig+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA3FuDDpa54nz1wbspwxBNiZLZeSX2Ufh4QbtGwZ7DsAwRiyJ-wtup1Z_drumGFR4Ty3Uqb-7SLJmd7CRIoqI9jHlsrCcoSLdWsUsgPzBUEQRuJFTEE-o8agX-EmcO2O2ixaRIkud800/s400/bassig+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Façade of the Factora Residence at night as
seen from the northwest corner </i></span><br />
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>during landscaping works in December 2012<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q5m5-2IEYFsOoeIcGQAKAXFsECnypYYTEMsr21jzGe3Oiv97Duz-W0SgDAM8Id5A3Q76HSfHfhD38Tlm8_MxrQ6Xoa_V0BL6zOJvC_lRpqzYkprLR5cA5_fgDqOkgJ7Yf7Bp_HUxtWs/s1600/bassig+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q5m5-2IEYFsOoeIcGQAKAXFsECnypYYTEMsr21jzGe3Oiv97Duz-W0SgDAM8Id5A3Q76HSfHfhD38Tlm8_MxrQ6Xoa_V0BL6zOJvC_lRpqzYkprLR5cA5_fgDqOkgJ7Yf7Bp_HUxtWs/s320/bassig+2.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The Interior Courtyard and Fountain</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Project History</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The lot was the site of the family’s old house, a 2-storey chalet, built in the 1950s. Movement inside the house was restricted due to poor accessibility. Spaces were cramped to hold family reunions. Inadequate storage caused bedrooms to be used as stockrooms. Most parts of the house appeared dilapidated as shown by large cracks in the concrete, broken Capiz-windows, ceiling damages, exposed wirings, rusted pipes and clogged drainage. These issues prompted the owners to hire a professional who could help solve the problems besetting the family’s home – an architect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxutaXNSKsyxSMJMk1NFXz-pF2jWiJCdgqAlqYL2AXLU57swIkT09rp9OsOh-NeaByJlWz1s44iQVlWqEMR6O3FruJC8QClOca5h09tov7repXZWNIc3KSrdrcSMl5U2E8kpdccpV7qgk/s1600/bassig+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxutaXNSKsyxSMJMk1NFXz-pF2jWiJCdgqAlqYL2AXLU57swIkT09rp9OsOh-NeaByJlWz1s44iQVlWqEMR6O3FruJC8QClOca5h09tov7repXZWNIc3KSrdrcSMl5U2E8kpdccpV7qgk/s400/bassig+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The old house as seen across the Sta.
Monica Church in October 2011<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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The owners, 6 siblings, spent their childhood in this old house until most migrated to different parts of the world. Due to their divergent locations, communications by and through the architect were done via email and Skype. On February 9, 2011, the owners consulted the architect about their spatial, structural and utility problems. The architect evaluated the house and the concerns of meeting the family’s wants and needs as well as blending the site with the environment. The architect proposed his services to the owners in designing a more durable, more efficient and more beautiful home.<br />
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<b>Design Concepts</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The architect illustrated his ideas and presented a conceptual design on March 15, 2011 showing the inspiration, form, and space layout of the new house. Some concepts were approved while some were discarded. Discussions on pros and cons of each owner’s preferences and the architect’s opinions transpired for several weeks until initial plans were refined.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQ-DDHWerkbjKWSCVWMn_6NSJNElLV7AE7YYPOQhUBKAP2EcFL9cjPcjQEwxiaiERN2hsg1ytSs_HGOsocsoBBxWbO6ptCv1kKvB2H3IC71J7NrcSO7FPNFUOansMIhcMh-3QIcGYFq0/s1600/bassig+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQ-DDHWerkbjKWSCVWMn_6NSJNElLV7AE7YYPOQhUBKAP2EcFL9cjPcjQEwxiaiERN2hsg1ytSs_HGOsocsoBBxWbO6ptCv1kKvB2H3IC71J7NrcSO7FPNFUOansMIhcMh-3QIcGYFq0/s400/bassig+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Conceptual design sketches presented in
March 2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A new scheme was presented by the architect featuring a central interior courtyard bounded by naturally-ventilated and handicapped-friendly halls leading to all areas of the house. Bedrooms, each pair with common baths, were located east (cooler side) while service areas were located west (hotter side). Only the east and south wings extended to the 2nd level preserving views to the Sta. Monica Church.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz-s-NKyPslTtapRSWT7M6Gyr8at-e2FM6KLE08EygwBaSM9gwxqsDMlXnINMU03_44T6l9xtPE3rtvLym3Gr7DbpqKV4Ecl5_d8h6w_uEymtDAchg-ZU0F3vamwBtT6lwJOsqgJaG80/s1600/bassig+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz-s-NKyPslTtapRSWT7M6Gyr8at-e2FM6KLE08EygwBaSM9gwxqsDMlXnINMU03_44T6l9xtPE3rtvLym3Gr7DbpqKV4Ecl5_d8h6w_uEymtDAchg-ZU0F3vamwBtT6lwJOsqgJaG80/s400/bassig+5.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Layout showing zoning, access, vistas and
orientation </i></span><br />
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>of the proposed scheme presented in May 2011<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8Qm4fnJ6bYiH4WmwId0OiYDUoLNfPyUAxo4xDHQs9m5NUSs28b8Mpc_NjD5LHs_8Zsvl7UaE6wuNgjzGm-wIX8_-WfGCAszTd6o-SKtZsbNbcek41RiqhPZEUIl9K2c5cN4gYbcxqBc/s1600/bassig+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8Qm4fnJ6bYiH4WmwId0OiYDUoLNfPyUAxo4xDHQs9m5NUSs28b8Mpc_NjD5LHs_8Zsvl7UaE6wuNgjzGm-wIX8_-WfGCAszTd6o-SKtZsbNbcek41RiqhPZEUIl9K2c5cN4gYbcxqBc/s400/bassig+6.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Perspectives showing the exterior
appearance </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>of the proposed scheme presented in May 2011<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Walls and arches were brick-cladded akin to the church’s exterior. Capiz-like aluminum windows, wood-finished concrete ventanillas, Tegula-shaped metal roofs, and synthetically-landscaped azoteas merged the traditional with the innovative design of the house – an allusion to the architecture of the Bahay na Bato. The owners unanimously approved the scheme on May 20, 2011 with the concern of fitting the design within their budget.<br />
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<b>Architectural Design Development</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The scheme faced several revisions amid 5 months of brainstorming. The first, on June 17, 2011, proposed a prayer room, air-con locations, grilles and paint color options.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_f50jjhYDdVcuyGg7o2MbQDgrspZAy6X1RWFSjawwMQ1K_pjD-G8ksmHv52z7bXvbfocc0zpAHeIx5fWJLce081T4xq7tbtNo7okWG-ZUu6sc8UDusxJYyvPIJwJBswdd0CX9BZ008E/s1600/bassig+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_f50jjhYDdVcuyGg7o2MbQDgrspZAy6X1RWFSjawwMQ1K_pjD-G8ksmHv52z7bXvbfocc0zpAHeIx5fWJLce081T4xq7tbtNo7okWG-ZUu6sc8UDusxJYyvPIJwJBswdd0CX9BZ008E/s320/bassig+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Azotea with grilles and exterior color
revised in June 2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The second, on July 08, 2011, reduced the house by 50m2 to cut costs while retaining the optimal room sizes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtrKB_ZWAH8H9PZO-nO3fhabAi4D5XuT9_bK8TtjBtify5DhNglxteF3eiWS1VNNykl9zP0LSJ98Sb5yLGQUsJKu5lzHbxYAxcMdtKnC8mhyoa7Wv166NXvD0yDbV9gSYO-yGbebFqA0/s1600/bassig+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtrKB_ZWAH8H9PZO-nO3fhabAi4D5XuT9_bK8TtjBtify5DhNglxteF3eiWS1VNNykl9zP0LSJ98Sb5yLGQUsJKu5lzHbxYAxcMdtKnC8mhyoa7Wv166NXvD0yDbV9gSYO-yGbebFqA0/s320/bassig+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Spacious living-dining areas revised in
August 2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The third, on August 26, 2011, had larger bedrooms without the common baths; spacious living area omitting the TV wall divider; prayer room reverted to a balcony; and entrances minimized for security. The last, on September 13, 2011, included bigger kitchens; common baths in the southeast; and cabinets for custodial supplies. The final design development plans, with 11 bedrooms (6 owners, 3 caretakers, and 2 guests), a living area with loft, dining, 2 kitchens, 6 baths, laundry, foyer, lanai, 3 porches and 2 roof decks, were approved on October 19, 2011.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuexTQxJ10OaSbC2AwukMVtM3yWL9KQq8IPQKPBzq6OT7CS4j5A_H1gmCuJp52KymwRfD4Ux0nITF6dK4IqYm_bQhZaMF_er4CD5lqP8FrStstMpev-yAa6t-wabtZWMLvbjWqQIT4Y/s1600/bassig+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuexTQxJ10OaSbC2AwukMVtM3yWL9KQq8IPQKPBzq6OT7CS4j5A_H1gmCuJp52KymwRfD4Ux0nITF6dK4IqYm_bQhZaMF_er4CD5lqP8FrStstMpev-yAa6t-wabtZWMLvbjWqQIT4Y/s400/bassig+9.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Final design development plan in September
2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Specifications and Engineering Design</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Having considered various brands to lessen costs, the architect canvassed ideal materials to be specified. After updating the plans and specifications, the architect directed his engineers to design their respective engineering systems.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpPYx9lgsv4YNPXVjX_xKUT1eWHfnXjW_Nismw7WOBHk79CBn2kx6m0C2Zknlt_H2SK50XU4TVCds-6VBeTKLRhp4OwWtc6LSCYH7B4goNfN-eqxmE4ymTQNckHLHa7SNzQ2TAJ6DVHs/s1600/bassig+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpPYx9lgsv4YNPXVjX_xKUT1eWHfnXjW_Nismw7WOBHk79CBn2kx6m0C2Zknlt_H2SK50XU4TVCds-6VBeTKLRhp4OwWtc6LSCYH7B4goNfN-eqxmE4ymTQNckHLHa7SNzQ2TAJ6DVHs/s320/bassig+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Architect’s conceptual structural framing
in October 2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
The civil engineer, aided by the architect’s structural concepts, designed a reinforced concrete grid system. Foundation consisted of 35 isolated footings, 1.20m below grade, braced by tie beams. Columns, of 250mm x 250mm sectional area, supported beams of varying depths bonded to two-way slabs 125mm thick. Exterior and interior walls were 150mm and 100mm thick concrete hollow blocks, respectively. Welded steel trusses and purlins were used for the roof framing.<br />
<br />
The master plumber designed a double-filtered water supply system, distributed by polypropylene pipes, and connected to both the municipality and a private deep well. Water heaters were provided in most bathrooms. Sewerage system, through vented PVC pipes, led to a septic tank built 15m from the well. Rainwater, from gutter-less roofs to a series of trenches, was allowed to permeate the soil. Proper grading of the site’s sloping terrain averted water runoff to the house.<br />
<br />
The electrical engineer designed a 230V, 60Hz, single-phase power supply distributed by copper wires, in thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon-coated (THHN) insulators. The main lines, 150mm2 in size, served a 227-amp load on separate power and lighting panels, each with 24 circuits. The system had 10 motor outlets, 24 ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets, 51 convenience outlets, 12 TV outlets, 6 phone outlets, and 296 lighting outlets controlled by 123 switches.<br />
<br />
<b>Construction Blueprints for the Building Permit</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The architectural and engineering blueprints, with 27 sheets (14 Architectural, 4 Structural, 5 Plumbing and 4 Electrical) were drafted in November 2011. Signed and sealed by the respective design professionals (Architect for Architectural, Civil Engineer for Structural, Master Plumber for Plumbing and Electrical Engineer for Electrical), the blueprints, with the specifications and estimates, were submitted to the owners on December 07, 2011 for the building permit application.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiot7MJ3WJMCGa_agmHg8Uv3miPBnmvoJuwys_aeBbN8BBsQAPumhOaDRcZ6ZYE3vWiDTL2Xn-zxaZ2TYb4S3rHM-ONXf4gMnjXh-jo0OadBVHN1jXxlIt-sYyfuYOUWC4Ia4V0PtNQJc/s1600/bassig+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiot7MJ3WJMCGa_agmHg8Uv3miPBnmvoJuwys_aeBbN8BBsQAPumhOaDRcZ6ZYE3vWiDTL2Xn-zxaZ2TYb4S3rHM-ONXf4gMnjXh-jo0OadBVHN1jXxlIt-sYyfuYOUWC4Ia4V0PtNQJc/s320/bassig+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect submitting the blueprints and
clarifying </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>the technical details to the owners in December 2011</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Bidding and Selecting the Contractor</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The owners, having dealt with unreliable contractors before, sought the architect’s help to avoid the same difficulties again. The architect insisted that contractor selection must be through a bidding process. To protect the owners’ finances, the architect wisely stipulated in the bid conditions that the house must be built below the approved estimates.<br />
<br />
The architect invited 20 prospective contractors wherein 7 expressed their interest to bid. From February 13, 2012 to March 01, 2012, only 4 submitted their tenders, 2 withdrew and 1 disqualified for missing the deadline. The architect verified that all data were submitted by the bidders: their licenses, proofs of satisfactory performance, bank statements, company profile, manpower, equipment owned, and other guarantees. In examining the bids, only 2 passed the criteria.<br />
<br />
On March 07, 2012, with the building permit approved, the 2 qualified bidders were separately interviewed by the architect and the owners. Details of the construction contract were negotiated. The architect instructed the bidders to show their projects for final assessment of their works. The next day, the owners decided to award the construction of their new house to Asean Pearl Construction & Development Corp. The contract was signed on March 12, 2012.<br />
<br />
<b>Construction and the Architect’s Extended Services</b><br />
On March 15, 2012, the contractor began demolishing the old house. Structural and pipe works for the new house were done by May 2012. Walls were plastered in July 2012 while roofing, ceiling and exterior painting started in August 2012. Midway in the construction, the owners insisted that antique-inspired motifs be infused to the minimalist interiors. The architect expedited the modifications by designing Vigan-style furniture and lighting fixtures, wood and metal trims, and customized cabinets to the owners’ satisfaction. The architect facilitated the fabrication, procurement and installation of these interior components including appliances, window covers, finish hardware, kitchen accessories and wall paintings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi8CY1lJ8FAWajOn0qXEAbgaZeLvYjCmHdL06zz0RduevSNpZeNYOmrfrBEVKUu65KBDNuUSQqIt4PZuIG_wuCZAB_vO3mZpm1HyrgbiJN_5IArL7rZhOA_eYTyCqmK9K3u0OtYfmGs4/s1600/bassig+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi8CY1lJ8FAWajOn0qXEAbgaZeLvYjCmHdL06zz0RduevSNpZeNYOmrfrBEVKUu65KBDNuUSQqIt4PZuIG_wuCZAB_vO3mZpm1HyrgbiJN_5IArL7rZhOA_eYTyCqmK9K3u0OtYfmGs4/s320/bassig+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Excavation works after the demolishing the </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>old house and clearing the site in March 2012</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZMk_KQuelqRqiGvHE-3fWtVvPN_ouC-Uw5oRFyeRYcuJNJO5__9WCjoT3SyJZanhVq4-pqIAaMLze5x6CVOJ5-mMQRHbg3OBTn2uUOIC6asUePw9kjXkn6OvBf4BRXey83GpWpHvx9Y/s1600/bassig+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZMk_KQuelqRqiGvHE-3fWtVvPN_ouC-Uw5oRFyeRYcuJNJO5__9WCjoT3SyJZanhVq4-pqIAaMLze5x6CVOJ5-mMQRHbg3OBTn2uUOIC6asUePw9kjXkn6OvBf4BRXey83GpWpHvx9Y/s320/bassig+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect and the project engineer
discussing </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>the structural works in May 2012</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHLot4NOU-To2cxbBbLU4eZmLKITjFuSwDNvrz3cXNjkQTHXPqkzLRDpblr6LxTJd8EE_uL4x67kDrlR6aL9ekM_UbzpoivsH8tOhTT_s7jnSqx9cqgTbycAsCaul1Z92KZxe2lxRbHw/s1600/bassig+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHLot4NOU-To2cxbBbLU4eZmLKITjFuSwDNvrz3cXNjkQTHXPqkzLRDpblr6LxTJd8EE_uL4x67kDrlR6aL9ekM_UbzpoivsH8tOhTT_s7jnSqx9cqgTbycAsCaul1Z92KZxe2lxRbHw/s320/bassig+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect instructing the engineers and
the foreman on the </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>wall layout for the common baths in July 2012</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKGqong_-HLKMcxpNJCM6baNcDga9mILxvp1MQFkdlrjPGp2ImI65skDJ7ajEsT3OWllyRWgy0d6idOuUEEhOxHmDKg5_HXmgRprRbTrhx_5jOqdDTk3IxOOWa_nWkQEQK7YMFPLmfe0/s1600/bassig+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKGqong_-HLKMcxpNJCM6baNcDga9mILxvp1MQFkdlrjPGp2ImI65skDJ7ajEsT3OWllyRWgy0d6idOuUEEhOxHmDKg5_HXmgRprRbTrhx_5jOqdDTk3IxOOWa_nWkQEQK7YMFPLmfe0/s320/bassig+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Custom furniture designed by the architect
being </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>fabricated in Bantay, Ilocos Sur</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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By October 2012, all doors, windows, tiles, fixtures, carpentry and floor finishes were fitted by the contractor. The owners additionally requested the architect to modify the outdoor areas by providing personalized designs of the fountain, grilles, fences, landscape and signage. By mid-December 2012, lighting fixtures and appliances were installed while interior painting and site works were about to be completed. An average of 30 workers per day was employed by the contractor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7i5maYJGhHRXH-nY6yRbXZe7qs8OWu0dg_y8Tb29TQ-SJXpHcQoEYeIg7ZYe5OM6wyd9uJuTJbKynP_-VX4WRPx8ISe28wR4DcKRZsUcBeoZ11n-n29ed6H7eBYlKop_EET3dzLwJWU/s1600/bassig+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7i5maYJGhHRXH-nY6yRbXZe7qs8OWu0dg_y8Tb29TQ-SJXpHcQoEYeIg7ZYe5OM6wyd9uJuTJbKynP_-VX4WRPx8ISe28wR4DcKRZsUcBeoZ11n-n29ed6H7eBYlKop_EET3dzLwJWU/s320/bassig+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect checking and fitting the wine
glass holders at the kitchen nook</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FFuvqkgQ2nRSkteormtKKKHDv-fM0SLMO7NVL7F6hfk4zBqkYxOb_Mo5u9rAbrQ_gg-3_lLf1AvYk39n8VL1dwoEviynbG7ZXgZjQ4kN_S6pPNOUih5tfTyVmnJsnfPdwnt-e5MmG3M/s1600/bassig+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FFuvqkgQ2nRSkteormtKKKHDv-fM0SLMO7NVL7F6hfk4zBqkYxOb_Mo5u9rAbrQ_gg-3_lLf1AvYk39n8VL1dwoEviynbG7ZXgZjQ4kN_S6pPNOUih5tfTyVmnJsnfPdwnt-e5MmG3M/s320/bassig+17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect demonstrating to the engineer
and the carpenter the layout of the </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>family’s signage to be constructed in the
bedrooms</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj5mJcLlijpNraWGyZ3RlHzCxY0Z1Sr5gDJgq8zuc4T1f-uUfMMOBjTTgDWmfgoe52u4yrSTHNcku8qJL9yxfpikSSN6nLDRjD0W-oPUCEBo3JXGYcUl8h46U3b8rNWYlxQWHFugtTe8/s1600/bassig+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj5mJcLlijpNraWGyZ3RlHzCxY0Z1Sr5gDJgq8zuc4T1f-uUfMMOBjTTgDWmfgoe52u4yrSTHNcku8qJL9yxfpikSSN6nLDRjD0W-oPUCEBo3JXGYcUl8h46U3b8rNWYlxQWHFugtTe8/s320/bassig+18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect and the engineer discussing
the modified fence construction<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMr7C1nwPTWHuPNH7codW-D9UvKo95kwZy5_GMAu4ZwicwCmrsHGgtkqUkFVzytlf7GzIW4VBPvOGdCGEM3D0awII-v5JI-JS08HYxvUwt7u1q4Imn2u-FvYmLebxnMU9-_qjG0pzky0/s1600/bassig+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMr7C1nwPTWHuPNH7codW-D9UvKo95kwZy5_GMAu4ZwicwCmrsHGgtkqUkFVzytlf7GzIW4VBPvOGdCGEM3D0awII-v5JI-JS08HYxvUwt7u1q4Imn2u-FvYmLebxnMU9-_qjG0pzky0/s320/bassig+19.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Diverse works on the house façade</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG09oxJbw3dAqn_7GGeyvmDCav9NNnkppqCC3t2XiFFYPr5IB7kM7JqbCIz9hnnUCIlY-T5xLY82q85aJyAFajKhSwTEPA48rxAmv2nd2qAsbYuVpnucHyFYSZefOo-aVHBv3TV-BXtY/s1600/bassig+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG09oxJbw3dAqn_7GGeyvmDCav9NNnkppqCC3t2XiFFYPr5IB7kM7JqbCIz9hnnUCIlY-T5xLY82q85aJyAFajKhSwTEPA48rxAmv2nd2qAsbYuVpnucHyFYSZefOo-aVHBv3TV-BXtY/s320/bassig+20.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Installing the decorative chandeliers</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The architect worked a total of 88 days of 8-hour on-site supervision. All construction queries were responded to by the architect. Unforeseen problems required the architect to play a vital role in resolving issues. When changes were proposed by both the owners and the contractor, the architect had to render quick but objective decisions considering the viability and aesthetics of their suggestions. All payment requests of the contractor were first evaluated by the architect before the owners paid their bills. Likewise, the architect assessed all additive changes ordered by the owners and advised the contractor to make appropriate adjustments to the original contract price accordingly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQe8ec6yKCeECYJHlJT2Qy_NhcHgyzZu4Z0XlDgU2im9qdyAERNatI7YIESAY23QziR_hpQsDNyOxgczCz8ofiHj7iJM6dILcWhB6yGzrrnTOVwvKfY6723qiQeRACurZyhLU8Lz5LDhk/s1600/bassig+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQe8ec6yKCeECYJHlJT2Qy_NhcHgyzZu4Z0XlDgU2im9qdyAERNatI7YIESAY23QziR_hpQsDNyOxgczCz8ofiHj7iJM6dILcWhB6yGzrrnTOVwvKfY6723qiQeRACurZyhLU8Lz5LDhk/s200/bassig+21.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect inspecting the
custom-designed lamp post grilles<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KUZTa-KFB2tWjLIbVsGKQXDYi-r2D2qS25pLqUQg5POOVc1Q1Nqt8Py94wKSp7Kqwb0P_ZO9pepLDBkRNfkaiXV93O-ztyVUJRzN7bIXvGLxAlpLxfsunRkMLkKhHVExwt7vuJkE89w/s1600/bassig+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KUZTa-KFB2tWjLIbVsGKQXDYi-r2D2qS25pLqUQg5POOVc1Q1Nqt8Py94wKSp7Kqwb0P_ZO9pepLDBkRNfkaiXV93O-ztyVUJRzN7bIXvGLxAlpLxfsunRkMLkKhHVExwt7vuJkE89w/s200/bassig+22.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The architect and the workers installing
the customized ceiling fixture at the porch<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEoSxw_-UW45GAdpCt7di2gebXYn8R4O2KdTXwukjxkZQ7OTL4JRhRpVUAFRNyLZWAmWFO4bpDzUoML_6OOwTVVsd1GHfHeQeVS4XoDwvZWgHsdSjrsBofcE-P5y5JdpiF7BQiWl7D4c/s1600/bassig+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEoSxw_-UW45GAdpCt7di2gebXYn8R4O2KdTXwukjxkZQ7OTL4JRhRpVUAFRNyLZWAmWFO4bpDzUoML_6OOwTVVsd1GHfHeQeVS4XoDwvZWgHsdSjrsBofcE-P5y5JdpiF7BQiWl7D4c/s200/bassig+23.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>The paintings of a local artist were
mounted by the workers<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7L6Yi_qwE6OLl4gGZ89qaeDJVU5r37EJp0CzZiqQf8YsAUppDmsrZXgCK20Py25RL1C4sVX0zD_mz7xOztpWLaWjm_XnGAemD2KbHBSXx10bpg5IsgHbOwd2Z5Xpl_hpRCgTdtGoCpo/s1600/bassig+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7L6Yi_qwE6OLl4gGZ89qaeDJVU5r37EJp0CzZiqQf8YsAUppDmsrZXgCK20Py25RL1C4sVX0zD_mz7xOztpWLaWjm_XnGAemD2KbHBSXx10bpg5IsgHbOwd2Z5Xpl_hpRCgTdtGoCpo/s200/bassig+24.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Adjustments on courtyard trench drain
grilles</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Project Completion</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On December 22, 2012, the new house was substantially completed. Imperfections found by the architect were instantly repaired by the contractor. For the owners’ interests, the architect required that defects caused by improper installation are guaranteed to be rectified by the contractor without costs to the owners for a period of 1 year.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPb7mHVyqZaf0Kgdl7iOeVqlfc-5AK-vk7Dce3zZK-7mdPL9cgB20PyzkgXWuMepNhnM5hkz02kZQaDoXP9O1zYHEOoKPaPmkEHx7CCacTAY86dMs6TGvrNIul6ZYDNjaVGyF_fWq6iDE/s1600/bassig+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPb7mHVyqZaf0Kgdl7iOeVqlfc-5AK-vk7Dce3zZK-7mdPL9cgB20PyzkgXWuMepNhnM5hkz02kZQaDoXP9O1zYHEOoKPaPmkEHx7CCacTAY86dMs6TGvrNIul6ZYDNjaVGyF_fWq6iDE/s320/bassig+25.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Capiz windows from the old house reused as
