Never Learned

101 THINGS I NEVER LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL

MMXXI Roger A. Lipman Deli Jew Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher.

101 Things I Never Learned in Architecture School / by Roger A. Lipman ISBN: 9798783662775

For Frankie, Maxx and Amelia

Preface During the COVID 19 pandemic I began spending more time making photographs that I would turn into sketches and paintings. Architect and artist Carey Babyak has been a true collaborator in this work offering encouragement, criticism and ideas along the way. It was his idea to put the artwork into a book. Around the same time, I had just read 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, by Matthew Frederick. As I read through the principles that architects are told in school, it made me think about all the things we are never told. If Frederick’s book was for the person that didn’t go to architecture school but was curious about it, this book would be for those who did go to architecture school or were interested in going, to gain context on how architects work within the broader fields of real estate development and construction.

The idea for the book is to juxtapose obliquely architectural life lessons against oblique architectural sketches to give a different perspective on the profession.

The title of this book is in itself a “disingenuous act of architectural contrition,” to quote architect Eric Owen Moss. Some of life’s most important lessons are learned not from the classroom, but from the people with whom we live and work. Many of the lessons I have learned have come from the workplace while in attendance at the Boston Architectural College which requires students to work concurrently in the field for a third of the credits required for a degree. The point is, that knowledge is all around us, so don’t stop taking notes when you leave the classroom.

Acknowledgments I would like to thank Jasmine Lipman for being my everyday inspiration and my partner in life.

Special thanks to the many friends and family who inspired and offered feedback on this project along the way and special thanks to Roya Hamadani, Ian Webster and Craig Walker for invaluable contribution to the editing process. I am grateful to my children, the Urchins: Jake Andrew and Katherine Lipman, Elisa Franklin, Cary Babyak, Bonita Cook, Jay Weber, David Barone, Nick Safina, Tom Plumitallo, Lindsey Cohen, Ninoska Batista, Britney Herrera, Mike Doherty, Jim Loft, Inspector Catalan and Marjorie Van Cura who previewed this work and gave feedback.

My work life has been formed by the many experiences I have while employed in the service of these organizations: • The Boston Globe

• Chestnut Hill Gulf Station • ADD Inc

• Walkers Farm

• Cape Cod Melody Tent

• Earl’s Gas Station

• Circa

• Pewter Pot Restaurant

• Salad Alley

• Ike Huvals

• Anchor Network

• Prestigious Grocery Service

• Habitat for Humanity

• Valet Park International

• Architectural Resources Cambridge

• RS Express

• Powers & Company

• D’Olympios Restaurant

• Bryer Architects

• Legal Seafoods

• Jung | Brannen

• SEA Consultants / Kleinfelder • Spagnolo, Gisness & Associates • Menotomy Musical Theater • PROCON • Clark Richardson & Biskup

Thanks for the wisdom to the following colleagues, friends and mentors who inspire me and whom I have quoted: • Larry Bird

• Paul Johnson

• Al Spagnolo

• Bob Brandon

• Marguerite Jordan

• Oliver Stone

• John Bryer

• Martin Luther King Jr.

• Quentin Tarantino

• Daniel Burnham

• Wayne Koch

• Brian Walkley

• Dan Chuang

• Stephen I Lipman

• Ben Wang

• Chris Cody

• James A Loft

• Shirley Yee

• Dan Dal Pra

• Jake McManus

• Rob Z

• James Gray

• Mayor Thomas Menino

• Robert Anson Heinlein

• Steve Miller

• Gerald Herring

• Darlene Powers

• James Hoffman

• Ryan Schroeder

• Marlena Irizarry

• Mark Stebbins

ARCHITECTS SERVE THE REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. The work that architects do provides fundamental service to these money driven markets. There is a whimsical notion that an architect creates projects of their choosing upon the world.

The reality is, in the words of Robert Anson Heinlein, “When railroading time comes you can railroad—but not before.”

The economy drives the direction of the built environment. It determines the nature of work that the architect performs. Even if that means if an architect isn’t needed.

DESIGN IS SUBJECTIVE.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

“That building is ugly!”

“I love that building!”

You can teach design, but you often cannot change someone else’s design sensibilities. Yes, good design must be functional and constructable, but the aesthetic qualities are the subject of great disagreement. Once you learn not to waste time debating matters of taste, you can focus on working out solutions on common ground.

YOU DRAW YOUR WAY IN. YOU DRAW YOUR WAY OUT.

There is an enormous amount of drawing that goes into documenting a design in order to begin construction. The project for the Alloy Condominium and the Row Hotel had over 500 drawings in the construction set authored by dozens of design professionals across many disciplines.

During construction there will be sometimes thousands more shop drawing and sketches needed.