lighting fixtures for the foyer<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMswWxTGlNoJX-67_sL9Gpqa5mR6ST8VoIi4mVKG2_C7z1web_Hj7xLVUA-v0hoyYNgfc8HxoeUTb3owB38DJFT3Y-9pwgd3iv-KMOxQqra_PKM1ejkGNsK4XQRPWJH9faWeHGBIoiRY/s1600/bassig+26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMswWxTGlNoJX-67_sL9Gpqa5mR6ST8VoIi4mVKG2_C7z1web_Hj7xLVUA-v0hoyYNgfc8HxoeUTb3owB38DJFT3Y-9pwgd3iv-KMOxQqra_PKM1ejkGNsK4XQRPWJH9faWeHGBIoiRY/s320/bassig+26.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Modern/vernacular-inspired main stairs at
the loft-type living area<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAikq1JyvyYsBP4olIEuhd8jHax4eN5jZqfUd6-ErbG0kdukaObRqqyxcVPL1u5Dp72LJPvDQo1deTgqQo7B9Ia7iTBzmUU6NyhY5-7iRIY88JPz-WCveiXQg3aa1Yd9SvmPJ9i73yyqo/s1600/bassig+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAikq1JyvyYsBP4olIEuhd8jHax4eN5jZqfUd6-ErbG0kdukaObRqqyxcVPL1u5Dp72LJPvDQo1deTgqQo7B9Ia7iTBzmUU6NyhY5-7iRIY88JPz-WCveiXQg3aa1Yd9SvmPJ9i73yyqo/s320/bassig+27.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-PH" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Hallways around the house provided with
handrails for accessibilit</i>y<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>
Problems beyond the responsibilities of the architect and the contractor were matters concerning public utilities, such as, blackouts, water shortages, and lack of local drainage system. The architect addressed these anticipated issues ahead of time by designing provisions for an emergency power supply, an elevated water tank, and drain pipe stub-outs around the lot. The back-up generator and water tank are to be purchased and installed by the owners when their finances permit.<br />
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Overall, the new home of the Factora family was greeted with praise and admiration. The 6 siblings and the caretakers, with their respective families, each had their own rooms complete with closets, desks, and storage spaces. As a result of careful planning and interrelationship of spaces, movement around the house was more convenient. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8I9Qp7ND3QnjdT_K5ZqjS29dOxy-LwBHxC3kncm7TFadH0CN5XznbWbMW4-lPuVE92JCs_iaw5O76Giq-27gEQKXuf_Nsnc1pgtoP-bGa4OhpEcQuMJQfYJsTju4C6hL26HReDd0Pgk/s1600/bassig+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8I9Qp7ND3QnjdT_K5ZqjS29dOxy-LwBHxC3kncm7TFadH0CN5XznbWbMW4-lPuVE92JCs_iaw5O76Giq-27gEQKXuf_Nsnc1pgtoP-bGa4OhpEcQuMJQfYJsTju4C6hL26HReDd0Pgk/s400/bassig+28.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The interiors were less cluttered with ample built-in cabinets and better furniture layout. Heat gain was minimized by proper orientation of rooms and appropriate use of insulating materials. Visual connectivity of the outdoors from all areas inside the house was maintained. The design of the house exemplified the fusion of the contemporary with the vernacular that essentially synthesized the soul of the structure with its surroundings. With the architect’s help, the owners had fulfilled their dreams of a beautiful home that shall be their legacy to their family’s heritage, to their parents and to their community.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vh9A6duxLiuuVoUjwqvGPu2u-dfQJfteAEwwHxMmPs7LwMNIVmx3MdBkXc1hQRkoJrBFHMEQy_BxCUbgSWIL2PDafNEVtqGD9dOkc0S3xPHuB1Ik1uiDx1v4TeKvQACQimFA3kk92-8/s1600/bassig+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vh9A6duxLiuuVoUjwqvGPu2u-dfQJfteAEwwHxMmPs7LwMNIVmx3MdBkXc1hQRkoJrBFHMEQy_BxCUbgSWIL2PDafNEVtqGD9dOkc0S3xPHuB1Ik1uiDx1v4TeKvQACQimFA3kk92-8/s400/bassig+30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Raison John J. Bassig, 30, is a registered and licensed Architect (1st placer, 2006 Board Exams), Master Plumber (10th placer, 2007 Board Exams), and Environmental Planner (4th placer, 2008 Board Exams). He is the principal architect and owner of Le Studio de Raison, based in Quezon City, Philippines.</i><br />
<br />
<i>For more detailed photos of the design and construction process of the Factora Residence, kindly visit the Architect’s Facebook Album “Factora Residence (from concept to reality)” or by copying the link provided below and paste it on your web browser’s address bar:<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150622577001880.414914.555506879&type=3">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150622577001880.414914.555506879&type=3</a><br /> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-46177533821636947412013-06-11T22:56:00.002+08:002013-06-12T10:42:11.866+08:00Why should you approach an architect?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
For most people a house is the single biggest and most valuable investment you will make in your lifetime. The value of that property is measured by either its resale potential or ability to generate income. The question which you have to ask yourself is what would be the best thing to do to cut on costs. <br />
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<b>So…why should you approach an architect?</b><br />
<br />
1. <b>Save money</b>: When presented with a costing from a contractor few people know what to look for which leads to expensive realizations at a later stage. In other words; whatever you are saving on architectural fees will be going into somebody’s pocket in any case…Architects are trained to spot hidden or missing costs. They can also advise a client regarding the application of alternative and cost saving measures, without sacrificing quality.<br />
<br />
2. <b>Relieve stress</b>: The construction process can be stressful, especially if you do not know what you are doing. Having the process carefully planned will help notify you when something is wrong. Asking the correct questions will make all the difference. Not knowing what is really going on can be very stressful.<br />
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3. <b>Security</b>: “The contractor ran off with our money”. We’ve all heard the phrase. This is a concern which can be addressed by appointing a qualified professional. During the construction process a contractor would submit interim payment certificates, which would be validated by an architect prior to being presented to the client for payment.<br />
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4. <b>DIY doesn’t Sell</b>: So many potential buyers have viewed properties where a badly done renovation has left a foul taste lingering. Do you think that the current owner was ever under the impression that he might be doing serious damage to his investment? One’s personal preference and taste does not necessarily coincide with that of future buyers. In fact the costs involved in rectifying your DIY fetish will only discourage future buyers.<br />
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5. <b>Integrated design vs. a couple of ideas slapped together</b>: Architects are trained to perceive the greater opportunities presented by a situation. This leads to more informed decisions and in the end a more coherent whole. Having an architect draw up a master plan will assist you in planning the process step by step and prevent you from incurring unnecessary costs at a later stage.<br />
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6. <b>Objective Advice</b>: Being sentimentally involved with your property means that you are not always able to make the correct decisions. Unless your budget is endless the construction process will always involve sacrifice. An architect will be able to advise you when and what to sacrifice in order to unlock the maximum potential of your property.<br />
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7. <b>Qualified advice</b>: An architect’s training includes an undergraduate degree comprising 5 years full time study. After completing his/her studies successfully, an architect still has to complete 2 years in practice training and then pass a Professional Licensure exam. This adds up to a minimum of 7 years which is almost the same time it takes to become a doctor (integrated course)). The question to ask yourself: <i>Have you ever been to the doctor and negotiated a price or even told him what to do and how to do it?</i><br />
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8. <b>Restrictions</b>: A zoning ordinance is a legal document, which records all land-use rights on properties in its area of jurisdiction. It includes regulations and restrictions on such rights and how they can be exercised. The zoning ordinance is enforced by the Office of the Building Official (where you apply for Building Permits). Zoning restrictions include: building setbacks overlooking features, bulk calculations, heritage concerns and can often be complicated and time consuming.<br />
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9. <b>Insurance</b>: Few people are aware that not having a professional might lead to dire consequences later. Essentially what you are doing is creating a loophole for your insurance provider. Even if nothing goes wrong during the actual construction process. Any damage to the structure, even though it only manifests itself years later will be attributed to the particular alterations, if not conducted appropriately.<br />
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10. <b>Legal</b>: Lastly, it is the most legal thing to do. Only Registered and Licensed Architects (RLAs) are allowed to practice architecture in the Philippines. Architects have been issued the Certificate of Registration upon passing the tough Licensure Examination in the Philippines and are also granted the Professional Licenses (PRC Cards) to be able to practice. Republic Act 9266 solely grants to RLAs the right to sign and seal architectural documents.<br />
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<a href="http://kubearchitecture.com/2010/10/07/the-value-of-an-architectural-appointment/">source</a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-84843947630831623652013-06-11T22:07:00.002+08:002013-06-11T22:07:21.040+08:00“Drafting is the soul of architecture”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
I wonder if this old man’s envy is common to others his age—envy for those younger architects who are experts at what is now known as “electronic drawing.” Envy for not being able to create such clean beautiful lines without the use of a drafting table, scale, T-square, triangle, pencil, eraser and other paraphernalia. It’s the fingers now that do all the work, pressing numbers and letters on the keypad of a PC or laptop.<br />
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Honestly, I don’t remember being taught how to draft. What is vivid in my mind is when our instructor in college scolded me for using the scale like a ruler. “It is only used for measuring,” he sneered. Although later I would discover it could also be a convenient tool for cutting tracing paper from a roll or for scratching an itchy back.<br />
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I remember the very first time I used a T-square. It was so cumbersome. I hadn’t learned the technique yet of pulling on to the ruling surface with my left arm while positioning or holding down the triangle with the hand. Later also would I learn the convenience and good sense to draw vertical lines along the left side the triangle starting from the bottom towards the top and for horizontal lines from left to right.<br />
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I also had to unlearn how to hold a pencil when drafting. And that one had to twirl the pencil as a line is drawn so that pantay ang pagkapudpod and you end up with a rounded pencil point, not chisel-edged which could tear the paper and ruin your work. But with the early mechanical pencils (or “lead holders” as they were called then) the leads were about 1/16 of an inch in diameter so one had to constantly sharpen the point of the pencil either with a “pencil pointer” contraption or a piece of fine sandpaper stapled to a piece of flat stick. Extreme care would always be taken in sharpening pencil points because there was always the danger that the dust from the graphite particles would smudge one’s work.<br />
<br />
For general drafting work, I always used “B” especially during humid weather or within an air-conditioned drafting room. “HB” or “F” for the fine thin lines. During dry days though, I would use “HB” for general drafting; “F” and “H” for finer lines. You see it is not the lead that is the problem but the softness of the paper, or moisture absorbed by the paper you being used (“Snowhite” was the “in” brand then). The harder pencils were for dry weather and the softer grades for humid or wet weather.<br />
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Before my eyesight started to fail, I used to pride myself in drawing bricks to scale (1:100M) without any miscue in the verticals of a “running bond” pattern (what many mistakenly call “hollow block pattern.”) Ahhh… them were the days… And I used to pride myself in having different gradients or thicknesses of lines. I used to observe how the drawings were done in the Architectural Graphic Standards and copy the line gradients as best I could. I also tried to copy, again as best I could, the style of lettering used in the book… some sort of flattish expanded Helvetica or Arial—all caps. If there was time, I would always ink my title blocks using my trusty “Doric” lettering set (I couldn’t afford the more elaborate “Leroy” set then).<br />
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In the early 60’s, in the office we established with Arch. Ruben Payumo and three other aspiring architects, we copied the drafting standards set by Adrian Wilson (where Archs. Lina Orobia and Freddie Hocson, our other partners, used to work together with Ruben) where specific sized letters and callouts were followed. And for a more “professional” look, I even adopted their lettering style of using the triangle for all verticals or stems of block letters. Neat.<br />
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But it was always the layout of the drawings in a sheet that drew special attention. These were never done haphazardly. They were always aligned vertically and horizontally—in good order and harmony. It was like setting various dishes on a buffet table… they had to be pleasing to the eye and look invitingly delicious.<br />
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That was architectural drafting in the old days. I am sure ALL the great architects of the Philippines today took pride in their drafting work… MANUAL drafting, that is. Electronic drawings? Ah, anybody could do that… even a CAD operator who knows nothing of architecture can do that. But manual drafting? Truly, that is the soul of Architecture.
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-16964836890508616702013-06-11T21:56:00.003+08:002013-06-11T21:56:59.591+08:00The Tapsi Turvee World of Pinoy Signs and Names <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">HOMESPUN
WIT AND HUMOR are manifest in the signs the Filipino puts up and the
names he coins. He is quite creative. It may even be claimed that he is
either very inventively humorous or humorously inventive.<br /> <br /> In the early fifties and sixties, for example, when the basic transportation fare within Metro Manila was just ten centavos, <span class="text_exposed_show">the
creative Filipino jeepney driver, instead of using a formal statement
to request passengers to sit properly in public conveyances, posts the
sign “Upong Diyes Po Lamang.” One admires, too, the truck driver who
crudely paints the quaint warning at the rear of his vehicle “Potpot
Bago Losot.” A more sophisticated bumper signage is “’Wag Gumitgit;
Baka Sumabit.”<br /> <br /> However, the Filipino blue collar oftentimes
makes use of many well-meaning signs that often makes me wince, like
“Parking Strickly for Costumers Only”; the cryptic “No Beer is
Prohibited to Minors Below 18 Yrs. Old”; the mind-cringing “Specialize
in Vokswagen”; and the irritating “Road Close.”<br /> <br /> Do Filipino
drivers know how to read traffic signs or is it because they just don’t
care? Here’s a testimony of their indiscipline: Along the highway, an
ordinary “NO OVERTAKING” sign is not enough. After a few hundred
meters, it has to be followed with “STRICTLY NO OVERTAKING.” This makes
me sometimes wish that the next signpost along the road would be a large
arrow pointing to a total wreck of a car with a placard beside it that
says “AYAW MANIWALA KASI, E. ” <br /> <br /> From EDSA, when you turn
towards Ayala Avenue or the central business district of Makati, you
would be confronted by this officious looking sign: “CLOSED DOOR POLICY
STRICTLY ENFORCED.” Don’t take this as a sign of snobbish corporate
exclusivity. It simply means that buses plying the route are required to
keep their doors shut so that reckless passengers cannot jump in or out
in the middle of dangerous intersections. <br /> <br /> A friend who lives
out of town and only occasionally comes to Manila was wondering why so
many new signs were put up for a visiting Chinese VIP named “PED XING”
until she almost got arrested for jaywalking.<br /> <br /> Shortly after the
EDSA Revolution, a makeshift sign was painted behind the giant bust of
Marcos on the mountainside along the highway to Baguio that says
”PUEDENG UMIHI DITO.”<br /> <br /> At EDSA Crossing in Mandaluyong, naughty
street vendors scraped off the letters “W” and “D” from a “DITO PO
TUMAWID” sign to the delight of passers-by.<br /> <br /> Not far away, along
the side road near the China Overpass, I found a perfect illustration
of irony and an innocent denigration of government ineptitude. The
common government infrastructure sign, “THIS IS WHERE YOUR TAXES GO,”
was used as a temporary barrier over an open storm drain manhole.<br /> <br />
And now, lets turn to signboards of commercial establishments. Among my
early favorites are the ironic “Funeraria Mabuhay,” and the intriguing
“3 Sisters Vulcanizing” (One wonders if the girls are still doing their
thing till now). Now, we have “Elizabeth Tailoring,” “Goldirocks Gravel
& Sand,” “Peter Pan De Sal,” “Scissors Palace Barber Shop,” and
“Mercy Buko Fresh Coconuts.” “Cinna Von” does not sell sweet pastries—it
is a Laundromat. “ Pansit ng Taga-Malaboni” is a noodle shop found near
Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City. And if you love James Bond thrillers,
this one would surely stick to your brain: “Farmacia With Love.” <br /> <br />
Here are other store names: “Maruya Carey” (selling turon and maruya),
“Wrap and Roll” (a lumpia outlet), “Isda Best” (a fish restaurant),
“Curl up and Dye” (beauty parlor), “Petal Attraction” (flower shop),
“Maid to Order” (a placement agency), “Doris Day and Night” (a 24-hour
karinderia), “Candies Be Love” (a candy store), and “Ali Baka” (a
shawarma establishment). <br /> <br /> Oftentimes, a catchy name would
spell the difference between success and failure when trying to attract
customers into a store or eating-place. Riding on the popularity of the
brand names of big chains may help in memory recall but somewhat
cheapens the business establishment. Just like these flippant puns:
“Caintacky Fried Chicken” at Cainta, Rizal, or, “Aristobak,” an eatery
frequented by taxi drivers behind the classy Aristocrat Restaurant in
the old days. I’m sure you’ve also heard of the insolent imitations like
“Mang Donald’s,” “Jobillee” and “Magnobia” almost infringing on the
copyrighted brand names of the food giants. How about the jeepney that
was remodeled and now serves low-priced quick lunches at sidewalks? Its
name? “VIAje MARE.” <br /> <br /> What I personally found cute was this
small karinderia near Banawe, which boasted of delicious home-cooked
food—“Cooking ng Ina Mo.” It became so successful that a competitor,
wanting to get even, perhaps, put up one just like it right across the
street—“Cooking ng Ina Mo Rin”! <br /> <br /> Still on the subject of
business names, small gift shops or boutiques owned by three partners
often take the first syllables of the owners’ first names to call their
shop. “Felumar’s,” for example, may be owned by the kumadres, Fely,
Lumeng and Maria. “Rodeliz,” meantime, comes from the first syllables of
Rowena, Delia and Elizabeth. Following this trend, business partners
Potenciana, Tangerine and Innamorata, should either change their given
names, choose a store name not based on their names, or maybe should not
go into partnership at all.<br /> <br /> The Filipino loves to concoct
delicious names. Not so long ago, for instance, an alternative
basketball league (MBA or Metropolitan Basketball Association) was
established to complement (if not compete with) the very popular PBA or
Philippine Basketball Association. Similar to the NBA of the USA, the
original plan was to decentralize the game and organize several teams to
represent different areas in the country. That kicked-off a mad
guessing game among punsters on what names these ball clubs would be
sporting—the more preposterous, the funnier. Early suggestions were:
“Cavite Anting-Antings,” “Batangas Balisongs,” and “Cubao Farmers.”
Later contributions were getting more outlandish—“Bulacan Sweets,”
“Pampanga’s Best” and even “Baguio Beans.” Who would be courageous
enough to play against a team that calls itself the “Muntinlupa
Inmates”? The only lineup that could probably match up to them would be
the “Iwahig Internees.” Then there is this mythical group of tall boys
from Bicol called “Legaspi Towers” and the paradox of a team, the
“Pandacan Giants.” <br /> <br /> Even well known personalities are not
invulnerable from the blitz of creative name-callers. For instance,
there is this gravel and sand company owned by four guys whose family
names are Andrada, Trinidad, Ortega and Yap. Their corporate name?
“A.T.O.Y. Co.” How about this small talipapa in Guadalupe that is named
“Orly’s Mercado”?<br /> <br /> The “gaya gaya, puto maya” syndrome is not an
exclusive Filipino trait. The Japanese, for instance, came out with
“Land Cruiser,” an all-purpose, all-terrain utility vehicle when they
copied the British “Land Rover.” But what do you think the Filipino
called its copy of the “Pajero”? You guessed it—“Parejo,” with the “j”
pronounced the way Spanish do. <br /> <br /> Chateaubriand, ratatouille or
coq au vin are popular French dishes. But did you know that we have our
own version of escargot? It is called “iskargu” which is the short for
the common man’s ulam: isda, karne at gulay.<br /> <br /> Let’s be more
plebeian. Roasted chicken feet are simply called “adidas”; barbecued
chicken intestines, meanwhile, are “IUD’s” because they do look like
those birth-control devices; a broiled chicken kidney is “bato.”
Char-grilled pork ears are labeled “Walkman.” An exotic aphrodisiac fare
of pork testicles is listed as “Great Balls of Fire.” A menu item with
the name “The Day After the Fiesta Special” is actually “paksiw na
lechon.”<br /> <br /> The combo breakfast of tapa, sinangag and itlog is now
commonly known as “tapsilog” (“tapsi” for short), “tusilog” has tuyo as
the main entrée, while “longsilog” has longanisa. Many more creative
combinations have been invented since. Then the eateries where these are
served followed suit. One such outlet calls itself “Tapsi Turvee.” <br /> <br />
“Truth in advertising” disallows the use of claims for a product or
service that are refutable, but is limited to just that—claims. In other
words, if a word or words describe some salient feature of a product
but is endemic to the name and no claims are made about it, it is okay.
For example, “Katialis,” a local skin ointment, actually does not remove
the itch but attacks the cause of the malady. In the same manner, if
you call your building “The X Tower,” it’s okay even if the structure is
only six stories high. One cannot complain that there are neither
plains in the hilly subdivision of White Plains, nor hills in the
relatively flat Greenhills area. <br /> <br /> Whether he lives in an
exclusive subdivision or in a cramped hovel under a bridge somewhere,
the Filipino’s talent and penchant for dreaming up names and signs are
incomparable. Aside from the admitted fact that “likas na palatawa and
Pinoy,” he is proud to call his country “The Land of a Thousand Smiles.”
That is why he swears by the sign that says: “Bawal ang Nakasimangot
Dito.” </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-8496831241196035702013-06-11T21:54:00.003+08:002013-06-12T12:32:47.879+08:00“Bawal ang patiwarik”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">YOU MAY BRAND ME SUPERSTITIOUS… nay, not just superstitious but overly
superstitious for delving on this topic. But, as I have often said in my
books, “Oro, Plata Mata, Filipino Building Beliefs” and its sequel,
“More Filipino Building Beliefs,” (with tongue-in-cheek, of course)
“Wala naman mawawala,e. Kaya sumunod ka na lang.”<br /> <br /> There is this Batan<span class="text_exposed_show">gueño
building belief that they call “Bawal ang patiwarik” or “Upside-down is
forbidden.” This means that building materials shall be installed in a
house with their natural ends where they should be—the bottom end of a
piece of bamboo should be at the bottom part, and the top end should be
on top. Even wood members have to follow this “rule.” <br /> <br /> The
poser, as mentioned in the books, is—“How would you know which is the
bottom or top part of a piece of wood that has been precision-cut in a
lumberyard?” The ends look the same. One cannot visually differentiate
the bottom from the top, it seems.<br /> <br /> Well, there are three ways in which to distinguish the natural top from the natural bottom.<br /> <br />
First, tie a piece of cord or rope at the exact middle of the length of
wood. Raise it up. The end that tips down is the bottom. You see, wood
is denser at the bottom. <br /> <br /> Second, scratch both ends of the wood
and smell it. The end that has the stronger scent of sap is the bottom
because, by gravity, sap settles to the bottom of the wood.<br /> <br /> The
third method is by observing how the piece of wood flows down a stream.
(Lumber used to be delivered to the job site in this manner during the
olden days.) The leading end is usually the heavier end, thus the bottom
end. The lighter end always trails.<br /> <br /> Batangueños abide by this
“Bawal ang patiwarik” idea because of the belief that if a post or
vertical member is placed in a house with the wrong end up, “palubog din
daw ang buhay ng mga nakatira doon.” (The lives of the people staying
in that house would also sink.) <br /> <br /> This belief applies also to other things and not necessarily limited to just construction materials.<br /> <br /> Which is brings us to the bone of contention of my “dissertation”.<br /> <br /> The root cause of all the ills and troubles of the Philippine National Police is this: their logo is upside down.<br /> <br /> What I am talking about is the shield symbol… it is upside down.<br /> <br />
I am from the North. And I observed that all the ceremonial shields
used by the Igorots have their three points up and two points down. It
is the representation of a warrior in a defense position. This is
similar to a boxer in defense who has his two hands up. The third point
would be his head. While the two ends pointing down would represent his
legs. <br /> <br /> In the course of my researches for the books I have
written, in all the illustrations I have come across of indigenous
Filipino weaponry, it is the same… three ends up and two ends down.<br /> <br /> Baligtad ang ginagamit na kalasag ng PNP.<br /> <br /> “Bawal ang patiwarik.” <br /> <br />
Maybe the leadership of the PNP can look in to this. As I say again and
again, “Wala namang mawawala kung sumunod sa pamihiin, e. Magastos nga
lang kung ngayon pang gagawin ang pagbabago.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-53535950917538315242013-06-11T21:51:00.003+08:002013-06-11T21:52:13.860+08:00LUCKY NUMBERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Wikipedia
tells us that “Numerology is any study of the purported divine,
mystical or other special relationship between a number and some
coinciding observed (or perceived) events… but are no longer considered
part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics or
pseudoscience by modern scientists.” Let’s leave this matter to these
experts. We shall just concern ourselves wi<span class="text_exposed_show">th
what Filipinos believe are lucky numbers, and as architects, on the
auspicious dates to commence any endeavor like starting the
construction, pouring of concrete for the foundations or beams, or
moving in to the completed structure. <br /> <br /> Many believe that these
important endeavors must be carried out on dates that end in number
“8” or “0” because as one writes these numbers, the hand movement is
upwards. “5” and “2” and are not too bad and are permissible as the
writing of the numbers ends in the horizontal. All the other numbers,
however, end with a downward stroke and thus are usually not selected by
staunch believers of this superstition..<br /> <br /> But this goes
diametrically opposite for other people. They say the 7th, 17th, or
27th, of the month are the best dates for launching any endeavor.<br /> <br />
Aside from dates, for many Chinese, the Arabic number “8”, because it
has the shape of two closed rings, or two coins placed one on top of the
other, is considered luckiest or at least attracts good fortune. Many
rich people from Hong Kong often buy at premium prices automobile plate
numbers bearing the number “8”, especially “888.” It would not be
improbable then that this also should be applicable to lot or house
numbers.<br /> <br /> In this regard, 1990 National Artist for Architecture,
Leandro V. Locsin has to be the luckiest architect in the Philippines.
He was issued PRC Reg. No. 888. We all know that PRC Registration
Numbers are not chosen by successful examinees in the government
exams—they are issued at random by the Board of Architecture of the
Philippine Regulation Commission.</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-5164775376456001552013-06-11T21:49:00.000+08:002013-06-11T21:49:33.467+08:00MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">18th
century German philosopher Friedrick von Schelling is the author of the
famous quotation: “Architecture in general is frozen music.” The
relationship between architecture and music is truly amazing. We could
write several pages of dissertation comparing the two arts. It is no
wonder therefore, that many architects are into music.</span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /> Here is a motley list of trivia that I <span class="text_exposed_show">was able to gather:<br /> <br />
1. To pay for his passage, 1973 National Artist for Architecture Juan
F. Nakpil worked as a pianist in the ocean liner he sailed in when he
first traveled to the United States to study.<br /> <br /> 2. 1990 National
Artist Lindy Locsin had to make a career decision whether to be a
concert pianist or an architect. Thank God he shifted to architecture
before his completing his final recital.<br /> <br /> 3. Filipino
Architecture advocate Bobby Mañosa is a proud member of the Executives
Combo, a band composed of prominent politicians and businessmen. His
first choice of a college course was music but his father dissuaded from
taking up music.<br /> <br /> 4. TV personality Ariel Ureta finished his
architecture at UST but did not take the board and went to Radio then
TV. He was one of the most prolific jingle composers during his
advertising days.<br /> <br /> 5. The oldtimers would remember Eddie
Peregrina, a singing idol of the seventies. He was the classmate of
Arch. Ramon Zaragoza at the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts.<br /> <br /> 8. Joey de Leon studied architecture at NU. He too composed many pop songs. He is also an accomplished artist (painting).<br /> <br />
9. If he did not relocate to the United States in the eighties, Arch.
J. Ramon Faustmann would have been one of the prominent architects in
the Philippines today. Guitar music was his forte. He also performed
with the Executives Combo.<br /> <br /> 10. Pop singer Ariel Rivera studied architecture at George Brown College in Canada.<br /> <br />
11. Famous stage and screen performer Leo Valdez quit architecture
while in his third year into the course to concentrate on his stage
career.<br /> <br /> 12. Many still remember Nonong Pedero during the OPM
era of Philippine music. He was an architectural student at UP when I
first met him.<br /> <br /> 13. Singing idol Christian Bautista who seems to
be more popular in Asia than in his home country is a graduate of
Landscape Architecture at UP. <br /> <br /> 14. In the seventies, we also
had composer/arranger and orchestra leader Emil Mijares who also took up
architecture at Mapua together with the Pat Boone of the Philippines
then, Nick Balbona, Jr.<br /> <br /> 15. In the States, Art Garfunkel of the
famous Simon and Garfunkel songwriting and singing duo, studied
architecture at Columbia U. <br /> <br /> Other personalities who took up architecture in college but were not necessarily into music:<br /> <br />
1. Jaime Zobel de Ayala graduated at Harvard where he finished a course
on Architectural Sciences. He later went on to attend the Advanced
Management Program in the Far East, conducted by the Faculty from the
Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in Baguio, in 1963.<br /> <br /> 2. Lito Atienza, the former Mayor of Manila and former DENR Secretary, studied architecture in UST.<br /> <br />
3. Newly elected Mayor of Pasig Maribel Andaya-Eusebio is a registered
licensed architect and takes over from her husband, Bobby Eusebio who is
also an architect.<br /> <br /> 4. Pol Medina, the cartoonist and writer of
the comic strip “Pugad baboy” finished his architecture at UST in 1983,
worked for two years in Iraq, then started his career as a cartoonist
with the comic strip about a community of fat characters called
“Polgas.”<br /> <br /> 5. Other movie stars who took up architecture include
Rita Avila, Ernie Ortega, Vic Vargas, Romnick Sarmenta and of course
Miss Shamcey Supsup. <br /> <br /> Did you know that even Adolf Hitler
almost became an architect? In his biography found in Spartacus
International on the Internet, we read that “…when he was eighteen
Hitler received an inheritance from his father's will. With the money he
moved to Vienna where he planned to become an art student. Hitler had a
high opinion of his artistic abilities and was shattered when the
Vienna Academy of Art rejected his application. He also applied to the
Vienna School of Architecture but was not admitted because he did not
have a school leaving certificate.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-83613042606158136612013-06-11T21:45:00.002+08:002013-06-11T21:45:57.164+08:00DOES “MATA” REALLY MEAN “DEATH”?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX3Vnl4d8lnUPSFVtYXycRDN__zT4hdLUNaZ0E0tSTrHjuGZDJDvLazWNr_vC4mDvYeBPExp0CACoUB4YQSyv3bRiWnlERIM0kKghyMcDdpKDa3n9zDKwt8n153sek-RgVRwCpKglEw8/s1600/zarate.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
By: Arch. Ernesto R. Zarate<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Some
scholars opine that the word “mata” in the Filipino building belief was
originally “mala” or “bad” in Spanish but through the years, it
metathesized or mutated to become “mata.” Although it is not the literal
translation, it sounds much like the term for “death” in Tagalog
(“mamatay” is to die) as well as all the other vernacular languages and
it is for this <span class="text_exposed_show">reason that Filipinos readily accepted the Spanish “mata” to mean “death.” <br /> <br />
In my later researches, I discovered that this particular custom of
counting steps did not originate from Spain. Considering that the
galleon trade has been flourishing in our country for centuries during
the Spanish regime, I am of the belief that we adapted the phrase “Oro,
plata, mata” from South America. In fact these words are found in
several refranes (proverbs) from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela,
Panama, and other Latin American countries. <br /> <br /> One proverb common
in these areas goes this way. “Aceituna. Una oro, dos plata; la
tercera, mata.” Translating from Spanish, this is “Olive. One is gold;
two silver; the third kills.” Another common saying is “Sandia. Por la
mañana oro, al mediodia plata y por la noche mata,” translated as
“Watermelon. For the morning gold, afternoon, silver and for nighttime,
kills.” “La naranja, (orange)—oro, por la mañana; a la tarde, plata; a
la noche, mata."<br /> <br /> Some scholars claim that these refranes advise
that it is best to eat fruits in the morning, may be permissible during
daytime but never at night. One went to the extent of explaining the
acid contained in fruits especially melon, watermelon, or orange, does
not work well with human digestive juices at night when our body should
rest.<br /> <br /> There might be some other symbolism being presented here
because I have doubts if one gets killed after eating three olives. Some
translations state that “mata” actually means “bush,” not “kill” or
“death.” To learn more of this, I posted the question “What is oro,
plata, mata?” in the service feature of Internet provider Yahoo called
“Yahoo Answers” and one Internet surfer gave this reply:<br /> <br /> “ORO
in ORO, PLATA, MATA does not refer to gold itself but to gold coins, the
symbol of royalty and fine living. PLATA does not refer to silver
itself but to silver coins, the symbol of the lifestyle of commoners.
MATA refers to shrubs, the symbol of the working class whose life
depended not on symbols of the currency but on what the earth gives, the
crop.” (jodywisteria@yahoo.com.)<br /> <br /> Correlating this now to our
stair belief, it would seem that “mata” does not mean death to the
occupants of the house that uses a wrong stair count… just an
apprehensive portent that the house will have poor residents. <br /> <br /> (From “More Filipio Building beliefs” by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ernesto.r.zarate">Ernie Zárate</a>.)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-18514771726844039392013-06-06T17:19:00.001+08:002013-06-06T17:30:34.549+08:00Hiring an Architect is the best investment you can have<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7aaL0kr1JzASQ7NnXnrh6lmovsV9lXBzORkfP9nvONMJcYtKfqn982aZhKYci6gJN2eafkP8peTQprRKBmCc5lBWxkjbdZF15DkSbjlazm35AgrpwqymvuAdDaRY8qek3ONWzSh7oRw/s1600/save+hire+architect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7aaL0kr1JzASQ7NnXnrh6lmovsV9lXBzORkfP9nvONMJcYtKfqn982aZhKYci6gJN2eafkP8peTQprRKBmCc5lBWxkjbdZF15DkSbjlazm35AgrpwqymvuAdDaRY8qek3ONWzSh7oRw/s1600/save+hire+architect.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </a></div>
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If you are building a house and on a tight budget, hiring an architect is the best investment you can have. An architect can assist and help you achieve your needs, aspirations and vision, as well as add value to your project through good/proper design and sound construction. An Architect strives to transform a building into architecture through the right combination of form, materials and details. He/She creates spaces that will make you feel good, places where you can relax and a place you can call home.<br />
<br />
Undertaking a building project - whether a new build, extension or a renovation – can be a daunting experience. When you engage an architect you are employing someone who has undertaken seven years of architectural training (5 years of formal college education and 2 years of apprenticeship) and has passed the tough government regulatory examination – no other building professional is trained in design and construction to such a level of expertise. Would you trust your project to anyone else?<br />
<br />
Remember that bad design have its corresponding costs. Badly designed buildings and places incur costs to the building's owner, community and even to society. This costs may include monetary value, running costs, maintenance costs, function, etc. And don't forget the emotional stress you will get once you come home everyday and experience the result of bad design. So think twice before getting any person to design your house. It is only the Architect who can do the work for you.</div>
<a href="http://janecameronarchitects.com/?cat=15">source</a> <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-44758309680496046022013-06-06T14:34:00.001+08:002013-06-12T12:33:18.580+08:00How safe is it to use centralized gas piping in a building or house?To date, it seems that investigations to the Serendra blast is focusing on the use of the centralized gas piping system in the building, the system being used in all Bonifacio Global City buildings and condominiums. This type of system is widely used in developed countries. But in the Philippines, only few developments have used this type, which is still relatively much safer than using the conventional tank system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3CwZiJw3-lgM6GMhtoaspyHBhm0pNDdMx6IcAfAB0OVGtzWaZCxWwaGKD4wCrdxI0bBr3fzDcnCy2L6fOXuh7CEYJS6GbNTplvcLwLt12LoTShadXIUDhPze6Besrk4bDsubbs1lAhI/s1600/gas+safety.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3CwZiJw3-lgM6GMhtoaspyHBhm0pNDdMx6IcAfAB0OVGtzWaZCxWwaGKD4wCrdxI0bBr3fzDcnCy2L6fOXuh7CEYJS6GbNTplvcLwLt12LoTShadXIUDhPze6Besrk4bDsubbs1lAhI/s1600/gas+safety.jpg" height="102" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHpmnXC7p7-v_ioCA4_dGZJBDjzCgM9mid59MdfDNBGXVISj1CYrCpH_QXV03hyphenhyphenwgPTytEVDRIgvfWtYY8LMxg51ILEQVH8vmE2nMubv40B_QbtsW2J6zsdM35pDp3w_s10M1cJogWuQ/s1600/piping+system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
So if the building is using a centralized gas piping system, here are some safety tips for homeowners in such condominiums. When the gas passes through a customer's gas meter, it becomes the
property of the customer. Once inside the home, gas travels to
equipment and appliances through piping installed by the home-builder
and owned by the customer, who is responsible for its upkeep.<br />
<br />
When the gas reaches a customer's meter, it passes through another
regulator to reduce its pressure to under ¼ pound, if this is
necessary. (Some services lines carry gas that is already at very low
pressure.) (see <a href="http://www.aga.org/Kc/aboutnaturalgas/consumerinfo/Pages/NGDeliverySystem.aspx">distribution system</a>) This is the normal pressure for natural gas within a
household piping system, and is less than the pressure created by a
child blowing bubbles through a straw in a glass of milk. When a gas
furnace or stove is turned on, the gas pressure is slightly higher than
the air pressure, so the gas flows out of the burner and ignites in its
familiar clean blue flame.<br />
<br />
It is important for you and your family to know what to do when you smell, hear, or see gas leaking.<br />
Even a slight gouge, scrape or dent to a pipe or coating may cause a dangerous break or leak in the future. <b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<b>When you suspect a gas leak you should...</b><br />
* Leave your home immediately and take others with you. If outside, get well away from where you suspect the gas is leaking.<br />
* Open windows before you leave if the odor is faint.<br />
* Call emergency hotlines.<br />
* Tell responders if there is also a problem with your electric service.<br />
* Follow directions from emergency responders who are on site.<br />
<br />
<b>When you suspect a gas leak you should NOT..</b>.<br />
...do anything to create a spark that could cause an explosion, such as:<br />
* Light a match<br />
* Turn appliances or lights on or off (including flashlights)<br />
* Use a telephone or cell phone<br />
* Ring a doorbell<br />
* Start a car<br />
<br />
<b>Gas Safety in the Home</b><br />
Follow these gas safety rules at home:<br />
* Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.<br />
* Gas-fired appliances such as stoves or gas dryers that are attached to a flexible connector should only be moved or replaced by professionals. Old flexible connectors should be replaced and not reused because they may become brittle over time and develop small cracks, which leak enough gas to reach a hazardous level.<br />
* Don’t step, sit, lean, or place any objects on flexible connectors attached to appliances.<br />
* To prevent combustible gases from entering a building through sewer lines, make sure that indoor sewer-line caps are intact and securely attached.<br />
* Keep cleaning products, gasoline, paints, and other combustible materials away from gas appliances.<br />
* Don’t let children play near gas appliances.<br />
* Keep the path and area around the gas meter clear so it can be reached in case of an emergency.<br />
* Don’t enclose your gas meter. Remove dirt from around your gas meter and associated piping by using a brush instead of a shovel.<br />
<br />
<b>Protect Yourself Against Carbon Monoxide</b><br />
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that can cause serious illness or death if inhaled in large concentrations for even a short period of time. Every home has fuel-burning appliances that can produce CO if they are not working properly.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of CO poisoning include headaches, tightness of chest, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.<br />
* If you suspect CO poisoning, immediately evacuate the premises and call 911.<br />
* Install CO detectors in your home. If you use a battery-operated or plug-in detector with battery backup, check the batteries every month and replace the batteries once a year.<br />
* If the CO alarm sounds, but no one is showing symptoms of CO poisoning, open windows, turn off all potential CO sources, and leave. Have a qualified technician investigate the source of the CO and inspect your appliances, detector, and chimneys to make sure they are operating correctly.<br />
* All vents, chimneys, and flues should be inspected and cleaned annually by a qualified technician.<br />
* Be sure appliances, including portable generators, are properly adjusted and working to manufacturer’s specifications and local building codes.<br />
<br />
* Do not use kerosene or propane auxiliary heaters indoors or in any enclosed space.<br />
* Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.<br />
* Barbecue grills and portable generators should be used only outdoors. Do not use them in an enclosed porch or garage.<br />
* Never leave your car, lawn mower, snow blower, or portable generator running in an enclosed space or in a garage or shed, even if the door is open.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Signs of a Gas Leak</b><br />
* <b><i>Smell</i></b> — A distinctive, strong odor similar to rotten eggs. A distinctive odor to gas is added so that leaks are easier to detect.<br />
* <i><b>See </b></i>— A white cloud, mist, fog, bubbles in standing water, blowing dust, or vegetation that appears to be dead or dying for no reason.<br />
* <i><b>Hear</b></i> — A roaring, hissing, or whistling sound may indicate escaping gas.<br />
<br />
It is important for you and your family to know what to do when you smell, hear, or see gas leaking.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.coned.com/customercentral/brochures/br_gassafety.pdf">source1</a> and <a href="http://www.socalgas.com/documents/safety/natural_gas_safety_home.pdf">source 2</a><br />
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-13027211470727910672013-06-06T01:46:00.001+08:002013-06-06T16:46:35.902+08:00Service Agreement between Owner and Architect<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b>ARCHITECT - OWNER AGREEMENT </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for Full Detailed Architectural and Engineering (DA&E) Design Services
</div>
<br />
<i>(In Full DA&E Design Services i.e. the Architect brings in all of the Design Engineers as part of his Design Team. The Architect’s Fee is computed based on a percentage of the Project Construction Cost (PCC). The Fee percentage (%) shall also be based on the type of the Project. The ultimate determinant of the Architect’s Fee is the Final Project Construction Cost (FPCC), computed at the completion of the construction work.) </i><br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this ___th day of Month, Year Two Thousand and _________ by and between ________________ with postal address at _______________________________________________, the party of the First Part, hereinafter called the OWNER, and _____________________________________with postal address at ___________________________, the party of the Second Part, herein called the ARCHITECT.</div>
<br />
WITNESSETH,<br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That whereas the OWNER intends to build a ______________________ to be located at _________________________________________, hereinafter called the PROJECT. </div>
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<br /></div>
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NOW, THEREFORE, The Owner and the Architect, for and in consideration of the foregoing promises and of the other covenants hereinafter named, agree as follows: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b>ART. 1. SCOPE OF WORK</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That the scope of work to be done by the Architect, as herein authorized by the Owner for the subject Project herein referred to, consists of professional services for the following: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.01 Site development planning (SDP) of the grounds of the building, including other concomitant structures within the Project site, as may be determined by the Owner. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.02 Basic (Regular) Detailed Architectural and Engineering (DA&E) Design of the Project to be located at ________________________________. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>ART. 2. ARCHITECTS BASIC SERVICES</b><br />
<br />
The Architect's Basic (Regular) Services shall consist of the following:<br />
<br />
2.01 <b>Project Definition Phase </b><br />
This phase shall involve the definition of the requirements of the Project by the Owner. The Architect in turn shall inform the Owner of the technical requirements of the Project and the concomitant professional fees. In this phase, the Architect shall:<br />
a. consult with the Owner to ascertain the conceptual framework and related requirements of the Project and confirm such requirements with the Owner;<br />
b. gather relevant information and data leading to the definition of the requirements of the Project, including the scope of the Architect’s services;<br />
c. review and refine the Owner’s space requirements and translate them into an architectural program;
d. prepare an initial statement of probable construction cost.<br />
<br />
2.02 <b>Schematic Design Phase</b><br />
This phase shall consist of the preparation of schematic design studies derived from the Project Definition Phase, leading to conceptual plans. The Architect shall:<br />
a. evaluate the Owner’s program, schedule, budget, project site and proposes methods of Project deliveries;<br />
b. prepare the initial line drawings representing design studies leading to a recommended solution, including a general description of the Project for approval by the Owner;<br />
c. submit to the Owner a Statement of the Probable Project Construction Cost (SPPCC, reference Annex “A”) based on current cost parameters.<br />
<br />
2.03 <b>Design Development Phase</b><br />
Based on approved schematics and conceptual plans, the Architect shall prepare:<br />
a. the Design Development documents consisting of plans, elevations, sections and other drawings;<br />
b. the outline specifications to fix and illustrate the size and character of the entire Project as to type of materials, type of structural, electrical, mechanical, sanitary, electronic and communications systems;<br />
c. the diagrammatic layout of construction systems; and<br />
d. an updated SPPCC for submission to the Owner.<br />
<br />
2.04 <b>Contract Document Phase</b><br />
Based on the approved Design Development Documents, the Architect shall:<br />
a. prepare the complete Contract Documents consisting of detailed designs and construction drawings, setting forth in detail the work required for the architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing/ sanitary, mechanical, electronic and communication works prepared by the Architect and by the other State-regulated building professionals involved;<br />
b. prepare the Technical Specifications describing type and quality of materials, finish, manner of construction and the general conditions under which the Project is to be constructed;<br />
c. submit to the Owner seven (7) sets of all construction drawings and Technical Specifications for purposes of obtaining a building permit;<br />
d. update the SPPCC based on changes in scope, requirements or market conditions; and
e. assist the Owner in filing the required documents to secure approval of government authorities having jurisdiction over the design of the Project;<br />
<br />
2.05 <b>Bidding or Negotiation Phase</b><br />
a. In this phase, the Architect shall:<br />
i. prepare the Bid Documents such as forms for contract letting, documents for construction, forms for invitation and instruction to bidders, forms for bidders’ proposals, general/ specific conditions of contract, etc.;<br />
ii. assist the Owner from the early stage of establishing a list of prospective General Contractors to the award of the Construction Contract;<br />
<br />
b. For competitive bids/ procurements, the Architect shall:<br />
i. furnish complete sets of the Bid Documents for purposes of bidding, in as many sets as may be required to conduct a successful bidding. The said documents are loaned to bidders at an amount sufficient to cover direct and indirect costs attendant to the preparation, packaging, reproduction and delivery of the said documents; the Bid Documents are the intellectual property of the Architect (Sec. 33 of R.A. No. 9266), and must be returned by all entities acquiring bid documents; a bond may be required to assure the return of the Bid Documents; the Architect retains the sole ownership and copyright to the said documents (Sec. 33 of R.A. No. 9266); as such, bidders must not reproduce nor use the documents for unauthorized purposes; the Owner must also not use the documents for any other purpose other than the Project for which the Owner and Architect signed a Service Agreement;<br />
ii. help in organizing and conducting pre-bid conferences;<br />
iii. respond to questions from bidders;<br />
iv. assist the Owner in obtaining proposals from General Contractors, analyze bid results and prepare the abstract of bids, notice of award, notice to proceed and other/ related construction contracts; and<br />
<br />
c. For negotiated contracts, the Architect shall perform similar functions as in item b. above but negotiates with one General Contractor instead of many bidders.<br />
<br />
2.06 <b>Construction Phase</b><br />
In this phase, the Architect shall perform the following:<br />
a. make decisions on all claims of the Owner and Contractors on all matters relating to the execution and progress of work or the interpretation of the Contract Documents;<br />
b. prepare change/ variation orders (CVOs), gather and turn over to the Owner written guarantees required of the Contractor and Sub-Contractors;<br />
c. make periodic visits to the Project site to familiarize himself with the general progress and quality of work and to ascertain that the work is proceeding in accordance with the Contract Documents; the Architect shall not be required to make exhaustive or continuous eight (8)-hour on-site supervision to check on the quality of the work involved and shall not be held responsible for the General Contractor's failure to carry out the construction work in accordance with the Contract Documents; during such project site visits and on the basis of the Architect’s observations, he shall report to the Client defects and deficiencies noted in the work of Contractors, and shall condemn work found failing to conform to the Contract Documents;<br />