No matter how much you draw, it will take much more to draw a conclusion.

YOUR BUILDING WILL LOOK BETTER AT NIGHT.

The right lighting makes buildings sing at against the night sky. It’s what sets them apart from the natural landscape.

Their stark form and dramatic contrast of light against dark, are what energize a city skyline.

TWO PLUS TWO EQUALS FIVE.

Okay, I did learn that one in Architecture school, but only after lobbying the school for four years to offer a course in real estate development.

The instructor and real estate developer James Hoffman told us this was the only formula we would ever need to know. It means you can take a property, improve it and create more value than the sum of the parts. This can be attested to by countless architects who had their fees reduced by a client, only to later discover the property traded for double what it cost to build. Designers need to charge fees based on the value they add - not on the cost of their labor.

THE CITY IS A PLACE TO TAKE A CHILD FOR THEM TO DISCOVER WHAT THEY WANT TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP.

When my son Maxx was four, and we drove on Route 2 towards Boston, he would often say with awe, “We can see the whole town, Dad!” The city is a place of wonder and amazement. As architects and adults, we feed from that energy that we gained as children.

EVERYTIME YOU LOOK AT A BUILDING YOU CAN SEE SOMETHING NEW.

It’s a detail on a door, or a reflection in a window. Maybe it’s the way the light attaches to it at certain hours of the day or how it is framed by other structures as you view it from a new approach. The amount of surprise and discovery that a building has to offer is unlimited both during design and beyond.

DRAWING IS A WAY TO SEE.

I had a piano teacher, Brian Walkley, who once told me he could not teach me how to play but he could help me learn to hear. If you can hear it, you can play it, he said. It is like that with drawing as well, the more you draw, the more you can see and vice-versa.

If you watch beginner students drawing you will see heads looking down at their work with quick glances at the subject. The experienced artist will stay focused almost entirely on the subject, with only quick glances at their work.

THE DAYS ARE LONG, BUT THE YEARS ARE SHORT.

The architecture student is known for pulling all-nighters.

It is not only because the workload is so daunting, but because the projects are so engaging that young architects can’t pull themselves away. Before they know it, the sun is coming up. Those long days however do quickly become years. 20+ years of experience – there is no need to count them individually after that.

When you have children it’s the same way. Any given day is a marathon, then you blink, and they are grown!

THE COMPUTER NEVER LIES…

…But it will mislead you every day. In the world of parametric modeling, it is easy to be confused by something we get from our software program. You cut a section through a model and the result just looks wrong – but don’t be fooled. The software is computing based on what you put in and though it may surprise us, it is not randomly making up geometry. Sometimes we imagine things to be a certain way and their reality seems like an optical illusion – until we come to understand it.

When we trust our digital tools, we can leverage their power.

EVERY HOUSE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 24 PLACES TO MAKE LOVE. That was how architect Darlene Powers explained her personal, slightly naughty approach to residential architecture to me. Her designs were full of wonderful little nooks to follow the light through the house at different times of day and different seasons of the year.

SHOW IT ONCE. AND IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

This is the phrase made famous by architect, Gerald Herring.

When documenting a design, there is a tendency to put information in multiple places. Avoid redundancy as it risks confusion. Discrepancies will arise when team members reference the same information in multiple places with slightly different terminology. This leads to dispute.

Again, try not to repeat yourself. Repeating yourself is bad. Don’t do it.

DON’T BELIEVE A TRADESPERSON WHO TELLS YOU IT WILL BE “EASIER IF…” What they mean is it will be easier for Them.

DESIGN WILL CONSUME ALL AVAILABLE TIME. Some tasks can be quantified, and their progress measured in a linear fashion until completion. If a crew can lay up 10 feet of wall a day, they will complete a building with a 100 feet of wall in 10 days.

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

If the architects are given 10 days design the building, it will take 10 days. If the architects are given 100 days to complete the building, it will take 100 days.

WHERE IS THE ENTRANCE?

This was asked by the receptionist at the architectural firm ADD Inc during a design review, followed by flustered responses by the design team. Everyone was periodically invited to give feedback on big projects, and the most astute and unintentionally devastating comments often came from junior or non-technical staff who would expose a tragic failure. Anyone who has lived in and around buildings is as qualified as anyone else to comment on design.

READY SHOOT, AIM!

Real estate development, design, and construction are risky business. The legendary Mark Stebbins once said his design build firm should take risks and not be afraid to innovate. Try things and then recalibrate. Real transformation comes from being really nimble.

BE A COLLECTOR OF INSPECTORS.

The world of building inspectors comprises a wide variety of personality types. Every inspector is part of an interconnected network. It is wise to meet and get to know them as people before presenting your project issues.