d. determine the amount owing and due to the Contractor and issue corresponding Certificates for Payment for such amounts based on his observation/s and the Contractor's Applications for Payment. These Certificates will constitute a certification to the Client that the work has progressed to the state indicated and that to the Architect’s best knowledge, the quality of work performed by the Contractor is in accordance with the Contract Documents; the Architect shall conduct the necessary inspection to determine the date of substantial and final completion and issue the final Certificate of Payment to the Contractor;<br />
e. Should more extensive inspection or full-time (8-hour) construction supervision be required by the Client, a separate full-time supervisor shall be hired and agreed upon by the Owner and the Architect subject to the conditions provided in the 2010 SPP Document on Full -Time Supervision. When the Architect is requested by the Owner to do the full time supervision, his services and fees shall be covered separately in conformance with the applicable and appropriate 2010 SPP Document.<br />
<br />
ART. 3 <b>ARCHITECTS FEE AND MANNER OF PAYMENT</b><br />
3.01 That the Owner agrees to pay the Architect for professional services, a fee of ______ Percent (0.0%) of the Final Project Construction Cost (FPCC), with other payments and reimbursements as hereinafter provided, the said percentage hereafter called the Basic Fee. For the initial computation of the Basic Fee for use in this Agreement however, the Statement of Probable Project Construction Cost/ SPPCC (reference Annex “A”) shall be used.<br />
3.02 That payments to the Architect on account of the agreed Architect’s Fee shall be made by the Owner as follows:<br />
a. A minimum of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00) upon signing of this Agreement as the mobilization component of the agreed Architect’s Fee.<br />
b. Upon the completion of the Schematic Design Services, but not more than 15 days after submission of the Schematic Design to the Owner, a sum equal to fifteen percent (15.0%) of the Basic Fee, computed upon a reasonable estimated construction cost of the Project, less the amount paid under a.<br />
c. Upon the completion of the Design Development Services, but not more than 15 days after submission of the Design Development Documents to the Owner, a sum sufficient to increase the total payments on the fee to forty percent (40.0%) of the Basic Fee computed upon the same estimated construction cost of the structure as in b.<br />
d. Upon the completion of the Contract Documents Services, but not more than 15 days after submission of the Contract Documents to the Owner, a sum sufficient to increase the total payments on the fee to ninety percent (90.0%) of the Basic Fee computed upon a reasonable estimated construction cost of the structure as in b.<br />
e. Within 15 days after the awards to the winning Constructor-bidder or bidders the payments to the Architect shall be adjusted so that it will amount to a sum equivalent to ninety percent (90.0%) of the Basic Fee, computed upon the lowest bona fide Bid or Bids or upon the winning Bid Price.<br />
f. Progress Billing on the remaining ten percent (10.0%) of the Architect’s Fee based on the original Statement of Probable Project Construction Cost (SPPCC);<br />
g. Upon completion of the work, the balance of the Architect’s fee computed on the Final Project Construction Cost (FPCC) of the Project shall be paid.<br />
3.03 That the Owner agrees to make partial payments during each of the various stages of the Architect's work, upon request of the Architect, provided that such payments are within the framework of the manner of payments outlined above.<br />
<br />
ART. 4 <b>THE OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITIES</b><br />
The Owner shall undertake the following acts:<br />
a. provide full information as to his requirements for the Project;<br />
b. when necessary, designate a representative authorized to act on his behalf;<br />
c. promptly examine and render decisions pertaining to documents submitted by the Architect to avoid unreasonable delay in the progress of the Architect’s work; the Owner shall issue orders to the General Contractor only through the Architect;<br />
d. furnish or direct the Architect to obtain at Owner expense, a certified survey of the site, giving, as may be required, topographical and/or relocation surveys covering grades and lines of streets, alleys, easements, encroachments and related information, boundaries, with dimensions and complete data pertaining to existing buildings, structures, trees, plants, water bodies, wells, excavations/ pits, etc. and other improvements and full information as to the available utility/ service lines both public and private; zoning compliances, clearances, deed/s of restrictions, encumbrances and annotations to titles, association guidelines and standards, and soil investigations/ tests, borings and test pits necessary for determining soil and sub-soil conditions;<br />
e. promptly pay for architectural and all other engineering and allied services required for the Project;<br />
f. pay for the design and consulting services on acoustic, communication, electronic, and other specialty systems which may be required for the Project;<br />
g. arrange and pay for such legal, auditing, insurance, counseling and other services as may be required for the Project;<br />
h. pay for all reimbursable expenses incurred in the project as called for in ART 5: “Other Conditions on Services” and all taxes including VAT (but not including income tax) that the Government may impose on the Architect as a result of the services rendered by the Architect for/ on the Project, whether the services were performed as a natural person i.e. an individual practitioner or as a juridical entity i.e. as a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation; and<br />
i. if the Owner observes or otherwise becomes aware of anything that may impair the successful implementation of the Project, he must give prompt written notice to the Architect.<br />
<br />
ART 5. <b>OTHER CONDITIONS ON SERVICES</b><br />
5.01 Conditions for the Architect’s Fee<br />
The Architect’s Fee is based on the Project Construction Cost. Where the Architect has to render additional services, additional compensation shall be required.<br />
5.02 Other Services<br />
Other services that may be needed in order to complete the Project such as services of acoustic and illumination engineers/ specialists, mural painters, sculptors, and other service providers are to be recommended by the Architect for the Owner’s approval. Costs for these services are to be paid for separately by the Owner and shall be subject to a coordination fee payable to the Architect.<br />
5.03 Scale Models, 3D Models and Walk-Thru Presentations<br />
Should a scale model, 3D models and/or walk-thru presentation of the Architect’s design be necessary, they are to be recommended by the Architect for the Owner’s approval. Costs for these services are to be paid for separately by the Owner and shall be subject to a coordination fee payable to the Architect.<br />
5.04 Per Diem and Traveling Expenses<br />
A per diem plus traveling and living expenses shall be chargeable to the Owner whenever the Architect or his duly authorized representative is required to perform services at a locality beyond fifty kilometers/ 50 km (air, straight line or radial distance) from his established office as it appears in the Architect’s letterhead.<br />
5.05 Extra Sets of Contract Documents<br />
The Owner shall pay the Architect for additional sets of Contract Documents. <br />
5.06 Change/s Ordered by the Owner<br />
If the Architect renders additional professional services due to changes ordered by the Owner after approval of the Architect’s outputs, the Owner shall pay the Architect for extra time, resources/ drafting, or other office expenses.<br />
5.07 Work Suspended or Abandoned<br />
If the work of the Architect is abandoned or suspended in whole or in part, the Owner shall pay the Architect for the services rendered corresponding to the amount due at the stage of suspension or abandonment of the work. The primary service of the Architect is the preparation of architectural plans/ designs, specifications and other building construction documents, in collaboration with other State-regulated professionals. These are sets of detailed instructions that shall serve as the basis for the General Contractor to implement the Project. Once the Architect has prepared all these documents, the Architect has completed the Detailed Design and Contract Documents Phase of his services, which is equivalent to Ninety percent (90%) of his work. When the Owner therefore fails to implement the plans and documents for construction as prepared by the Architect, the Architect is entitled to receive as compensation the sum corresponding to ninety percent (90%) of the Architect’s fee.<br />
5.08 Different Periods of Construction<br />
If portions of the building/s are erected at different periods of time, thus increasing the construction period and Architect’s burden of services, charges pertaining to services rendered during the Construction Phase shall be adjusted proportionately. When the suspension of construction exceeds a period of six (6) months, the fee for the remaining works shall be doubled.<br />
5.09 Services of Specialist Consultants<br />
If the Owner requires the services of specialist consultants, they shall be engaged with the consent of the Architect. The cost of their services shall be paid for separately by the Owner and shall not be deducted from the Architect’s fee.<br />
5.10 Separate Services<br />
Should the Owner require the Architect to design movable or fixed pieces of cabinets and other architectural interior (AI) elements, site development plan (SDP) components, urban design elements, and other items of similar nature, the Owner shall pay the Architect in addition to the Architect’s fee. The compensation shall be based on the Project Construction Cost as provided for under the 2010 SPP Document 203 and its applicable guidelines.<br />
5.11 Fulltime Construction Supervision<br />
Upon recommendation of the Architect and with the approval of the Owner, full-time construction supervisors as will be deemed necessary shall be engaged and paid by the Owner. If no Project/ Construction Manager is present, the full-time construction supervisor shall be under the technical control and supervision of the Architect and shall make periodic reports to the Owner and to the Architect regarding the progress and quality of the work done.<br />
5.12 Estimates<br />
Any SPPCC or any Cost Estimate submitted by the Architect can attain only a certain degree of accuracy. As the Architect has no control over the cost of labor and materials, or the many factors that go into competitive bidding, he does not assume any professional responsibility for such cost estimates, unless glaring errors or discrepancies are clearly evident.<br />
5.13 Government Taxes and Services<br />
The Architect’s Fee is a net amount. Any tax (exclusive of income tax) that the national and/or local government/s may impose on the Architect as a consequence of the services performed for the Project shall be paid by the Owner.<br />
5.14 Ownership of Documents <br />
All designs, drawings, models, specifications and other contract documents and copies thereof, prepared, duly signed, stamped and sealed and furnished as instruments of service, are the intellectual property and documents of the Architect, whether the work for which they were made is executed or not, and are not to be reproduced or used on other work except with a written agreement with the Architect (Sec. 33 of R.A. No. 9266).<br />
5.15 Cost Records<br />
During the progress of work, the Owner shall furnish the Architect a copy of the records of expenses being incurred on the construction. Upon completion of the project, the Owner shall furnish the Architect a copy of the summary of all cost of labor, services, materials, equipment, fixtures and all items used at and for the completion of the construction.<br />
5.16 Design and Placement of Signs<br />
All signboards of the General Contractor, sub-contractors, jobbers and dealers that shall be placed at the project site during the progress of construction shall be approved by the Architect as to size, design and contents. After the completion of the project, the Owner or his building lessee shall consult the Architect for the design, size of all signboards, letterings, directories and display boards that will be placed on the exterior or public areas attached to the building project in order to safeguard the Owner’s interest. Nothing should be installed inside or outside of the building that would compromise its safety and aesthetics.<br />
5.17 Project Construction Cost (PCC)<br />
Project Construction Cost (PCC, reference Annex “A” of this Agreement, as supplied by the Architect and as herein referred to), means the cost of the completed building to the Owner, including the structure, plumbing/sanitary and electrical fixtures, mechanical equipment, elevators, escalators, air-conditioning system, fire protection system, alarm and clock system, communications and electronic system, elements attached to the building and all items indicated in the plans, designs, drawings and specifications prepared by the Architect and his consultants. The construction cost of other items planned and designed by the Architect, such as architectural interiors (AI) and site development plan elements and other items of similar nature, additionally planned / designed by the Architect are also part of the PCC.<br />
The cost of materials used and the labor for their installation are part of the PCC. If these items are furnished by the Owner below its market cost, the cost of the material and labor shall nonetheless be computed on the basis of the current (and fair market value) costs. <br />
The PCC does not include any of the fees for the Architect, the Engineer, the Specialist Consultants or the salaries of the construction inspectors. <br />
5.18 Project Development Cost<br />
Project Development Cost shall include cost of the construction as well as all professional fees, permits, clearances and utilities and cost of acquiring the project site / lot, cost of money, etc.<br />
<br />
ART.6 <b>SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS</b><br />
The Owner and the Architect each binds himself, his partners, successors, legal representative and assigns to the other party to this Agreement, and to the partner, successors, legal representatives and assigns of such other party in respect of all covenants of this Agreement. Except, as above, neither the Owner nor the Architect shall assign, sublet or transfer his interest in this Agreement without the written consent of the other.<br />
<br />
ART.7 ARBITRATION <br />
All questions in dispute under this Agreement shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 9285,otherwise known as the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Act of 2004 and as provided for under E.O. No.1000, governing Construction (and Consulting) Industry Arbitration, as well as the applicable provisions of the New Civil Code. <br />
<br />
In case of any dispute concerning this Agreement, the Parties may venture into a negotiation/mediation period for fourteen (14) calendar days, failure of which would authorize any of the parties to engage in conciliatory discussions within another 14 calendar days, or to immediately seek arbitration modes of ADR under the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC), guaranteeing a resolution of the issues presented within a six (6) month period, after which the losing party may file a Petition for Review before the Court of Appeals (CA). <br />
<br />
The exclusive venue of such ADR proceedings shall be the CIAC Office at corners Sen . Gil Puyat Ave. and Makati Ave. in Makati City, PH. <br />
<br />
The exclusive venue of such ADR proceedings shall be the CIAC Office at corners Sen . Gil Puyat Ave. and Makati Ave. in Makati City, PH. <br />
<br />
The parties to this Agreement hereby agree to full performance of the covenants contained herein.<br />
<br />
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties to this Agreement have on the day and year first above given, hereunto set their hands at the bottom of this page and on the left-hand margin of all the other pages of this Agreement.<br />
<br />
<br />
____________________ ____________________<br />
Owner Architect<br />
<br />
SIGNED IN THE PRESENCE OF:<br />
<br />
<br />
_______________________________ ________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
Republic of the Philippines)<br />
City of ____________ ) s.s.<br />
<br />
Before me, a Notary Public in and for the City of ______________, personally appeared the Owner, ________________________ with Community Tax Certificate No. 00000000 issued on Month 00, 201_ in ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-____________ City and the Architect, _____________with Community Tax Certificate No. 00000000 issued in _________, on Month 00, 201_, both known to me to be the same persons who executed the foregoinq Instrument and its Annexes, and acknowledging to me that the same is their free act and deed.<br />
<br />
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my Notarial Seal this ____ of _________ in the City of ___________, Philippines.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-35565280785283578722013-06-05T20:16:00.001+08:002013-06-06T00:34:38.881+08:00Forensic ArchitectureWith the recent controversy regarding the accident at Serendra Condominium, the topic on Forensic Architecture as part of an Architects Specialized Service has been explored. <br />
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<i>(photo courtesy of aka Kurt Cobaine) </i></div>
<br />
<br />
But what is Forensic Architecture?<br />
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According to the Architects Standards of Professional Service (SPP) Documents, Forensic Architecture is defined as a Specialized Field in Architecture where the Architect in this area of practice undertakes a scientific study on the built environment’s well-being, which allow the Architect to focus on the ways in which the building/structure can best maintain itself and prolong its life in a cost-efficient manner, and finally provide recommendations to the Owner/Client.<br />
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The forensic study may include the determination as to the causes of building/ building component/ building material deterioration or the causes of observed building deficiencies e.g. plan-/design-deficient, non-compliance with planning and building laws, etc., and may also involve research on possible faulty activities/operations during the project implementation/construction phase as well as the determination of plan/design and/or construction methodology failure/s.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_Architecture">Wikipedia</a> defines Forensic Architecture as the work of expert witnesses presenting spatial analysis in a legal context. Their practice combines the principles of property surveying, structural engineering, the physics of blast forces and the chemistry of composite materials.<br />
<br />
From another site (<a href="http://www.buildingdesignanalysis.com/forensic.html">Building Design and Analysis</a>), this is the explanation on Forensic Architecture:<br />
<br />
WHAT IS FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE?<br />
<br />
Building Failure
It is all too easy to take for granted the durability of buildings. We put great trust in architects, engineers and contractors to ensure that the structures they create are safe, sound and durable places to live, work and play. We rely on these professionals to construct the places where we live our lives and to do so with care, using materials and methods that will guarantee the usability of these buildings for many years.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, that trust is too often misplaced and some buildings fail to meet expected standards. Building failure takes many forms, from roof leaks to basement water intrusion. Wall and floor systems can crack or become uneven, problems may arise with the building envelope, or windows may fail to operate properly. Brick and tile may come loose, falling from the building façade. Even safety issues may arise, putting the building's users at risk.<br />
<br />
It takes the work of many people to successfully raise a building, but a single defect can have dramatic consequences, going so far as to render a building useless. Buildings are large, complex, costly propositions and so too are their failures. When a building failure arises, the first step toward rehabilitation is determining responsibility.<br />
<br />
<b>Why call a Forensic Architect?</b><br />
<br />
A forensic architect is a professional consultant who understands every stage in a building's lifecycle, from concept and construction to the end of its useful life. With this knowledge and state of the art investigative and testing methodologies, a forensic architect is able to accurately pinpoint the cause of building failure, identifying not only the problem, but also where in the building's lifecycle the problem originated.<br />
<br />
When building failure occurs, the objective of a forensic architect is to assist all parties in making the building sound and usable again. To that end, the forensic architect will produce recommendations for the repair and restoration of a property, as well as obtain cost estimates for repair.<br />
<br />
In addition to providing building failure analysis and remedial repair planning services, forensic architects also act as expert witnesses, providing testimony in order to come to a resolution in construction defect disputes. Forensic experts are widely used in dispute resolution proceedings as well as at trial to provide qualified testimony on behalf of owners, contractors, subcontractors and design professionals.
From <a href="http://www.cromlech-architect.com/forensic-architecture.html">Cromlech-Architect</a>:<br />
<br />
What is Forensic Architecture?<br />
<br />
A Forensic Architect is an expert witness who, in court, provides technical analysis, reports, and testimony. He provides forensic technical services towards the resolution of litigation and claims arising out of a wide range of activities for the plaintiff or defendant.<br />
<br />
For example; expertise with a wide variety of facilities and construction types applied to: Slip Accidents, Trip Accidents, Building System Failures, Building Safety, Security, Building Maintenance, Building Types, Building Design and Planning, Site Planning and much more. If it involves a building and analysis of same, a Forensic Architect can help you.<br />
<br />
When did this profession begin and why?<br />
<br />
This unique profession began roughly about 1990 (+/-). This was in response to an ever increasing need for experts to analyze and testify in court cases about deficient practices or acts in the building construction industry. This includes injured parties, insurance companies, property owners, facility designers, construction contractors, equipment installers, architects, engineers, maintenance companies and other providers of building services.<br />
<br />
What are some of the potential areas that might be involved?<br />
<br />
Facility design of architectural or engineering trades, codes and standards, design changes, design build, HVAC and energy comfort, site design and retaining walls, suitability of use, construction delays, construction changes, damage to work in progress, drawings adequacy, drawing clarity, drawing compliance, drawing interpretation, product substitution, workmanship, quality control, settling, collapse, site drainage, water intrusion.<br />
<br />
Who practices this new profession?<br />
<br />
Architects who have a very broad background in the profession coupled with many years of experience. This is truly a case where "an old architect is a good Forensic Architect".<br />
<br />
Who uses a Forensic Architect and why?<br />
<br />
Lawyers, owners, insurance companies, individuals, and anybody who is searching for the truth through scientific fact finding.<br />
<br />
What types of activities might warrant the hiring of an Forensic Architect?<br />
<br />
Personal injury, property damage or economic loss as it relates to the built environment and architecture.<br />
<br />
<i><b>To succeed in their highly specialized profession, forensic architects must have a designer's eye, a scientist's brain—and the nose of a detective</b></i>. (Read full article on services of one firm interviewed by <a href="http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/building-sleuths-inside-a-forensic-architecture-firm.aspx">Architect Magazine</a>)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EKQAm4cuNSA" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-72374098798343230662013-06-04T23:56:00.000+08:002013-06-05T10:07:52.144+08:00What is Design-Build Services?In any building project, there is need to balance the elements of time, quality and cost, which, in many cases, can best be achieved by the Architect performing Design-Build Services.<br />
<br />
The building industry and the architectural profession have devised several methods of project delivery with the ultimate goal of handling projects in the shortest possible time, at the lowest cost and at an acceptable quality and performance.<br />
<br />
An Architect with his education, training and expertise qualifies him to take a direct role in the project, from conceptualization to implementation.<br />
<br />
Design-Build Services simplifies and expedites the process of project delivery, aside from providing added emphasis for a creative and cost effective solution. <br />
<br />
Under this type, the Architect renders professional services in the implementation of his design. In Design-Build Services, he assumes the professional responsibility and civil liability for both the design and the construction of the project.<br />
<br />
There are two type of Design-Build Services:<br />
<br />
A) <b>Design-Build Services by Administration</b>: includes the Architect’s Regular Design Services and when the various phases of design services are completed, the Construction Phase goes beyond periodic inspection and assessment.<br />
Under this mode, the Architect is responsible for the following:<br />
a. Preparation of schedule of work, program and estimates of materials, labor, transportation, equipment and services.<br />
b. Organizing and hiring of construction personnel, designation of duties and remunerations thereof;<br />
c. Negotiation and entering into contract with piecework contractors and evaluation of work accomplishments thereunder;<br />
d. Procurement of materials, plants and equipment, licenses and permits;<br />
e. Authorizing and undertaking payments of accounts;<br />
f. Keeping records and books of accounts;<br />
g. Negotiation with Government and private agencies having jurisdiction over the project; and<br />
h. Managing all other business transactions related to the project construction/implementation.<br />
<br />
The construction phase is done with the following conditions:<br />
a. All costs of labor and materials are paid directly by the Client or through a revolving fund provided by the Client. The Architect does not advance any money for payment of expenditures connected with the work.<br />
b. The Architect prepares a detailed estimate of the project as reference for the construction.<br />
c. The Architect may appoint, subject to the Owner/Client’s approval, a construction superintendent, purchasing agent, timekeeper and property clerk aside from the usual labor personnel required. Salaries of such persons are paid by the Owner/Client and not deductible from the Architect’s Fee under the Standards of Professional Practice (SPP).<br />
d. Cost of all permits, licenses and other incidentals to the work are paid by the Owner/Client.<br />
<br />
B) <b>Design-Build Services with Guaranteed Maximum Project Construction Cost</b> : essentially the same as Design-Build Services by Administration except that the Owner/Client is provided a guaranteed maximum project construction cost for the construction of the project.<br />
<br />
The Owner/Client is given an estimate of the project, and upon completion, if there is realized savings from the estimated project construction cost; it is divided equally between the Owner/Client and the Architect.<br />
<br />
The project construction cost is guaranteed by the Architect not to exceed Ten Percent (10%) of the estimated project construction cost. Should the actual cost exceed the estimated project construction cost plus Ten Percent (10%), the Architect shall be liable for the excess amount but only up to the amount of his administration Fee.<br />
<br />
Should there be additional expenditures beyond the guaranteed maximum project construction cost which are due to legitimate change/variation orders (CVOs), extra work orders (EWOs), substantial escalation of prices of the costs of materials or labor as evidenced by data certified by a nationally recognized agency such as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), or to other causes not attributable to the fault of the Architect, the additional costs shall be borne by the Owner/Client.<br />
<br />
Here is an interesting presentation by Arch. Rafael Jun" Briones" on this type of services:<br />
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Slides courtesy of Arch. Rafael Briones Jr., uap</div>
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<span id="addrExpand_to" style="position: relative; visibility: visible;">arch_rabj@yahoo.com</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-13057710674196213852013-06-04T18:54:00.000+08:002013-06-04T18:54:11.382+08:00Camella Residence by RATA Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We converted this 35sqm Corner Lot Rowhouse Unit into a 55sqm Model House to cater to a more spacious Residence with an overlooking Balcony and Landscaping. The extension accomodated the Living and the Dining Area. The tiny Kitchen was converted into a fully functional Modular Kitchen with a Bar Counter. All the walls and doors upstairs were removed to make the area bigger and flexible by providing a 3 Sliding Door to connect the Master and the Guest Room whenever the Client needs to watch TV or just enjoy the space. A carport was also added. A lanai on the side of the Dining was also an additional space for outdoor indulgence. The open space above the Laundry area was converted into a Walk-in-closet to accomodate all the storage req'ts of the Client. The Exterior Design especially the colors was maintained to compliment the Rowhouse from which it was a part of. Lighting played an important role in the conversion of spaces. We installed dim to ambient to task lights to best suite the mood and activities inside the house. For the Landscaping, a mixture of Tropical and Zen plants added the complete repertoire of the Concept. We wanted to produce a "Close to Home - Asian" motif. The over all completion of the Project pleased our Client as well as the surrounding neighborhood. RATA Design has established it's Flagship Project in Camella Lessandra Bacolod.</div>
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The Client was so pleased with their decision to Hire an Architect in Creating their Dream House. They believe that a Project, BIG or Small, requires professional advice such as the expertise of the Architect. The recent contest by the Camella Philippines have chosen the Lessandra House to represent the Camella Bacolod Subdivision among other entries. The Client didn't waste time in informing us of the good NEWS. Our Team was fulfilled by this recognition and we hope to please more clients with our Service in the Future.
<br />
<br />
Arch. RA Aguilar<br />
Architect-of-Record<br />
arch_rataguilar@yahoo.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-45088377622096284102013-06-04T18:35:00.000+08:002013-06-04T22:53:00.285+08:00Building for IPSEc, an energy center, to rise in MUST<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QVojRFpNq8LAhbDbZ4dEhNNAcWd6uO03-TqftL9R6AvD_ib7GMJEJGF3Q0KNSaKsWJECAgvXWUiTrLGHXvPAG3gly9NYhsKLBgHT9He7cjaw4vJzIe2BL9YFIGG1MpNRryfGEfzYaUQ/s1600/dumpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QVojRFpNq8LAhbDbZ4dEhNNAcWd6uO03-TqftL9R6AvD_ib7GMJEJGF3Q0KNSaKsWJECAgvXWUiTrLGHXvPAG3gly9NYhsKLBgHT9He7cjaw4vJzIe2BL9YFIGG1MpNRryfGEfzYaUQ/s400/dumpa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Another
building is eyed to be constructed by the Institute of Power Sector
Economics (IPSEc) in Mindanao University of Science and Technology soon.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The three-storey edifice, which replaces the “sinking building,” will rise near the newly constructed Science Complex. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
was revealed by Dr. Ambrosio R. Cultura, Dean of Engineering and
Architecture of MUST, in his welcome and introduction speech during the
Groundbreaking Ceremonies conducted on July 27, 2012.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
groundbreaking team was spearhead by Dr. Ricardo E. Rotoras, MUST
President (represented by Dr. Ruth G. Cabahug, VP Academic Affairs); Dr.
Ambrosio R. Cultura, Dean of College of Engineering and Architecture
(CEA; Clint Django G. Pacana, Association of Mindanao Rural Electric
Cooperatives, Inc. (AMRECO) Executive Director; Stanley B. Uriarte,
IPSEc Executive Officer, and Arch. Ferdinand Dumpa, the architect on
record. Engr. Dionel O. Albina, Engr. Rogen Morcilla, and other CEA
faculty members, university administrators, and some special guests were
also there.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">IPSEc
is a local capacity building institution for power utilities and
consumers that brings together all interested parties for the purpose of
coordinating and combining their actions and expertise to deal with
their common issues and concerns on energy utilization, distribution,
efficiency and consumer welfare.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It
is a center for research, academic studies and program development in
response to issues and concerns relating to electricity distribution
operation, power utility management, customer service efficiency and
consumerism in the whole nations power industry especially in Mindanao.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Arch. Ferdinand Dumpa</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Architect-of-Record</span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Email: f_dumpa@yahoo.com</span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.must.edu.ph/index.php/latest/building-for-ipsec-an-energy-center-to-rise-in-must.html">source</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-66024311021480982762013-06-03T17:38:00.004+08:002013-06-03T18:16:56.406+08:00Building a House in the Philippines - Necessary DocumentsIf you are thinking of building a house in the Philippines or any buildings for that matter, it is best to consult an ARCHITECT who can advise you on what is to be done. You may refer to the left side of this site (Find an Architect). Remember that an Architect is the best professional for the job and the only professional allowed by law (RA 9266) to undertake architectural designs for projects in the Philippines.<br />
<br />
Philippine architects have the knowledge, skills and experience to design your house or building. They shape ideas into drawings which is to be used by builders for construction and they are also needed for building permits. Some clients do not want to spend much money for the design thinking that they can "fix" everything during construction - that will be a very costly mistake.<br />
<br />
RA9266 also stipulates that before the Architect is to submit any sketches or drawings to a client, there should be a service contract signed by both parties which is very important as it is intended to protect the interests of both parties as well. You may enter into a Full Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design Services Contract (Full DAED Services) or a Full Detailed Architectural Design Services Contract (Full DAD Services). The first one is the most common and the easiest as you are talking to one team only led by the Architect, wherein all the engineering design (structural, electrical, mechanical, electronic, sanitary, etc.) services will be done by his team. The second one is more complicated as you will enter into a contract with the Architect and separate contracts for the other engineering design professionals, wherein the Architect will still be the prime professional and the separate engineering design works will still have to be coordinated thru the Architect.
<br />
<br />
For the fee of the Architect, you may refer to the Architects Standards of Professional Practice (SPP) Documents where for design, the fee is pegged at a certain percentage of the construction cost.<br />
<br />
Once, all drawings and construction documents are completed you may now proceed with the application for building permit as indicated in the following diagram:<br />
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Supposedly, it is the client who shall process the application but since it is a very tedious job, you may ask your contractor to do it for you and include it in the contract. For the construction of your building, you may ask the help of your Architect in choosing the contractor thru bidding or by negotiated bidding. For smaller projects, you may also opt to ask your Architect to undertake the construction of your project using the Design-Build arrangement, where the Architect prepares the design as well as administer the construction of the project. You will end up saving more but will consume much of your time as well. Ask your Architect on this possibility.<br />
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The documents to be submitted for building permit application shall be the following:<br />
<br />
A) Drawings and other Documents from Professionals:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Architectural Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Architect</li>
<li>Structural Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Civil Engineer</li>
<li>Electrical Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Professional Electrical Engineer</li>
<li>Sanitary Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Sanitary Engineer</li>
<li>Plumbing Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Master Plumber</li>
<li>Electronic Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Electronics Engineer</li>
<li>Mechanical Documents to be signed and sealed by a Registered and Licensed Mechanical Engineer</li>
</ol>
<br />
B) Copy of lot title or lot plan; either present or previous Owner<br />
C) If lot is not owned; affidavit of consent from owner or contract of sale or lease contract<br />
D) Tax declaration<br />
E) Latest tax receipts<br />
F) Owner’s or building permit applicant’s Community Tax Certificate (cedula)<br />
G) Lot survey c/o subdivision<br />
H) Soil exploration or soil bore test if project is 3 floors and above<br />
I) Barangay clearance specific for construction<br />
J) If Building permit applicant does not stay in Philippines, Special Power of Attorney (for construction purpose)<br />
<br />
Note:<br />
Always remember that when you are compelled to a court, you would like the most effective lawyer at hand; if you want a doctor, you would like the most effective doctor to diagnose/heal YOU. So, if you are going to build a house wherein you are going to spend most of your time, make sure you hire the right professional to do the job - the ARCHITECT)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-47241701775127609822013-06-02T15:36:00.000+08:002013-06-02T15:36:35.779+08:00Two-storey Residence at Ridgemont Executive Village, Cainta This two-storey residential project originally started with a simple renovation of an existing two-storey house bought by the owners on a 150 sqm lot. The client went on to acquire the adjacent lot of the same area to accommodate their parking and a small guest house. Consequently, another adjacent lot was purchased to instead house the garage and the middle lot is to be developed to include a small pool.<br />
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The house is situated in a sloping site on a high elevation providing a very good view of Metro Manila.<br />
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RSG Architects + Environmental Planners</div>
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Arch./EnP. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep</div>
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email: raegab@yahoo.com</div>
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cell no.: 0917-5874827</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-22394086871899231602013-06-02T13:48:00.000+08:002013-06-02T13:54:06.656+08:00ASEAN Architect (AA) Philippine Assessment Statement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTV_cB1YLW1eALQBaZRXb6Y42tBPkUGxPhhCZ8SPWTQJlWB3fiiQ8SfsyMGFZaWVOKxQrAz109WToEwTbDbRXXSnb-bI47C3loH4CMIM1hi7UrrMqIBEg0AymGPxWxeGLPC2MN0TDAYeA/s1600/asean+architect+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTV_cB1YLW1eALQBaZRXb6Y42tBPkUGxPhhCZ8SPWTQJlWB3fiiQ8SfsyMGFZaWVOKxQrAz109WToEwTbDbRXXSnb-bI47C3loH4CMIM1hi7UrrMqIBEg0AymGPxWxeGLPC2MN0TDAYeA/s320/asean+architect+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Architectural
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The Governments of Member States of the Association of South East Asian Nations as “ASEAN”; Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, have agreed on the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Architectural Services with the following objectives: </div>
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a) To facilitate mobility of architects; and </div>
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b) To exchange information in order to promote adoption of best practices on standards and qualifications.</div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ASEAN Architect (AA)</span></i></b> </div>
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An Architect who possesses the qualifications and professional experience requirements specified in Part B of this Assessment Statement may apply to be registered in the ASEAN Architect Register (AAR) and accorded the title of ASEAN Architect (AA). </div>
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Under the ASEAN MRA on Architectural Services, the Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) of each participating ASEAN Member State or in the case of the Philippines, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) shall authorize a Monitoring Committee (MC) to receive and process applications of its Architects for registration as AA, and to maintain the AAR. </div>
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Pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) made and entered into by and among the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), the ASEAN Monitoring Committee on Architectural Services of the Philippines (AMCASP) was created to serve the functions of the Monitoring Committee of the Philippines. </div>
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An AA of any other ASEAN Member State who wishes to provide professional architectural services in the Philippines shall register with the PRC, through AMCASP to be eligible as a Registered Foreign Architect (RFA).</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://freepdfhosting.com/f41faa4ff8.pdf">Click here for the full text of the Assessment Statement</a></span>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/145195179/Mutual-Recognition-Agreement-for-Architecture-Philippine-Assessment-Statement-FINAL" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Mutual Recognition Agreement for Architecture Philippine Assessment Statement FINAL on Scribd">Mutual Recognition Agreement for Architecture Philippine Assessment Statement FINAL</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_99762" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/145195179/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-55714489190973976942013-06-01T16:29:00.000+08:002013-06-01T16:40:50.872+08:00Gazebo in PonderosaA Gazebo project to be constructed in Ponderosa Leisure Farms, Tagaytay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7khi5IurS8v4clraRGUhnl0y1pqcFJsVuWcvjT2lGepyFhRKE1_XEfZT_2GgvNZVO0WY5eSrmVSlEKotsOoqrnzdvVSSFLXVCAiAv0OUGHqAgGvobpHUXG0_2tFkUaj0FcrrvFblg6I/s1600/martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7khi5IurS8v4clraRGUhnl0y1pqcFJsVuWcvjT2lGepyFhRKE1_XEfZT_2GgvNZVO0WY5eSrmVSlEKotsOoqrnzdvVSSFLXVCAiAv0OUGHqAgGvobpHUXG0_2tFkUaj0FcrrvFblg6I/s400/martin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0000bf; font-family: tahoma, 'new york', times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">LLOYD P. MARTIN uap</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #0000bf; font-family: tahoma, 'new york', times, serif; font-weight: bold;">LAMBERTO LLOYD P. MARTIN, Architect</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000bf; font-family: tahoma, 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 10px;">ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING PRODUCTION</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-30228908967131061402013-06-01T12:26:00.002+08:002013-06-01T12:30:24.442+08:00Are you an Architect with a Mission?Arcism is a networked advocacy-centered organization conceptualized to have an integrated teams of Architects, Engineers, Builders, Eco-Scientist and Eco-Advocates who believes in the creative force of the collective wisdom of preserving our Mother Nature and Architectural Identity.<br />
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Our aim is to organize into integrated practices, cross-office and practice exchange to create a lasting value for all our clients, customers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Arcism is in war against mediocrity, lack of empathy towards the environment.<br />
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This architectural philosophical concept was a critical of the status quo. We are on the right hand path that pleads the cause of change to each individual, organizations and government agencies.<br />
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Every Architect or Designer, if decided to go "Arcismic" should embrace an advocacy and revolutions. We use a lot of social networks and as well as physical networks to push our environmental and aesthetic agendas.<br />
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Aristotle Reyes Muta is a practicing architect who advocates arcismic principles. He is the vision initiator, concept developer, strategist and collaborator. His arcismic concept of design and architecture will redefine the trend, not only how we design, but more-so, how we think. He advocates more than being "green" and "sustainable" by applying the eight essence of arcism.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2Zlgg-2QI_pOz_eGB3S6qnGCpo_ES4mqbxdEajoaYe_qLVrCH_rKLsDsH5IH90lS45S_ls8yYXyZQBJTG24AsC_jQTddvfmtBCv0jmYB5MAkMGStzQFFsbSt39fXebRgM5EUlWylHRQ/s1600/aristotle.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2Zlgg-2QI_pOz_eGB3S6qnGCpo_ES4mqbxdEajoaYe_qLVrCH_rKLsDsH5IH90lS45S_ls8yYXyZQBJTG24AsC_jQTddvfmtBCv0jmYB5MAkMGStzQFFsbSt39fXebRgM5EUlWylHRQ/s320/aristotle.jpg" /></a><br />
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More info from the <a href="http://arcism.weebly.com/index.html">site</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-40332561876840354412013-06-01T11:56:00.002+08:002013-06-01T11:57:39.787+08:00Selecting Your Architect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whether you are building your own home or designing a commercial complex, choosing the right architect is vital to a successful project.
Architecture firms come in a variety of sizes and types. The statistically average firm is made up of 9 or 10 people; many firms are smaller. There are also very large firms with staffs of 100 or more. Some firms specialize in one or more project or facility types. Others have very specific specialties. Some firms include in-house engineering (structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.) or other design disciplines (planning, urban design, landscape architecture, interior design, etc.) Many architects introduce specialty disciplines into their projects through appropriate consultants. Each architecture firm brings its own combination of skills, expertise, interests, and values to its projects. All good architects will listen to you and translate your ideas into a viable construction project. Look for a good listener and you'll find a good architect.
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<b>The Right Architect</b><br />
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If you are a first-time client, or an experienced client facing a new situation, you probably have many questions about architect selection. Some of the more frequently asked questions are addressed here.
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<i>When, in the life cycle of a project, should I bring the architect into the picture?
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As early as possible. Architects can help you define the project in terms that provide meaningful guidance for design. They may also do site studies, help secure planning and zoning approvals, help you work out financing, and a variety of other predesign services.
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<i>How do I find suitable firms to contact?</i><br />
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Contact other owners who have developed similar facilities and ask who they interviewed and ultimately selected. Ask who designed buildings and projects that you've admired or that seem especially appropriate. Many local chapters of the United Architects of the Philippines maintain referral lists and are available to assist you in identifying architects who can help you. (You may also refer to this site, at the left side "Find an Architect").<br />
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<i>What information should I request from firms? </i><br />
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At a minimum, ask to see projects the firm has designed that are similar in type and size to yours or that have addressed similar issues (for example, siting, functional complexity, or design aspirations). Ask them to indicate how they will approach your project and who will be working on it (including consultants). Ask for the names of other owners you may contact.<br />
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<i>Why are formal interviews desirable? </i><br />
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An interview addresses one issue that can't be covered in brochures: the chemistry between the owner and the architecture firm. Interviews also allow the owner to learn how each firm plans to approach the project.<br />
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<i>What can I realistically expect to learn from an interview? How can I structure the interview to make it as informative as possible? </i><br />
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You can learn how the architect's team will approach your project by talking to key members. Ask how the architect will gather information, establish priorities, and make decisions. Ask what the architect sees as the important issues for consideration in the project. Evaluate the firm's style, personality, priorities, and approach: are they compatible with yours?<br />
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<i>How should I follow up? </i><br />
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Tell each firm what you intend to do next and when you plan to make your decision. If you haven't talked with past clients, do so now. Ask them to assess both the performance of the firm and the performance of the resulting architecture. You may want to visit existing buildings to see them in use. Notify the selected firm, or short-listed firms, as soon as possible. Remember, conditions change, sometimes very rapidly: regulatory parameters, market conditions, and team availability.
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<i>On what should I base my decision?</i><br />
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Personal confidence in the architect is paramount. Seek also an appropriate balance among design ability, technical competence, professional service, and cost. Once you've selected the best firm, enter into detailed negotiations regarding services and compensation. The UAP Contract Documents-the industry standard-offer an excellent starting point for contract negotiation.<br />
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<i>What about selecting an architect by competitive bid? </i><br />
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You can ask for a fee proposal from an architect at any time during the selection process that you think is appropriate. The Architects Code of Ethics, however, forbids unfair competition based on fees and rather recommends qualifications-based selection, whereby qualification for a project is the first consideration, and fee is secondary. You are engaging the services of a professional with whom you will work closely throughout the life of the project.<br />
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Choose your architect at least as carefully as you would your dentist or doctor. Factors such as experience, technical competence, and available staff resources will be important to your decision. So, if you are soliciting proposals from more than one firm, make sure that you can provide all the information required for definite proposals to ensure that the proposals you get offer the same scope of services, and you can evaluate them on a consistent basis.<br />
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Yours will be a business relationship. Find out how prospective architects do business, how they work with their clients, how responsive they are to your management and decision styles, and how well their work stacks up against their clients' expectations.<br />
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<b>Ask questions</b>. Approach the architect as a professional who will bring experience and specialized knowledge to your project. Don't be afraid to ask the same questions you've asked yourself: What does the architect expect to contribute to the project? How much information does the architect need? How does the architect set priorities and make decisions? Who in the firm will work directly with you? How will engineering or other design services be provided? How does the firm provide quality control during design? What is the firm's construction-cost experience?<br />
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<b>Be frank</b>. Tell the architect what you know and what you expect. Ask for an explanation of anything you don't understand. The more on the table at the outset, the better the chances are for a successful project. Remember, a good architect is a good listener. Only when you have outlined your issues can the architect address them.<br />
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Because you will be in a business relationship to acquire the professional skills and judgment of the prospective architect, you might also want to inquire about the ability of the architect to stand financially behind the services to be provided. For example, you might ask if the architect carries professional liability insurance--much like that carried by doctors, lawyers, and accountants. While not all architects carry such insurance, it can, in many circumstances, be an indicator of sound business acumen.<br />
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Be prepared to answer questions about your project's purpose, budget, time frame, site, and the team of players you anticipate being involved with the project. Once again, be frank, and inform the architect of any information you want to be kept in confidence. Protecting your confidential information is an ethical requirement for members of the UAP.
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<b>Selection Is a Mutual Process</b><br />
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The most thoughtful architects are as careful in selecting their clients as owners are in selecting architects. They are as interested in a successful project as you are, and they know that good architecture results from fruitful collaboration between architects and clients.<br />
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Even the simplest of projects are very complex. Each situation is different, including people, needs, site, financing, and regulatory requirements. Many of the owner's needs and expectations come into focus only in the process of design. As the owner and architect mutually evaluate alternative approaches to the project's design, priorities are clarified and new possibilities emerge. There is no substitute for the complex, time-consuming, and intensive dialogue and inquiry that characterize the design process.<br />
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(original text from the <a href="http://www.aia.org/value/yaya/AIAS076558">AIA website</a>)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-61058821422185054202013-05-31T15:45:00.002+08:002013-05-31T15:45:36.338+08:00HIRE ONLY AN ARCHITECT TO DO THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF YOUR PROJECT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Republic Act No. 9266 </b></div>
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<b>March 17, 2004</b></div>
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<b>AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A MORE RESPONSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE REGULATION FOR THE REGISTRATION, LICENSING AND PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 545, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT TO REGULATE THE PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES," AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.</b></div>
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<i>Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled</i>:</div>
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<b>ARTICLE I</b><br /><b>GENERAL PROVISION</b></div>
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<b>SECTION 1.</b> <b><i>Short Title</i>.</b> - This Act shall be known as "The Architecture Act of 2004."</div>
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<b>SECTION 2.</b> <b><i>Statement of Policy</i>.</b> - The State recognizes the importance of architects in nation building and development. Hence, it shall develop and nurture competent, virtuous, productive and well-rounded professional architects whose standards of practice and service shall be excellent, qualitative, world-class and globally competitive through inviolable, honest, effective and credible licensure examinations and through regulatory measures, programs and activities that foster their professional growth and development.</div>
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<b>SECTION 3.</b> <b><i>Definition of Terms</i>.</b> - As used in this Act, the following terms shall be defined as follows:</div>
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(1) "Architecture" is the art, science or profession of planning, designing and constructing buildings in their totality taking into account their environment, in accordance with the principles of utility, strength and beauty;</div>
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(2) "Architect" means a person professionally and academically qualified, registered and licensed under this Act with a Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card issued by the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture and the Professional Regulation Commission, and who is responsible for advocating the fair and sustainable development, welfare and cultural expression of society's habitat in terms of space, forms and historical context;</div>
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(a) "Architect-of-record" means the architect registered and licensed under this Act, who is directly and professionally responsible for the total design of the project for the client and who shall assume the civil liability for the plans, specifications and contract documents he/she has signed and sealed;</div>
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(b) "Architecture-in-charge of construction" means an architect registered and licensed under this Act, who is directly and professionally responsible and liable for the construction supervision of the project;</div>
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(c) "Consulting Architect" means the architect registered and licensed or permitted to practice under this Act, who is professionally and academically qualified and with exceptional or recognized expertise or specialization in any branch of architecture;</div>
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(3) "General Practice of Architecture" means the act of planning and architectural designing, structural conceptualization, specifying, supervising and giving general administration and responsible direction to the erection, enlargement or alterations of buildings and building environments and architectural design in engineering structures or any part thereof; the scientific, aesthetic and orderly coordination of all the processes which enter into the production of a complete building or structure performed through the medium of unbiased preliminary studies of plans, consultations, specifications, conferences, evaluations, investigations, contract documents and oral advice and directions regardless of whether the persons engaged in such practice are residents of the Philippines or have their principal office or place of business in this country or another territory, and regardless of whether such persons are performing one or all these duties, or whether such duties are performed in person or as the directing head of an office or organization performing them;</div>
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(4) "Scope of the Practice of Architecture" encompasses the provision of professional services in connection with site, physical and planning and the design, construction, enlargement, conservation, renovation, remodeling, restoration or alteration of a building or group of buildings. Services may include, but are not limited to:</div>
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(a) planning, architectural designing and structural conceptualization;</div>
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(b) consultation, consultancy, giving oral or written advice and directions, conferences, evaluations, investigations, quality surveys, appraisals and adjustments, architectural and operational planning, site analysis and other pre-design services;</div>
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(c) schematic design, design development, contract documents and construction phases including professional consultancies;</div>
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(d) preparation of preliminary, technical, economic and financial feasibility studies of plans, models and project promotional services;</div>
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(e) preparation of architectural plans, specifications, bill of materials, cost estimates, general conditions and bidding documents;</div>
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(f) construction and project management, giving general management, administration, supervision, coordination and responsible direction or the planning, architectural designing, construction, reconstruction, erection, enlargement or demolition, renovation, repair, orderly removal, remodeling, alteration, preservation or restoration of buildings or structures or complex buildings, including all their components, sites and environs, intended for private or public use;</div>
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(g) the planning, architectural lay-outing and utilization of spaces within and surrounding such buildings or structures, housing design and community architecture, architectural interiors and space planning, architectural detailing, architectural lighting, acoustics, architectural lay-outing of mechanical, electrical, electronic, sanitary, plumbing, communications and other utility systems, equipment and fixtures;</div>
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(h) building programming, building administration, construction arbitration and architectural conservation and restoration;</div>
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(i) all works which relate to the scientific, aesthetic and orderly coordination of all works and branches of the work, systems and process necessary for the production of a complete building or structure, whether for public or private use, in order to enhance and safeguard life, health and property and the promotion and enrichment of the quality of life, the architectural design of engineering structures or any part thereof; and</div>
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(j) all other works, projects and activities which require the professional competence of an architect, including teaching of architectural subjects and architectural computer-aided design;</div>
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(5) "Structural Conceptualization" means the act of conceiving, choosing and developing the type, disposition, arrangement and proportioning of the structural elements of an architectural work giving due consideration to safety, cost-effectiveness, functionality and aesthetics;</div>
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(6) "Architectural Firm" means a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation registered with the proper government agencies;</div>
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(7) "Authorship" refers to the author or authors of a set of architectural plans or specifications who are in charge of their preparation, whether made by them personally or under their immediate supervision;</div>
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(8) "Board" refers to the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture;</div>
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(9) "Commission" means the Professional Regulation Commission;</div>
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(10) "Service Agreement" means a duly notarized written contract or equivalent public instrument stipulating the scope of services and guaranteeing compensation of such services to be rendered by an architect registered and licensed under this Act;</div>
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(11) "Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization" means the existing official national organization of all architects of the Philippines in which all registered Filipino architects shall be members without prejudice to membership in other voluntary professional associations;</div>
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(12) "Continuing Professional Development" refers to a sustaining and progressive learning process that maintains, enhances, or increases the knowledge and continuing ability of architects;</div>
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(13) "DTI" shall mean the Department of Trade and Industry; and</div>
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(14) "SEC" shall mean the Securities of Exchange Commission.</div>
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<b>ARTICLE II</b><br /><b>PROFESSIONAL REGULATORY BOARD OF ARCHITECURE</b></div>
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<b>SECTION 4.</b> <b><i>Creation and Composition of the Professional Regulatory Board</i>.</b> - There is hereby created a Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture, hereinafter referred to as the Board, a collegial body under the supervision and administrative control of the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, to be composed of a chairman and two (2) members appointed by the President of the Philippines from a lists of three (3) recommendees chosen from a list of five (5) nominees for each position submitted to the Commission by the integrated and the accredited professional organization of architects. The Board shall be organized not later than six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 5.</b> <b><i>Qualifications of Members of the Professional Regulatory Board</i>.</b> - Each member shall have at the time of his/her appointment, possess the following qualifications:</div>
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(a) be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;</div>
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(b) be a holder of a degree in Bachelor of Science in Architecture conferred by a school, college or university in the Philippines or abroad that is recognized and/or accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED);</div>
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(c) be an architect with a valid Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card and active practitioner of architecture for at least ten (10) years on the date of his/her appointment;</div>
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(d) not be a member of the faculty of any good school, college, university or review institution where a regular course or review course in architecture is taught, nor have pecuniary interest in such institution. No former member of the faculty of any school, institute, university or review center where architecture is taught can become a member of the Board unless he/she had officially resigned from such an institution and has completely stopped teaching, advising or reviewing activities for at least five (5) years prior to the nomination; and</div>
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(e) Has never been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude.</div>
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<b>SECTION 6.</b> <b><i>Term of Office</i>.</b> - The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3) years after appointment or until their successors shall have been appointed and duly qualified. Any vacancy occurring within the term of a member shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term only. Each member of the Board may be reappointed for one full term of three (3) years. Of the members of the Board first appointed under this Act, one (1) member shall be appointed and hold office as chairman for three (3) years, one (1) member for two (2) years, and one (1) member for one (1) year. Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking the proper oath prior to the performance shall qualify by taking the proper oath prior to the performance of their duties. Provided, That the incumbent members of the Board shall continue to serve for the remainder of their term as members of the herein created Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture until a new Board shall have been properly organized.</div>
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<b>SECTION 7.</b> <b><i>Powers and Functions of the Board</i>.</b> - The Board shall exercise the following specific powers, functions and responsibilities:</div>
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(a) Prescribe and adopt the rules and regulations necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act;</div>
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(b) Supervise the registration, licensure and practice of architects;</div>
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(c) Administer oaths in connection with the administration of this Act;</div>
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(d) Issue, suspend, revoke, or reinstate the Certificate of Registration and the professional Identification Card for the practice of the architecture profession;</div>
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(e) Adopt an official seal of the Board;</div>
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(f) Monitor the conditions affecting the practice of architecture and adopt such measures as may be deemed proper for the enhancement and maintenance of high professional, ethical and technical standards of the profession;</div>
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(g) Prescribe and/or adopt the Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice;</div>
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(h) Hear and decide administrative cases involving violations of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, the Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice, and for this purpose, to issue subpoena ad testifcandum and subpoena duces tecum to secure the appearance of witnesses and the production of documents in connection therewith: Provided, That the decision of the Board shall, unless appealed to the Commission, become final and executory after fifteen (15) days from receipt of notice of judgment or decision. The decision of the Commission may be appealed to the Court of Appeals in accordance with the procedure under the Rules of Court;</div>
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(i) Prescribe guidelines for the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program in consultation with the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects: Provided, That the attendance to said CPD shall not be a mandatory requirement for the renewal of a professional license;</div>
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(j) Prepare, adopt, issue or amend the syllabi of the subjects for examinations by determining and preparing questions which shall be within the scope of the syllabi of the subject for examination as well as administer, correct and release the results of the licensure examinations;</div>
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(k) Approve, issue, limit or cancel temporary or special permit to practice architecture;</div>
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(l) In coordination with the CHED, ensure that all higher educational instruction and offerings of architecture comply with the policies, standards and requirements of the course prescribed by the CHED in the areas of curriculum, faculty, library and facilities;</div>
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(m) To adopt a program for the full computerization of the licensure examination; and</div>
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(n) Discharge such other duties and functions as may be deemed necessary for the enhancement of the architecture profession and the upgrading, development and growth of the architecture education.</div>
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The policies, resolutions, rules and regulations, issued or promulgated by the Board shall be subject to review and approval of the Commission. However, the Board's decisions, resolutions or orders rendered in administrative cases shall be subject to review only if on appeal.</div>
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<b>SECTION 8.</b> <b><i>Administrative Supervision of the Board, Custodian of its Records, Secretariat and Support Services</i>.</b> - The Board shall be under the administrative supervision of the Commission. All records of the Board, including applications for examination, and administrative and other investigative cases conducted by the Board shall be under the custody of the Commission. The Commission shall designate the Secretary of the Board and shall provide the secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 9.</b> <b><i>Grounds for Suspension or Removal of Members of the Board</i>.</b> - The President of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of the Commission, after giving the concerned member an opportunity to defend himself in a proper administrative investigation to be conducted by the Commission, may suspend or remove any member on the following grounds:</div>
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(a) Neglect of duty or incompetence;</div>
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(b) Violation of tolerance of the violation of this Act, or its implementing rules and regulations or the Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice;</div>
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(c) Final judgment of crimes involving moral turpitude; and</div>
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(d) Manipulation or rigging of the architecture licensure examination results, disclosure of secret and confidential information in the examination questions prior to the conduct of the said examination or tampering of grades.</div>
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<b>SECTION 10.</b> <b><i>Compensation and Allowances of the Board</i>.</b> - The chairman and members of the Board shall receive compensation and allowances comparable to that being received by the chairman and members of existing regulatory Boards under the Commission as provided for in the General Appropriations Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 11.</b> <b><i>Annual Report</i>.</b> - The Board shall submit an annual report to the Commission after the close of each year giving a detailed account of its proceedings during the year and making such recommendations as it may deem proper.</div>
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<b>ARTICLE III</b><br /><b>EXAMINATION, REGISTRATION AND LICENSURE</b></div>
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<b>SECTION 12.</b> <b><i>Examination Required</i>.</b> - All applicants for registration for the practice of architecture shall be required to undergo a licensure examination to be given by the Board in such places and dates as the Commission may designate in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 8981.</div>
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<b>SECTION 13.</b> <b><i>Qualifications of Applicant for Examination</i>.</b> - Any person applying for examination shall establish to the satisfaction of the Board that:</div>
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(a) He/she is a Filipino citizen or a citizen of a foreign country qualified to take the examination as provided for in this Act;</div>
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(b) He/she is of good moral character;</div>
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(c) He/she is a holder of a degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture conferred by a school, college, academy or institute duly recognized and/or accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and in addition has a specific record of at least two (2) years or equivalent of diversified architectural experience duly certified by a registered/licensed architect: Provided, however, That an applicant holding a Master's Degree in Architecture from a school, college, university or institute recognized by the government shall be credited one (1) year in his/her practical experience; and</div>
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(d) He/she has not been convicted of any criminal offensive involving moral turpitude.</div>
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<b>SECTION 14.</b> <b><i>Subjects for Examination</i>.</b> - The licensure examination for architects shall cover, but are not limited to, the following subjects:</div>
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(1) History and Theory of Architecture; Principles of Planning and Architectural Practice;</div>
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(2) Structural Design, Building Materials, and Architectural Specifications, and Methods of Construction and Utilities;</div>
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(3) Urban Design and Architectural Interiors; and</div>
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(4) Architectural Design and Site Planning.</div>
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The Board, subject to the approval of the Commission, may revise or exclude any of the subjects and their syllabi, and add new ones as the need arises to conform to technological changes brought about by continuing trends in the profession.</div>
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<b>SECTION 15.</b> <b><i>Rating in the Licensure Examination</i>.</b> - To be qualified as having passed the licensure examination for architects, a candidate must obtain a weighted general average of seventy percent (70%), with no grade lower than fifty percent (50%) in any given subject.</div>
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<b>SECTION 16.</b> <b><i>Report of Ratings</i>.</b> - The Board shall submit to the Commission the ratings obtained by each candidate within thirty (30) calendar days after the examination, unless extended for just cause. Upon the release of the results of the examination, the Board shall send by mail the rating received by each examinee at his/her given address using the mailing envelope submitted during the examination.</div>
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<b>SECTION 17.</b> <b><i>Oath</i>.</b> - All successful candidates in the examination shall be required to take an oath of profession before any member of the Board, any government official authorized by the Commission or any person authorized by law to administer oaths, prior to entering upon the practice of the profession.</div>
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<b>SECTION 18.</b> <b><i>Issuance of Certificates of Registration and Professional Identification Card</i>.</b> - A Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card shall be issued to examinees who pass the licensure examination subject to payment of fees prescribed by the Commission. The Certificate of Registration shall bear the signature of the chairperson of the Commission and the chairman and members of the Board, stamped with the official seal, indicating that the person named therein is entitled to the practice of the profession with all the privileges appurtenant thereto. The said certificate shall remain in full force and affect until withdrawn, suspended or revoked in accordance with this Act.</div>
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A Professional Identification Card bearing the registration number, date of issuance, expiry date, duly signed by the chairperson of the Commission, shall likewise be issued to every registrant who has paid the prescribed fee.</div>
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<b>SECTION 19.</b> <b><i>Roster of Architects</i>.</b> - A roster showing the names and place of business of all registered professional architects shall be prepared and updated by the Board and copies thereof shall be made available to any party as may be deemed necessary.</div>
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<b>SECTION 20.</b> <b><i>Seal, Issuance and Use of Seal</i>.</b> - A duly licensed architect shall affix the seal prescribed by the Board bearing the registrant's name, registration number and title "Architect" on all architectural plans, drawings, specifications and all other contract documents prepared by or under his/her direct supervision.</div>
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(1) Each registrant hereunder shall, upon registration, obtain a seal of such design as the Board shall authorize and direct. Architectural plans and specifications prepared by, or under the direct supervision of a registered architect shall be stampede with said seal during the life of the registrant's certificate, and it shall be unlawful for any one to stamp or seal any documents with said seal after the certificate of the registrant named thereon has expired or has been revoked, unless said certificate shall have been renewed or re-issued.</div>
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(2) No officer or employee of this Republic. Chartered cities, provinces and municipalities, now or hereafter charged with the enforcement of law, ordinances or regulations relating to the construction or alteration of buildings, shall accept or approve any architectural plans or specifications which have not been prepared and submitted in full accord with all the provisions of this Act; nor shall any payments be approved by any such officer for any work, the plans and specifications for which have not been so prepared and signed and sealed by the author.</div>
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(3) It shall be unlawful for any architect to sign his/her name, affix his/her seal or use any other method of signature on architectural plans, specifications or other documents made under another architect's supervision, unless the same is made in such manner as to clearly indicate the part or parts of such work actually performed by the former, and it shall be unlawful for any person, except the architect-of-record, to sign for any branch of work for any function of architectural practice, not actually performed by him/her. The architect-of-record shall be fully responsible for all architectural plans, specifications and other documents issued under his/her seal or authorized signature.</div>
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(4) Drawings and specifications duly signed, stamped or sealed, as instruments of service, are the intellectual properties and documents of the architect, whether the object for which they are made is executed or not, It shall be unlawful for any person, without the consent of the architect or author of said documents, to duplicate or to make copies of said documents for use in the repetition of and for other projects or buildings, whether executed partly or in whole.</div>
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(5) All architectural plans, designs, specifications, drawings and architectural documents relative to the construction of a building shall bear the seal and signature only of an architect registered and licensed under this Act together with his/her professional identification card number and the date of its expiration.</div>
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<b>SECTION 21.</b> <b><i>Indication of Certificate of Registration/Professional Identification Card and Professional Tax Receipt</i>.</b> - The architect shall be required to indicate his/her Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card, its date of issuance and the duration of validity, including the professional tax receipt number, on the documents he/she signs, uses or issues in connection with the practice of his/her profession.</div>
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<b>SECTION 22.</b> <b><i>Refusal to Issue Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card</i>.</b> - The Board shall not register and issue a Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card to any person who has falsely sworn or misrepresented himself/herself in his/her application for examination or to any person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a criminal offense involving moral turpitude or guilty of immoral and dishonorable conduct or to any person of unsound mind. In the even of refusal to issue certificate for any reason, the Board shall give the applicant a written statement setting forth the reasons for such action, which statement shall be incorporated in the record of the Board: Provided, however, That registration shall not be refused and a name shall not be removed from the roster of architects on conviction for a political offense or for an offense which should not, in the opinion of the Board, either from the nature of the offense or from the circumstances of the case, disqualify a person from practicing under this Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 23.</b> <b><i>Suspension and Revocation of Certificates of Registration, Professional Identification Card or the Special/Temporary Permit</i>.</b> - The Board shall have the power, upon notice and hearing, to suspend or revoke the validity of a Certificate of Registration/Professional Identification Card, or shall cancel a special permit granted under this Act to an architect, on any ground mentioned under Section 22 hereof for the use of or perpetuation of any fraud or deceit in obtaining a Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card or special/temporary or dishonorable conduct; or for any cause specified hereunder: Provided, however, That such action of the Board shall be subject to appeal to the Commission whose decision shall be final if he/she:</div>
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(a) has signed and affixed or permitted to be signed or affixed his name or seal on architectural plans and designs, specification, drawings, technical reports, valuation, estimates, or other similar documents or work not prepared by him/her or not executed under his/her immediate supervision; or</div>
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(b) has paid money except the regular fees provided for to secure a Certificate of Registration; or</div>
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(c) has falsely impersonated a practitioner, or former practitioner of alike or different name or has practiced under an assumed, fictitious or corporate name other than that of the registered; or</div>
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(d) has aided or abetted in the practice of architecture any person not duly authorized to practice architecture in the Philippines; or</div>
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(e) has openly solicited projects by actually undertaking architectural services without a valid service agreement guaranteeing compensation of services to be rendered and/or has actually allowed himself/herself to be exploited by undertaking architectural services without a valid sevice agreement, both acts being prejudicial to other architects registered and licensed under this Act and inimical to the interests of the profession; or</div>
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(f) has violated any provision of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, the Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice.</div>
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The Board shall periodically examine the grounds for the revocation of the Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card and update these as necessary under the implementing rules and regulations.</div>
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Any person, firm or association, may prepare charges in accordance with the provisions of this section against any registrant, or the Board may motu proprio investigate and/or take cognizance of act and practices constituting sufficient cause for suspension or revocation of the Certificate of Registration by proper resolution or order. Such charges shall be in writing and shall be sworn to by the person making them and shall be filed with the Secretary of the Board.</div>
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<b>SECTION 24.</b> <b><i>Re-issuance or Replacement of Revoked or Lost Certificates of Registration Professional Identification Card or Special and Temporary Permit</i>.</b> - The Board may, after the expiration of two (2) years from the date of revocation of a Certificate of Registration, Professional Identification Card or special/temporary permit, and upon application and for reasons deemed proper and sufficient, reinstate the validity of a revoked Certificate of Registration and in so doing may, in its discretion, exempt the applicant from taking another examination.</div>
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A new Certificate of Registration or Professional Identification Card, temporary/special permit replace those which have been lost, destroyed, or mutilated, may be re-issued, subject to the rules promulgated by the Board and the Commission, upon payment of the required fees.</div>
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<b>ARTICLE IV</b><br /><b>PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE</b></div>
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<b>SECTION 25.</b> <b><i>Registration of Architects Required</i>.</b> - No person shall practice architecture in this country, or engage in preparing architectural plans, specification or preliminary data for the erection or alteration of any building located within the boundaries of this country or use the title "Architect," or display or use any title, sign, card, advertisement, or other device to indicate such person practices or offers to practice architecture, or is an architect, unless such person shall have received from the Board a Certificate of Registration and be issued a Professional Identification Card in the manner hereinafter provided and shall thereafter comply with the provisions of this Act.</div>
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A foreign architect or any person not authorized to practice architecture in the Philippines, who shall stay in the country and perform any of the activities mentioned in Sections 3 and 4 of this Act, or any other activity analogous thereto, in connection with the construction of any building/structure/edifice or land development project, shall be deemed engaged in the unauthorized practice of architecture.</div>
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<b>SECTION 26.</b> <b><i>Vested Rights: Architects Registered When this Law is Passed</i>.</b> - All architects registered at the time this law takes effect shall automatically be registered under the provisions hereof, subject, however, to the provisions herein set forth as to future requirements.</div>
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Certificate of Registration held by such persons in good standing shall have the same force and effect as though issued after the passage of this Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 27.</b> <b><i>Reciprocity Requirements</i>.</b> - A person who is not a citizen of the Philippines at the time he/she applies to take the examination shall not be allowed to take the licensure examination unless he/she can prove, in the manner provided by the Rules of Court that, by specific provision of law, the country of which he/she is a citizen, subject or national either admits citizens of the Philippines to the practice of the same profession without restriction or allows them to practice it after passing an examination on terms of strict and absolute equality with citizens, subjects or national of the country concerned, including the unconditional recognition of prerequisite degrees/diplomas issued by the institutions of learning duly recognized for the purpose by the Government of the Philippines.</div>
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<b>SECTION 28.</b> <b><i>Continuing Professional Development (CPD)</i>.</b> - To promote public interest and to safeguard life, health and property, all practicing architects shall maintain a program of continuing professional organization shall have the responsibility of developing a continuing professional development program for architects. Other entities or organizations may become CPD providers upon accreditation by the Board.</div>
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<b>SECTION 29.</b> <b><i>Prohibition in the Practice of Architecture and Penal Clause</i>.</b> - Any person who shall practice or offer to practice architecture in the Philippines without being registered/licensed and who are not holders of temporary or special permits in accordance with the provisions of this Act, or any person presenting or attempting to use as his/her own the Certificate of Registration/Professional Identification Card or seal of another or temporary or special permit, or any person who shall give any false or forged evidence o any kind to the Board or to any member thereof in obtaining a Certificate of Registration/Professional Identification Card or temporary or special permit, or any person who shall falsely impersonate any registrant of like or different name, or any person who shall attempt to use a revoked or suspended Certificate of Registration/Professional Identification Card or cancelled special/temporary permit, or any person who shall use in connection with his/her name or otherwise assume, use or advertise any title or description tending to convey the impression that he/she is an architect when he/she is not an architect, or any person whether Filipino or foreigner, who knowingly allows the use, adoption, implementation of plans, designs or specification made by any person, firm, partnership or company not duly licensed to engage in the practice of architecture, or any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, the Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice, or any policy of the Board and the Commission, shall be guilty of misdemeanor and charged in court by the Commission and shall, upon conviction be sentenced to a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) but not more than Five Million pesos (P5,000,000,00) or to suffer imprisonment for a period not less than six (6) months or not exceeding six (6) years, or both, at the discretion of the Court.</div>
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<b>SECTION 30.</b> <b><i>Prohibition in the Practice of Architecture</i>.</b> - Any person or entity, whether public or private, Filipino or foreigner, who/which shall entice, compel, coerce, require or otherwise force an architect registered and licensed under this Act to undertake/perform any service under the general practice of architecture as defined under this Act, without first executing a written contract/service agreement, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction be sentenced to a fine of not less than Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00) or to suffer imprisonment for a period not exceeding six (6) years, or both, at the discretion of the Court.</div>
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<b>SECTION 31.</b> <b><i>Liability of Representatives of Non-Registered Persons</i>.</b> - It shall be unlawful for any person or firm or corporation to seek to avoid the provisions of this Act by having a representative or employee seek architectural work in their behalf, unless and until, such persons have duly qualified and are duly registered/licensed, otherwise, both those represented and representative, the employer and the employee shall be deemed guilty of violation of this Act. Solicitation of architectural work shall be construed as offering to practice architecture and shall be unlawful for any non-registered and unlicensed persons to do so.</div>
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<b>SECTION 32.</b> <b><i>Signing of Architectural Plans, Specifications and Other Contract Documents</i>.</b> - It shall be unlawful for any architect to sign his/her name, affix his/her seal, or use any other method of signature or architectural plans, specifications or other contract documents made under another architect's supervision, unless the same is made in such manner as to clearly indicate the part or parts of such work actually performed by the former; and shall be unlawful for any person, except the Architect-of record shall be fully responsible for all architectural plans, specifications, and other documents issued under his/her seal or authorized signature.</div>
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The Board shall make all the necessary rules and regulations with regards to the signing and sealing of drawings, specifications, reports, and other documents.</div>
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<b>SECTION 33.</b> <b><i>Ownership of Plans, Specifications and other Contract Documents</i>.</b> - Drawings and specifications and other contract documents duly signed, stamped or sealed, as instruments of service, are the intellectual property and documents of thr architect, whether the object for which they are made is executed or not. It shall be unlawful for any person to duplicate or to make copies of said documents for use in the repetition of and for other projects or buildings, whether executed partly or in whole, without the written consent of architect or author of said documents.</div>
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All architects shall incorporate this provision in all contract documents and other instruments of service.</div>
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<b>SECTION 34.</b> <b><i>Non-Registered Person Shall Not Claim Equivalent Service</i>.</b> - Persons not registered as an architect shall not claim nor represent either services or work as equivalent to those of a duly qualified registered architect, or that they are qualified for any branch or functions of function of architectural practice, even though no form of the title "Architect" is used.</div>
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<b>SECTION 35.</b> <b><i>Positions in Government Requiring the Services of Registered and Licensed Architects</i>.</b> - Within (3) years from the effectivity of this Act, all existing and proposed positions in the local and national government, whether career, permanent, temporary or contractual and primarily requiring the services of an architect shall be filled only by registered and licensed architects.</div>
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<b>SECTION 36.</b> <b><i>Collection of Professional Fees</i>.</b> - It shall be unlawful for any unregistered person to collect a fee for architectural services except as an employee collecting a fee as representative of a Registered Architect.</div>
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<b>SECTION 37.</b> <b><i>Limitation to the Registration of a Firm, Company, Partnership, Corporation or Association</i>.</b> - The practice of architecture is a professional service, admission to which shall be determined upon the basis of individual personal qualifications. However, a firm, company, partnership, corporation or association may be registered or licensed as such for the practice of architecture under the following conditions:</div>
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(a) Only Filipino citizens properly registered and licensed as architects under this Act may, among themselves, or together with allied technical professionals, form and obtain registration as a firm, company, partnership, association or corporation for the practice of architecture;</div>
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(b) Registered and licensed architects shall compose at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the owners, shareholders, members incorporators, directors, executive officers, as the case may be;</div>
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(c) Individual members of such firm, partnership association or corporation shall be responsible for their individual and collective acts as an entity and as provided by law;</div>
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(d) Such firm, partnership, association or corporation shall be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Board.</div>
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<b>SECTION 38.</b> <b><i>Coverage of Temporary/Special Permits</i>.</b> - Foreign nationals who have gained entry in the Philippines to perform professional services as architects or consultants in foreign-funded or assisted projects of the government or employed or engaged by Filipino or foreign contractors or private firms, shall, before assuming the duties, functions and responsibilities as architects or consultants, secure a special/temporary permit from the Board subject to approval of the Commission. To practice his/her profession in connection with the project to which he/she was commissioned: Provided, That a foreign national or foreign firm, whose name or company name, with title architect, architectural consultant, design consultant, consultant or designer appear on architectural plans, specifications and other related construction documents, for securing buildings permits, licenses and government authority clearances for actual building project construction in the Philippines and advertisement and billboards for marketing purposes, shall be deemed practicing architecture in the Philippines, whether the contract for professional services is consummated in the Philippines or in a foreign country: Provided, further, That the following conditions are satisfied as follows:</div>
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(a) That he/she is a citizen or subject of a country which specifically permits Filipino professionals to practice his/her profession within their territorial limits, on the same basis as the subjects or citizens of such foreign state or country;</div>
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(b) That he/she is legally qualified to practice architecture in his/her own country, and that his/her expertise is necessary and advantageous to our country particularly in the aspects of technology transfer and specialization;</div>
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(c) That foreign nationals shall be required to work with a Filipino counterpart and shall also be responsible for public utilities and taxes due to the Philippine government, relative to their participation in, or professional services rendered to the project, in accordance with the established implementing rules and regulations providing for the procedure for the registration and/or issuance of temporary/special permits to foreign architects allowed by law to practice their profession in the Philippines by the Board of Architecture and the accredited professional organization; and</div>
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(d) Agencies, organizations or individuals, whether public or private, who secure the services of foreign professional authorized by law to practice in the Philippines for reasons aforementioned, shall be responsible for securing a special permit from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) pursuant to PRC and DOLE rules.</div>
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<b>SECTION 39.</b> <b><i>Liability Insurance of a Person or Entity Allowed to Practice under a Temporary/Special Permit</i>.</b> - Foreign nationals, including former Filipinos wanting to engage in the general practice of architecture as defined in Section 3 (c) of this Act must secure locally their professional liability insurance or malpractice insurance or their acceptable equivalent in bond form commensurate with the nature and magnitude of their project involvement and their compensation the implementing rules and regulations for such a requirement for practice shall be implemented by the Board in consultation with the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act.</div>
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<b>ARTICLE V</b><br /><b>Final Provisions</b></div>
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<b>SECTION 40.</b> <b><i>Integration of the Architecture Profession</i>.</b> - The Architecture profession shall be integrated into one (1) national organization which shall be accredited by the Board, subject to the approval by the Commission, as the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects: Provided, however, That such an organization shall be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as a non-profit, non-stock corporation to governed by by-laws providing for a democratic election of its officials. An architect duly registered with the Board shall automatically become member of the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects and shall receive the benefits and privileges provided for in this Act upon payment of the required fees and dues. Membership in the integrated and accredited professional organization of architects shall not be a bar to membership in other associations of architects.</div>
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<b>SECTION 41.</b> <b><i>Implementing Rules and Regulations</i>.</b> - Within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act, the Board, subject to the approval of the Commission and in coordination with the integrated and accredited professional organization, shall adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations, Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Professional Practice, to carry out the provisions of this Act and which shall be effective fifteen (15) days following their publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) major daily newspapers of general circulation.</div>
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<b>SECTION 42.</b> <b><i>Appropriations</i>.</b> - The Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission shall immediately include in the Commission programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.</div>
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<b>SECTION 43.</b> <b><i>Act Not Affecting Other Professionals</i>.</b> - This Act shall not be construed to affect or prevent the practice of any other legally recognized profession.</div>
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<b>SECTION 44.</b> <b><i>Enforcement of the Act</i>.</b> - It shall be the primary duty of the Commission and the Board to effectively enforce the provision of this Act. All duly constituted law enforcement agencies and officers of national, provincial, city or municipal government or of any political subdivision thereof, shall, upon the call or request of the Commission or the Board, render assistance in enforcing the provisions of this Act and to prosecute any person violating the provisions of the same. The Secretary of Justice or his duly designated representative shall act as legal adviser to the Commission and the Board and shall render legal assistance as may be necessary in carrying out the provisions of this Act.</div>
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Any person may bring before the Commission, Board or the aforementioned officers of the law, cases of illegal practice or violations of this Act committed by any person or party.</div>
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The Board shall assist the Commission, Board or the aforementioned officers of the law, cases of illegal practice or violations of this Act committed by any person or party.</div>
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The Board shall assist the Commission in filing the appropriate charges through the concerned prosecution office in accordance with law and the Rules of Court.</div>
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<b>SECTION 45.</b> <b><i>Separability Clause</i>.</b> - If any clause, provision, paragraph or part hereof shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or impair any other part hereof, but such judgment shall be merely confined to the clause, provision, paragraph or part directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment has been rendered.</div>
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<b>SECTION 46.</b> <b><i>Repealing Clause</i>.</b> - Republic Act No. 545, as amended by Republic Act No. 1581 is hereby repealed and all other laws, orders, rules and regulations or resolutions or part/s thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.</div>
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<b>SECTION 47.</b> <b><i>Effectivity</i>.</b> - This Act shall take effect after fifteen 15 (5) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08950208257459987969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1764690792713321420.post-80895636826511940062013-05-31T14:37:00.000+08:002013-05-31T14:37:17.722+08:00107 Reasons Why Architects Matter<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em;">(Original text from Randy Deutsch, </span></span><a href="http://architects2zebras.com/?s=107+reasons&searchbutton=go%21" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em;">Architect2Zebras</a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">)</span></span></i></div>
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We’re often asked to imagine life without <a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Us-Alan-Weisman/dp/0312427905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277520161&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">people</a>, life without <a href="http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">buildings</a>, even life without <a href="http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">oil</a>. </div>
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But how about a world without architects?</div>
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That’s not so hard to imagine.</div>
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It’s easy if you’re mostpeople.</div>
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Because mostpeople never so much as <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">meet</em> an architect.</div>
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Let alone engage one in a building project.</div>
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It’s also relatively easy to imagine if you’re an architect.</div>
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Because this is what we do, what we’re good at – imagining things that aren’t there.</div>
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Then relentlessly realize them until they are.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">If architects were to disappear tomorrow – who would care?</strong></div>
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At the moment – facing a double dip in the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/economy" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">economy</a> – architects feel overlooked and underappreciated.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Elitism-William-Henry/dp/0385479433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277467147&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Elitism</a> is out and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Elegance-Ideas-Something-Missing/dp/0385526490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277467111&sr=8-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">elegance</a> a low priority when living in deeply discounted times.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Roger-Scruton/e/B001I9U3ZO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1277467192&sr=1-3" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Beauty</a> not a necessity, barely a nicety – too <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pyramid-of-success" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="5 articles this month">high</a> on Maslow’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">hierarchy</a> – when focused on the lower rung of the pyramid labeled <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">paying the mortgage</em>.</div>
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So to say that <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">we matter</em>. To whom exactly? And what for?</div>
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To <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">matter</em> means to be of consequence, of importance (but not self-importance;) significant, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/relevance" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">relevant</a>, worthy of note and of crucial value.</div>
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To feel appreciated and valued, not left-for-dead, abandoned or ignored.</div>
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<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But why ask whether architects matter when so clearly other </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Preeminent-Photojournalists-Essential/dp/1402758340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277430893&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">things</em></a><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> matter more.</em></div>
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The unchecked ravages of genocide, extreme poverty, child labor, AIDS,<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/environmental-degradation" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="7 articles this month">environmental degradation</a>, Alzheimer’s disease, global warming and compulsive consumerism – these certainly matter more.</div>
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But this isn’t a contest. Architects can still matter.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Why the world still needs architects</strong></div>
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The 107 reasons that follow may seem like overkill. A tad bit much.</div>
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But we need reminding. <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Really</em> need reminding.</div>
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Some will inevitably say – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">tell it to our clients</em> or <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">convince a contractor</em> – that we’re not the ones who need convincing.</div>
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Before we can convince anyone else that we matter we must first convince ourselves.</div>
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From the architects I’ve talked to and heard from we <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">need</em> a talking to.</div>
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And if we’re not going to remind ourselves – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">who will</em>?</div>
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This is not a desperate attempt to justify our existence nor rationalize our cosmic importance. These reasons came easily, rolling off the pen and hammered out in an evening.</div>
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And as with most things worth doing, if I had more time there would have been far fewer.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">You need to know you matter</strong></div>
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The world may not always affirm what we do (try this: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging-google" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="11 articles this month">google </a>“architect appreciation” or any facsimile thereof and what comes up?*)</div>
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* <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nothing.</em></div>
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People are not born with an appreciation for architecture.</div>
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Nor, for that <a href="http://www.architectmarketingtips.com/appreciation.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">matter</a>, for architects.</div>
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Your <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/management" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">employer</a> may not always tell you that you – and the work you do – are valued.</div>
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But that doesn’t mean that what we do and who we are doesn’t have a profound impact on our world.</div>
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It does. And we do.</div>
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In the big scheme of things – we make a difference. A <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">big</em> difference. The world would be a very different place – a lesser place – without us.</div>
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And our interventions. Our ideas and ideals.</div>
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Think of these as the gifts architects give to society.</div>
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Think of these as <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Gifts of the Architect</em>:</div>
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<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How a Tribe of Tectonic Nomads Changed the Way People Everywhere </em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">Live</a> </em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">and Feel.</em></div>
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Think of these as – in the spirit of Yale’s <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Why X Matters</em> <a href="http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/SeriesPage.asp?Series=129" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">series</a></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">107 Reasons Why Architects Matter</strong></div>
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(or the<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> 107 Things I Like About You</em>)<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason1:</strong> Architects are optimists. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Otherwise we couldn’t survive, anticipate and prepare for an unknown future and imagine what is not there. Imagine a world of pessimist designers, planning for the worst. That’s the world without architects.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason2:</strong> Architects balance multiple intelligences. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>It’s a job requirement and for some a liability. Architects use all of their faculties when they design and document – including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spatial-Intelligence-Futures-Architecture-Architectural/dp/0470723238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277432077&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">spatial</a> intelligence.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason3: </strong>Architects are wired to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wired-Care-Companies-Prosper-Widespread/dp/013714234X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277432130&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">care</a>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects naturally empathize. We have the empathy gene. In abundance. More than our fair share, allowing us to put ourselves in other’s shoes.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Others may be in it for the<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/money" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">money</a> – we’re burning the midnight <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bp-oil-spill" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">oil</a> because we care.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason4: </strong>Architects are strategists. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>We ask tough, penetrating questions, seldom taking assignments or answers at face value. We reframe questions that are lobbed at us. And go about our work less as object designers than chess players or basketball coaches parlaying the playbook.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason5: </strong>Architects think in terms of systems, not just things.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong>Because we understand that the world is not made up of individual, disconnected things. And that everything is causal, interrelated and connected. We design the spaces between things as well as the things themselves – and help others to see what they were formerly unable to see and was certain wasn’t there before we gifted them with a new pair of eyes. We’ve all done this for someone in our lives.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason6: </strong>Architects think laterally and simultaneously – not linearly. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong>The very thinking skills that we need to nurture in others as we move ahead into the 21<sup style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">st</sup> century.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason7: </strong>We do more with less.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>So there will be more for others – including our children – when they need it. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eaarth-Making-Life-Tough-Planet/dp/0805090568" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Eaarth</a> will thank you for it.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason8: </strong>Architects design outdoor spaces.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Think Central Park. Designed by a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clearing-Distance-Frederick-Olmsted-America/dp/0684865750/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277467706&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">landscape</a> architect (<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">architects of all stripes.</em>) Architects gave the world outdoor rooms, helping people to feel comfortable in their surroundings, to feel as though they belong, and on a good day, to dwell poetically.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason9: </strong>Architects are well-educated.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Who is most qualified to<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/leadership" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">lead</a> integrated project teams? (Those who deem this elitist need not respond.) The person trained to think of other’s needs before their own, the person who is licensed to protect the health, safety and welfare of the project’s inhabitants. The person dedicated to continuous learning.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason10: </strong>Architects are T-shaped – both deep and wide.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>More than mere experts at what the do and know, architects – <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/training" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">due</a> to their <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/education" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="4 articles this month">training</a>and <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/college" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">education</a> – are able to see through other’s eyes, empathize and understand what is important to others at the table. We have deep skills and wide wingspan breadth.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason11: </strong>Architects are “<a href="http://www.surfacecities.com/loukissas/Writing/YLoukissas_DissertationAbstract.pdf" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">keepers</a> of the geometry.” <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Form-givers, architects give shape to our world. Who else provides our buildings, cities and lives with a sense of continuity and coherence?</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason12: </strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Architecture, of all the arts, is the </em><a href="http://quote.robertgenn.com/getquotes.php?catid=19" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">one</em></a><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul.</em><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Life <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/speed" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">speed</a>s by fast.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>We need to slow down. Architects design places that help us to slow down, look around and take in the view. And then, before we realize it, we’re no longer in the place but of it. Architects have the ability to design places that touch the soul.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason13: </strong>Architects transform chaos into order. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>While nature, animals and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biomimicry-Innovation-Inspired-Janine-Benyus/dp/0060533226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277432257&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">biomimicry</a> are definitely trending, one look at architecture <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Without-Architects-Introduction-Non-Pedigreed/dp/0826310044/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277432309&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">without</a>architects and you wish you had called an architect.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason14: </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Architects give the world meaning.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong><em style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</em><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Architects may be involved in only a small number of projects, but just think of places where you have been happiest, felt most at home, felt a sense of purpose and accomplishment, at ease with yourself and your surroundings – and more than likely an architect was involved.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason15: </strong>Architects uplift the downtrodden. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects raise not only roof beams but eyes up toward the sky, and awareness to a higher plane altogether. We provide worthwhile, heightened experiences, naturally. (Ever walk across the structural glass floor to the outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Mississippi on Jean <a href="http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4GGLJ_en___US286&q=Jean+Nouvel&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=4qwkTOC_JYPdnAfepPC_BA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD8QsAQwAw" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Nouvel’s</a> Guthrie <a href="http://nymag.com/travel/weekends/minneapolis/index2.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Theater</a>? Then you know what I mean.)<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason16: </strong>Architects think differently. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Yes, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/apple" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="14 articles this month">Apple</a> thinks differently – but what of what Peter Bolin FAIA and his cohorts <a href="http://www.dhunplugged.com/2009/08/25/dh-unplugged-32-apple-vs-microsoft-stores/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">did</a> for <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/apple" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="14 articles this month">Apple</a>? For Apple! In NYC. It’s no easy task wowing Steve Jobs. Architects do so on a regular basis.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason17: </strong>Architects are masters of branding. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Not corporate branding, but identity, genus loci and placemaking. Branded environment architects give places identity – to orient, so that you know where you are in the world and, in the best of places, why you are there and why you’ll return.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason18: </strong>Architects traffic in beauty.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Beauty is perhaps a dirty word these days – but we cannot <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> without it. While nature does her fair share, architects – in their riffs off of nature – certainly supplement in wondrous ways.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason19: </strong>Architects provide the wow effect. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Because life is not just bread and water.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>That sense of awe when standing before something manmade, masterful and inexplicably beautiful or grand. That’s the gift architects give to the world.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason20: </strong>Architects create the places that inspire – and where we <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> out and realize – our dreams and destiny.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>You are here, on this planet, for one reason and one reason alone. And more than likely an architect was involved in helping you to recognize this. Just think about it.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason21: </strong>Architects are technologists, artists and craftsmen. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong>Architects <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/college" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">learn</a> with their hands, create with their imagination and put the human touch into technology. This assures that what we help to create will be useful, bring about joy and remain for some time.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason22: </strong>Architects serve the underprivileged.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Architects have a reputation for pandering to the wealthy.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Creating low income housing is a higher calling for many architects where good works are the ultimate goal. Fee-wise we may take it on the chin, but the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/employment" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">work</a> we produce means a great deal to the people who <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> there.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason23: </strong>Architects are custodians of the built environment.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>If not architects, whom else?</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason24: </strong>Architects keep moving the ball forward.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Neither sentimentalists nor futurists, architects as optimists recognize that humans are still evolving. And so too their work. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>With each commission architects attempt to push the envelope just that much farther, to do their part to advance things. That is how the world progresses – and architects share in this movement.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason25: </strong>Architects bring poetry out of doors into the world.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Art and poetry reside almost exclusively indoors. Museums and libraries may contain these – but architects work hard to bring their qualities to the design of the outdoors, through their sensitive integration of their buildings into the landscape.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason26: </strong>Architects are master <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Natural-Light-Henry-Plummer/dp/1580932401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277433528&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">shapers</a> of light. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Kahn in particular was transfixed by light: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The sun never knew how great it was until it struck the side of a building</em>. Nor did anyone else for that matter.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason27: </strong>Architects are for the most part fascinating people.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>My uncle, when I was 5, told me his best friends were architects: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">they’re the most interesting people I know</em>, he’d say. Architects try to <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> their lives by this credo.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason28: </strong>Architects are intrinsically motivated.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>It’s better in the long run for all involved.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>As<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>“I Types,” architects are not in it for the token gift card. We do it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594488843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277433983&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">because</a> we love it, because it is the right thing to do, because – we trust – it makes a difference in people’s lives.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason29: </strong>Architects operate from both sides of the brain.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Neither exclusively right nor left – architects are the original whole brain thinkers. In doing so, we help to keep things whole.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason30: </strong>Architects are practical dreamers. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So What?</strong> Floating <a href="http://www.evolo.us/competition/vertical-prison/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">ideas</a> like prisons in the sky. This is how we’ll solve large-scaled, complex and intractable problems facing millions: through the persistent application of our imagination, looking at things sideways until they appear to others right side up.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason31: </strong>Architects <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">get</em> design.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>An understanding of good architectural design is vital for creating livable buildings and public spaces and architects understand how to design buildings. We make a difference to the positive outcome of the design of our world.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason32: </strong>Architects give others something inspiring to aspire to.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong>We have all heard someone say that they would have liked to be an architect. Going about the world as an architect is one of the last callings commensurate with our ability to imagine and to create. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>Architects have one of the few careers that guarantee that, while practicing, you will remain a lifelong student.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason33: </strong>Architects involve all of the senses.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>While we’re lampooned for wearing all black – we know the value of color, the meaning of light, the importance of involving all of the senses in our work.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason34: </strong>Architects consistently provide people with what is important to them. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Some people know what they want while others look to the architect to tell them.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Architects adapt to the client – and make it their goal to meet their needs. Sounds simple enough – but this in itself is all-too-rare in the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> world, let alone the arts.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason35: </strong>Architects take ideas and pay it forward – by giving it a twist. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>In doing so, we create something new. What we produce fits – because it gives the impression that we’ve seen it before – but at the same time it is fresh, unprecedented – keeping life interesting. Architecture, not variety, is the spice of life.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason36: </strong>Architects <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/06/with-a-central-dome-that-resembled-a-flying-saucer-the-three-legged-mall-that-opened-in-northwest-suburban-mount-prospect-in.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">turn</a> what is used, old, broken and decrepit and reinvent it into something living and healthy environment for people to use, in cities as well as in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Retrofitting-Suburbia-Solutions-Redesigning-Suburbs/dp/0470041234" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">suburbs</a>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Don’t take my word. Take Ellen Dunham-Jones’ <a href="http://www.cnu.org/node/1586" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">word</a>. Click on any of these links or read a sample chapter – and argument for doing so – of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Retrofitting Suburbia</em>: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs <a href="http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/34/04700412/0470041234.pdf" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason37: </strong>Architects are sexy <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>The world has become increasingly bland, globally with little that distinguishes itself. The architect, in the midst of this sameness, has retained her appeal.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Why else would we be chosen as the number one career for <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/leadership" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">lead</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/movies" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="6 articles this month">roles</a> in <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=20303653&gid=113822&trk=EML_anet_qa_ttle-cThOon0JumNFomgJt7dBpSBA" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">movies</a>? Far from superficial, architects manage to keep things both relevant and interesting.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason38:</strong>, Architects are problem identifiers.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Not only problem solvers, architects recognize that identifying the right problem to solve is often 80% of the solution. Often, the problem they have been assigned is not the one that truly requires addressing. Architects work efficiently and effectively to make sure that everyone is focused on the most pressing, pertinent problem.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason39: </strong>Architects’ small acts have huge impacts.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>You only have to think of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/23/travel/20070923_BILBAO_SLIDESHOW_index.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Bilbao</a> <a href="http://www.newcolonist.com/bilbao.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">effect</a>. Don’t let statistics that architects design or impact less than 5% of buildings built. The buildings that <a href="http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4GGLJ_en___US286&q=best+buildings&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=Vq0kTLi8BcijnQfev6jIBA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC8QsAQwAA" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">count</a>, that create a sense of<a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Placemaking" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">place</a> and pride of place, the places we take visitors to see and inhabit when in town, that best represent us – public places large and small – these are the buildings we remember and return to. And these are designed by architects.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason40: </strong>Architects got your back.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Architects<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>assure that someone is watching out for you. We make <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=GOT%20YOUR%20BACK" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">sure</a> you are safe by watching what’s behind you when you’re busy looking ahead. Who else besides the architect watches out for the health welfare and safety of society?</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason41: </strong>Architects wow.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>While we may only design 5% of all structures –how <a href="http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4GGLJ_en___US286&q=architecture&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">amazing</a>, <a href="http://www.uiah.fi/opintoasiat/history2/world.htm" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">absorbing</a>, <a href="http://m.ammoth.us/blog/2010/01/the-best-architecture-of-the-decade/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">uplifting</a> they are. You have architects – and their cast of thousands – to thank for that.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason42: </strong>Architects draw by hand, mouse and by wand.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong>Creatively ambidextrous, flexible and agile, we are not stuck on any one means of communication or delivery. Architects make the best use of available<a href="http://www.autodesk.de/adsk/servlet/index?id=9976276&siteID=123112" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">technology</a> to get their point across – but we are not above using a stick in<a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1356/1422903884_752c7fb89c.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">sand</a>, rock on <a href="http://s1.hubimg.com/u/18076_f520.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">pavement</a> or a burnt piece of charcoal in order to connect and help you understand.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason43: </strong>Architects design like they give a <a href="http://designlikeyougiveadamn.architectureforhumanity.org/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">damn</a>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> We care. We make a difference. This matters.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason44: </strong>Architects <a href="http://www.publicarchitecture.org/support.htm" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">give</a> something back.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects don’t go into architecture to take or even to make money but to give something back. We’re continuously giving, whether going the extra mile, burning one more end of the candle, or by putting their talent and resources in the service of those who need it most. Such as the The <a href="http://www.theonepercent.org/About/Overview.htm" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">1%</a>, a <a href="http://www.theonepercent.org/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">program</a> of Public <a href="http://www.publicarchitecture.org/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Architecture</a>, connects nonprofits with architecture and design firms willing to give of their time pro bono.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason45: </strong>Architects are change agents.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Not merely open to change, we assist in moving change along. No matter how traditional or conventional the assignment, architects make great strides to incorporate the latest advanced technologies. For example allowing for earthquake resistance in tall buildings or in the case of Wright’s Tokyo Hotel. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>But at the same time expressing and infusing local or regional character so that the buildings appear to belong to the place where they reside. We may be comfortable with <a href="http://changethis.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">change</a> but recognize that we first have to make it palatable and acceptable for others.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason46: </strong>Architects – by just being architects – give hope. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> This is something we do for others. So many aspire to do something interesting with their lives, belong to a profession that offers endless opportunities to challenge yourself. Being an architect is one of the last callings that matters.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason47: </strong>Architects work in all <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/media" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="6 articles this month">media</a> and dimensions.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> We model in clay and <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/digital-media" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">digital</a> clay.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason48: </strong>Architects serve as role models. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Citizen architects, such as Sam Mockbee of Rural Studio <a href="http://citizenarchitectfilm.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://citizenarchitectfilm.com/</a> , urban activists, getting involved at the grass roots level, some going as far as government.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason49: </strong>Architects make connections.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> As systems thinkers, by connecting elements in a project with its surroundings, architects create a social fabric: the semblance of a cohesive, consistent and meaningful world. Architects create worlds that hold a mirror up to life.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason50: </strong>Architects rise to a good challenge.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> We challenge ourselves – and each other, our organizations, the profession and industry – to keep moving the ball forward. Improve improve improve.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason51: </strong>Architects draw crowds.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Imagine the world without<a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Frank_Lloyd_Wright.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Frank Lloyd Wright</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Antonio_Gaudi.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Antonio Gaudi</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Frank_Gehry.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Frank Gehry</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Le_Corbusier.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Le Corbusier</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Ludwig Mies van der Rohe</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Alvar_Aalto.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Alvar Aalto</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Louis_I._Kahn.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Louis I. Kahn</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Tadao_Ando.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Tadao Ando</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Renzo_Piano.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Renzo Piano</a> and <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Herzog_and_de_Meuron.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Herzog and de Meuron</a>. Doesn’t matter to “mostpeople?” Think again. Then why are <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/greatest_hits.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">these</a>(in order) the 10 most visited architects in the world..by non-architects!</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason52: </strong>Architects are driven from within.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>No <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carrot-Principle-Recognition-Accelerate-Performance/dp/1439149178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277474811&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">carrot</a>? No stick?<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">No problem</em>. Architects are self-starting, self-motivating and self-activating. That’s why architects like to think of what we do as an inside game.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason53: </strong>Architects are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591843162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277477168&sr=8-1-spell" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">linchpins</a>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> And being so, are an indispensible part of the design and construction process. We are at the crux of real estate, development, concrete and plumbing. On projects where there may be well over 100 independent entities – from interior design to energy analysis – all pass through the architect. Architects are the common link between project constituents.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason54: </strong>Architects see the big picture.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>So many it seems have a difficult time seeing the forest from the trees. Not architects.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>As I explained<a href="http://bimandintegrateddesign.com/2010/06/19/is-bim-tmi-death-by-datapoint/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</a>, Malcolm Gladwell in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316010669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276961368&sr=8-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Blink</a> called this ability to see information in its wider context: coup d’oeil or <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">court sense</em> or “giss,” the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">power of the glance</em>, the ability to immediately make sense of situations. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>Architects may not be born with this all-too-rare and exceedingly important <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Think-Big:-Then-See-the-Big-Picture&id=361274" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">ability</a>, but by the end of their formal training they’ve got it. In droves.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason55: </strong>Architects are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Meaning-Successful-Businesses-Experiences/dp/0321552342/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277477694&sr=1-2" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">meaning</a>-makers.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>While <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Collaborative-Inquiry-Practice-Reflection-Meaning/dp/0761906479/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277477694&sr=1-6" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">many</a> make it their job to provide meaningful work for their employees, or to help people find meaning in their own lives, no one but the architect is dedicated to making the world – the built environment – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Business-Leadership-Making-Meaning/dp/014200409X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277477694&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">meaningful</a> and coherent.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason56: </strong>Architects make the world a better place for all.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Making the built environment useful, safe, comfortable, efficient, and as beautiful as possible is the architect’s quest. No one else makes this their ultimate goal.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong>The world is a better place for our having been there.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason57: </strong>Architects are <a href="http://www.keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=5&c=architect" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">rare</a>.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> At a time when it seems like there are too many architects for the work available – an imbalance of supply and demand – architects make up just a tiny percentage of professionals, let alone the workforce. Architects are a rare but powerful breed.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason58:</strong> Architects represent and serve all clients – paying and non-paying. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects matter because they are the only entity who serves not only the paying but non-paying client (society-at-large.)<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So so what? </strong>Who else is going to represent the needs and wants of the neighbors,<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/community" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">community</a>, stakeholders – while balancing the client’s wishes? Architects respect the needs and aspirations of both the individual and the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/community" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">community</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason59: </strong>Architects are a luxury. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Admit it. Human beings the world over have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buildings-without-Architects-Everyday-Architecture/dp/0847833615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277478269&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">built</a> homes with nothing more than their own two hands. Up until recently, the world existed for millennia <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buildings-without-Architects-Everyday-Architecture/dp/0847833615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277478269&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">without</a> architects and can very well do so again. But why do so? Architects – for all we do – are a luxury that most cannot live without.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason60: </strong>Architects understand the patterns of everyday life.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong>Architects <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">get</em> urban design. Architects know that the design of cities and buildings affects the quality of our lives – whether this is acknowledged or appreciated is another matter. The bottom line is this: When it comes to creating urban form, places where people live, work and play, architects matter.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason61:</strong> Architects are influencers.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Not everybody has their own ideas for how to live, work, shop and play. Some architects, such as Christopher Alexander, not only <a href="http://www.patternlanguage.com/archive/ieee/ieeetext.htm" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">influence</a> their own tribe but <a href="http://g.oswego.edu/dl/ca/ca/ca.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">worlds</a> beyond their own (i.e. urban planning to software engineers. The adoption of Alexander’s pattern language by the software community is one such instance.)</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason62: </strong>Architects keep things whole.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Since Deconstructivism died, architects – irrespective of style – one way or another have focused on whole building and holistic design. Our hemisphere needs architects to keep things whole, to distinguish east and west while acknowledging the best of both, much as the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/olympics" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">olympics</a> have. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>To keep globalization from creating an indistinguishable world. To provide order but also character and pride of place.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason63:</strong> Architects look to the beyond.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Beyond the immediate problem. Beyond the immediate issue at hand. Beyond their immediate surroundings – to look at the impacts of what they’re creating on the world beyond. The universe needs architects…to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Space-Architecture-Rachel-Armstrong/dp/0471864382" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">explore</a> how to inhabit other places<a href="http://www.spacearchitect.org/pubs/IAC-02-IAA.8.2.04.pdf" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">beyond</a> our planet.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason64: </strong>Architects touch so many walks of life.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> The world needs architects – the earth, our continent and country needs architects to address national issues. Our region needs architects – to represent what distinguishes one locale from another, to make sure that our work belongs to specific place and time, so that we might place ourselves in it. Our state needs architects, our cities needs architects, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Transformations-Paul-Lukez/dp/1568986831/ref=pd_sim_b_3" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">especially</a> our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Retrofitting-Suburbia-Solutions-Redesigning-Suburbs/dp/0470041234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277479458&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">suburbs</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason65:</strong> Architects save lives. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> And not just hospital design architects. “Architecture can save lives”— <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Newsweek</a>. Just <a href="http://architectureforhumanity.org/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">look</a> at what we are<a href="http://architectureforhumanity.org/updates/2010-06-23-haiti-documented-independent-journalists-share-stories-and-i" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">accomplishing</a> in <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/disaster" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">Haiti</a>. Producing housing structures for displaced and disadvantaged populations, rethinking humanitarian assistance and pursuing innovative solutions to contemporary housing crises. Focusing on disaster relief and inexpensive and affordable design solutions.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason66: </strong>Architects work at making stronger communities.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Our<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Community-Structure-Belonging-Peter-Block/dp/1605092770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277468522&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">community</a> needs architects. Our neighborhoods and even our <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/family-travel" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">families </a>need architects.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason67: </strong>Architects are as diverse a group as those they design for.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong> Some will try to tell you that architects have a diversity <a href="http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=architectures_diversity_problem" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">problem</a>. Forget the stereotype – it doesn’t exist. Architects themselves are a <a href="http://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS078656" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">diverse</a> bunch making them particularly <a href="http://www.dexigner.com/architecture/news-g17677.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">effective</a> at designing for diversity. We <a href="http://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAB081826" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">champion</a> the values of diversity in a beautiful way — values essential to creating livable cities and housing.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason68: </strong>Architects give good design. Daily. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects, some may feel, are a luxury. So be it. But architects, as purveyors and perpetuators of good design, are truly needed.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/arts/09iht-design9.1.13525567.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Good</a> design is not a luxury, but a necessity.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason69:</strong> Architects have respect for the past, perform in the present and aspire to have their work help create the future. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects work attempts to represent the time in which they build – which for us, today, represents turmoil. As Frank Stella said: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Architecture can’t fully represent the chaos and turmoil that are part of the human personality, but you need to put some of that turmoil into the architecture, or it isn’t real.</em><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </em></strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For many architects it is not enough that their work represents a specific time and place – they strive to have it belong to both their time and all time.</em><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So so what? </strong>It matters because our work will not look dated and have a sense of permanence and inevitability, not leave the user with a sense o f otherwiseness.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>As another Frank has said (Gehry):<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.</em></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason70: </strong>Architects are gifted.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Not a wrapped keepsake<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong>voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation but a notable capacity, talent, or endowment. Whether born with talent or acquired along the way, architects are made, not born. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>We owe their many<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Creativity-Artist-Modern-Vintage/dp/0307279502" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">gifts</a> to their professors, educators and trainers along the way. Everything they need to know they learned in school.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason71: </strong>Architect’s work is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Creativity-Artist-Modern-Vintage/dp/0307279502" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">gift</a>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>No matter how much they are paid – or whether they are paid at all – what architects leave behind outlasts them. More time is always put into a project’s design and making than our fee could cover.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason72:</strong> Architects give it away. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects worldwide regularly provide pro-bono services to communities that have survived war, government oppression and natural disasters. It’s also an <a href="http://www.7x7sf.com/home_design/4428752.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">antidote</a> to apathy.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason73: </strong>Architects create nations and destinations.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects gave the world the <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Roman Colosseum</a><a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Sagrada_Familia.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">, Sagrada Familia</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Fallingwater.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Fallingwater</a>, <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Pantheon.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Pantheon</a>and <a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Guggenheim_Museum.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Guggenheim Museum</a> to name but five. Creating timeless destinations serve as evidence of some of man’s highest achievements and something for every artist and architect to strive for.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason74: </strong>Architects <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">get</em> sustainability.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> We not only get it – we act on it. We knew long before the recent revelation that location of a <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/clean-energy" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">green</a> project mattered as much – if not more – as the project siting, orientation and inclusion of systems and products.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason75: </strong>Architects make connections II. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Another sort of connections<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>– we’re literally connectors – but also associative thinkers. The world needs more of us – to feel less isolated. Our product – buildings – may be one-offs, but not the way we design or plan them. We’re always linking and making connections between things. We can’t help it – it’s the way our minds work.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason76: </strong>Architects make cities real.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects have given the world the best architecture cities in the world. Imagine if you woke up tomorrow and they had vanished. <a href="http://www.spaintravelguide.com/barcelona" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Barcelona</a>, Spain, Beijing, China, Istanbul, Turkey,<a href="http://www.chicagologue.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Chicago</a>, USA, <a href="http://www.greecelogue.com/athens" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Athens</a>, Greece – Parthenon vanished. Millennium Park and FLW home and studio. No more. Sydney without the Sydney Opera House? The work disappears – but so does its host. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>Architects create works that are inseparable from their environments –and the way we think about them.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason77:</strong> Architects listen. And listen. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> People are helped when architecture is democratic. Take the underprivileged. Three past and present California architects come to mind: Michael <a href="http://www.pyatok.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Pyatok</a>, David <a href="http://www.dbarchitect.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Baker</a>, Charles<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd5YjS2aI5A" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Moore</a> – all as well-regarded for their exuberance as for their participatory design approaches.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason78: </strong>Architects need to know it all. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects work with what they know, creating a harmonious balance our of disparate parts. As Vitruvius wrote over 2000 years ago: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">An architect should be a good writer, a skillful draftsman, versed in geometry and optics, expert at figures, acquainted with history, informed on the principles of natural and moral philosophy, somewhat of a musician, not ignorant of the law and of physics, nor of the motions, laws, and relations to each other, of the heavenly bodies.</em><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So so what? </strong>A career in architecture, as one parent of an architect put is, is <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">a never-ending learning experience with a myriad of “career spokes” springing from the hub of the core disciplines</em>. The architect takes it upon herself to continually learn and grow, remaining throughout their career a student not just of architecture but of life.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason79: </strong>Architects are lifelong learners.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>And not just because they’re required to gather tally, and document their continuing education credits. We’re <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Discover-Missing-Ingredient-Fulfilling/dp/006166118X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277484943&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">curious</a> types – in the best sense of the word. We want to know it all – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">everything</em> – and are thirsty for knowledge. Which is a good thing – because we need to know it all.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason80: </strong>Architects are all alike.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>There has been some grumbling that there are now too many architects – <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/apps" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">software</a>, enterprise,<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> – and not enough design architects. Or that design architects aren’t getting their fair share of the airwaves. So be it. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>The bottom line is this: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">all architects is alike.</em> We share similar values, obsessions, fixations and interests. We can learn a great deal from each other. So stop complaining – and join the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead/dp/1591842336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277485851&sr=1-1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">tribe</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason81: </strong>Architects are action-oriented.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Remember Mies’s “Build – don’t talk.” That’s not just a Chicago credo.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Architects design to build – with building in mind. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>We use words, images and action to get our ideas across and accepted. But in the end, most want to get their designs out in the world, for others to use, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> in and among and yes, even critique and judge.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason82: </strong>Architects are master puzzle makers.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects are needed because they can put it all together. We fix what is broken and repair what’s been devastated. When given a 500 page program containing 1000’s of input and data – it doesn’t even occur to us that the end result will be anything less and a complete, cohesive and coherent work of whole building design. Bring it on!</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason83: </strong>Architects are pleasers.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects are comfortable with ambiguity.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>We keep everyone’s needs, wants, aspirations and wishes – their ideas and ideals – in mind throughout the design process. With many balloons in the air you’d think it would be hard to make everybody happy.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason84: </strong>Architects are in it for the long haul.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Architects matter because they know what they produce will be around for a while – and therefore carry the additional weight of responsibility for their choices and actions. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>For, as Lord Byron said: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A man of eighty has outlived probably three new schools of painting, two of architecture and poetry and a hundred in dress.</em> Architecture changes a lot less frequently than trends. This means that architects cannot be at the whims of fashion – what we do, what our designs look like, have to make sense and last for many generations.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason85:</strong> Architects are never satisfied with good enough.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Why settle? Life is too short. If you can give everybody what they need and want – and at the same time, through trickery or talent, perseverance or insight – find a way to deliver more, why not try to do so? No architect strives to do <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">good enough</em> design – but rather, good design that is enough.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason86:</strong> Architects use what they got. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects try to make the most with what they have and are given – even if it is not expected or asked for. Had they not – the built world would be confined to making shelters.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Like Helmut Jahn, we<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> strive for an architecture from which nothing can be taken away.</em></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason87:</strong> Architects, ever patient, persevere. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architecture takes a long time to plan, finance and build. It requires not only the long view but the vision for the long haul. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong>The architect has the perspective to provide this<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </strong>Who else on the design or construction team can same the same?</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason88:</strong> Architects work in flows. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects not only improve the build world and environment but also design in order to improve processes.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong>Architects understand it’s not about the building – it’s about the <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> and the people and what they do when there. Upstream, downstream and throughout the project – architects follow the flow of movement and energy to and from their projects.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason89:</strong> Architects put is all into perspective. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects know the price of their art – the hard work that goes into it, the sacrifices they make, often impacting their family life and sleep. They’re willing to put in the extra effort, to go the extra distance, to pace ourselves over a long career. We truly are the change we want to see.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason 90:</strong> Architects pay the price. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects work hard, very hard, at achieving their goals. FLW said: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/i_know_the_price_of_success-dedication-hard_work/168180.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen</a></em>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason91: </strong>Architects are of two minds.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects are able to think in both <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> and design terms, to use their design sense to further the<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> ambitions of their clients. Call it design thinking. Architects are <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/leadership" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">lead</a>ers when it comes to design thinking – the ability to apply design sense to help others with their <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">business</a> needs.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason92: </strong>Architects envision what is not there.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>But it doesn’t stop with sight or foresight.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Architects are trained to be creative thinkers. We see things others don’t or can’t and are able to describe and explain them in ways that help others to understand and act.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason93: </strong>Architects make others look better.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects matter because they are there to help their clients succeed.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Architects and our professional services firms don’t succeed unless the client does. Architects love to help others achieve their goals and reach their dreams and find imaginative ways to help them get there.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason94:</strong> Architects learn by doing. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architecture is too broad and deep of a subject to ever really know it all. Continuous learning – there’s always something more to learn – keeps us perpetually on our toes.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason95: </strong>Architects thrive on less.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what? </strong>Our’s really a case where less is truly more.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Architects recognize that in tough times such as the current one we’re facing better architecture can be the result. That tough times may in fact<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/leadership" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="3 articles this month">lead</a> to better architecture.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So so what? </strong>This is important because the opposite could occur – where fewer resources result in lesser buildings, less pride of place, and all of us being the lesser for it.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason96:</strong> Architects are here to serve. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Despite the reputation of some, architects exist to serve others. Except for the occasional architect-designed museum, it is what happens inside their buildings and spaces that matters – not the building itself. <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Architecture is basically a container of something. I hope they will enjoy not so much the teacup, but the tea</em>. <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/y/yoshiotani177780.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Yoshio Taniguchi</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason97:</strong> Architects operate both in the world – and outside it. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong>Architects practice an art that is in the world and also of the world. But at the same time – stands apart – is its own animal. As Thom Mayne has said:<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Architecture is involved with the world, but at the same time it has a certain autonomy. This autonomy cannot be explained in terms of traditional logic because the most interesting parts of the work are non-verbal. They operate within the terms of the work, like any art</em>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason98:</strong> Architects are <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">markitects</em>. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong>Architects help people and organizations make their mark on the planet – and do so with the widest appeal and the smallest carbon footprint. <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For better or worse</em>, the first subject Prince Charles really went for as Prince was architecture. It made an impact. He was very intent to use his years as Prince of Wales to make his mark and architects helped him to do so.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So so what? </strong>Wouldn’t you rather have an architect help make built statements than any other entity? They will at least be responsible, keeping all of the factors in mind. So make your mark!</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason99:</strong> Architects play well with others. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects may come across as Howard Roark types – lone wolves in sheep’s clothing. But we are all born collaborators. Architects are trained and educated to work productively in teams, and despite the current interest in autonomy know that they get the best results when involving all stakeholders and working well with others. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what?</strong> This matters because we <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/lifestyle" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="8 articles this month">live</a> in a time of crowdsourcing, of co-creation, of participatory design. Architects are there to work with others to come up with the best solutions for all involved.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason100:</strong> Architects connect the past with the present and future. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architecture serves to connect us in time – with works from the past, with past civilizations. Helping to locate and place us in time, to provide us with a sense of continuity, help us get our bearings and makes us truly inhabitants of this planet, not just hangers-on.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason101:</strong> Architects work with a palette of possibility. Architects are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent – not with how things are but with how they might be. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason102:</strong> The work architects perform touches so many parts of life – and of learning. It has so many facets, it can keep a person interested for a lifetime. As Richard Rogers said: I believe very strongly, and have fought since many years ago – at least over 30 years ago – to get architecture not just within schools, but architecture talked about under history, geography, science, technology, art.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong> Attorneys leave law due to burn-out as well as a lack of meaning in their work. Architects may leave the field for financial reasons, but few if any have done so for lack of what was found there.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason103: </strong>Architects strive to heal the world.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Architects still believe that their works and deeds can help to heal the places where they are privileged to work. Despite what Thom Mayne has said: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I’m often called an old-fashioned modernist. But the modernists had the absurd idea that architecture could heal the world. That’s impossible. And today nobody expects architects to have these grand visions any more</em>. Nobody expects this – except us architects, ourselves.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason104: </strong>Architects hake the hard decisions.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> When a sales rep calls and asks for a decision-maker they hand the phone to an architect. Why? Architects matter because we have to make the hard decisions – thousands of them in every project. As Arne Jacobsen said: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">If architecture had nothing to do with art, it would be astonishingly easy to build houses, but the architect’s task – his most difficult task – is always that of selecting</em>. Architects are first and last decision-makers. We make the decisions that count.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason</strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">105: </strong>Architects design for the heart as well as the head.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> So what?</strong>Architects create projects and places that affect us emotionally as well as intellectually. We address the whole person.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_5xSy8s7M4KOB5HHoqMzny2sjStAap_M5LYfrYJrXLEmyHHVP_c6fHi6AzvDPK1gplmuNyCup4hoEBQ-RtK_2NIRaC7_9lQWxJe4IfzwSaXaypfgl0hjhQaEG6Iyh1SNjqjuNoD2B_s/s1600/value+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_5xSy8s7M4KOB5HHoqMzny2sjStAap_M5LYfrYJrXLEmyHHVP_c6fHi6AzvDPK1gplmuNyCup4hoEBQ-RtK_2NIRaC7_9lQWxJe4IfzwSaXaypfgl0hjhQaEG6Iyh1SNjqjuNoD2B_s/s400/value+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason106:</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Architects are passionate about design.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what? </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Architects do what they do because they are passionate about architecture and design. Despite the rigors of school and the relative lack of</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/money" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="2 articles this month">money</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">to be obtained in the field, architects that have been in the field already for some time do what they do because they love to do it: plain and simple.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So so what? </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This assures that we will go the extra mile, which is often necessary, to achieve a successful outcome.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reason107: </strong>Architects matter because they sign and seal documents.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">So what?</strong> Exactly!</div>
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