Don’t be another one of those pompous buffoons that demean these public servants and end up paying the price.

CLEAR YOUR DESK, CLEAR YOU MIND.

Although Buzz Brannen of the architecture firm Jung | Brannen had a hand in the design of just about every project in the office, his enormous oak desk had nothing on it. He would pick up a drawing from my desk, and say, “Can I borrow this?” If offered his own printed set, he would refuse, and instead made red edit lines on one drawing at a time and returned them to the architects, always leaving his own desk clear.

THE ARCHITECT IS A PIECE OF SH*T. I worked onsite on a luxury hotel and condominium for two years in a little trailer referred to as the architect’s dojo. Tradespeople would often approach the construction superintendent with obviously nonconforming work. The super would tell them it probably couldn’t be used, but they could appeal to the architect for a final judgment. I would most often agree and require that the work be redone. This repeated process eventually led to multiple design awards, and to this lovely phrase scrawled on the wood blocking - still encapsulated inside the wall by the elevator.

It’s always nice to get handwritten note at work.

YOUR BLUEPRINTS MUST BE BULLET-PROOF.

Drawings and specifications by their nature must be clear and without ambiguity.

They will be your only defense when you end up in the battle of construction.

NEVER GIVE AN ESTIMATE OF COST WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BASIS OF DESIGN.

Clients will latch on to a preliminary number and it will only lead to trouble.

WE’RE A DEVELOPER. WE’RE GONNA BUILD SOMETHING.

A developer with an investment to make will not be stopped. The designer can work with them or get out of their way.

THAT LOOKS LIKE I DID IT.

There’s a reason why builders build and designers design. That’s why when installed work is not up to standard, I will use the above self-depreciating comparison. The skill of master craftspeople and mechanics brings into reality what designers do with paper and computer.

Built work needs to be conspicuously professional.

BALLS ON. DEAD NUTS.

Construction superintendents have funny lingo all their own. Construction control refers the ability to make accurate layout of reference lines from which the building components can be built. One builder told me his foundation had to come out of the ground, balls on.

Another one told me his foundation had to be dead nuts. In any case, measure twice and cut once. And once concrete has set up, it may as well be set in stone.

LET’S MAKE A START.

The design process is funny in that its something you begin not knowing where you will end up. If you spend too much time thinking about this you will never get anywhere, so what is important that you get underway and keep going.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND DETERMINATION.

Dan Chuang is an Olympic Taekwondo coach and master instructor at CW Taekwondo in Cambridge Massachusetts. What he tells athletes is that if you think you need motivation, then you need to become motivated and then you need to maintain motivation and then you may lose motivation.

But if you are determined, then you are determined and that’s it.

THEY ARE JUST PICTURES ON A PIECE OF PAPER.

Construction superintendent, Jake McManus posted this quote of mine on the wall in the construction trailer of a project we completed together, right above the desk where the drawings were kept. He took my quote out of context. What I had said was, that is if a large building project has a million decisions to make, then a good set of construction documents can answer a couple hundred thousand of them. The rest of the decisions will rely on construction professionals to figure out the how and when and bring the building to fruition, because the drawings themselves are just diagrammatic pictures on a piece of paper.

CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR.

Too many people in the design profession have a reputation for being indignant impetuous egoists. This does not have to be the way. The best designs are a result of intense collaboration among many parties, each bringing their unique skills to the completed building.

If one cannot engage well in teamwork, architecture is not the right field to be in.

NO BASEMENT IS DRY.

Years ago, when my wife an were buying a house, the disclosure statement was filled out with handwritten answers from the seller. On the question, “Is there water in the basement?” The seller wrote: “NO

Basement is dry.”

It looked like a good answer until we realized that their use of a wide space on the paper instead of a comma, made for a misleading, but all too true statement – buyer beware!

IT’S NOT YOUR BUILDING.

Designers take ownership of their projects and their passion for the work is what makes for great buildings.

There is a very sobering day at the end of every construction project when the architect who has become accustomed to have total access to a project during construction finds herself locked outside and needing to request access to enter.

Architects need to keep this day in mind from the very outset of design and remember to treat their design decisions with the mindset of the actual owner, who will pay for construction, for energy and for maintenance of the project long after the architect has moved on to their next “baby.”

THE RICHNESS OF A DESIGN PROJECT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS.

Designers will complain about arduous approval processes, endless community meetings and review boards that have no business dictating decisions.

Contrary to this however is the fact that difficult challenges posed to a design team and the more disparate interests a project attempts to satisfy – the better the outcome can be. Lots of projects set out to restore a historic structure. Many designs include sustainable features.

Winning a Historic Preservation Alliance Award and achieving LEED rating of Platinum – on the same project: 311 Summer Street Boston – is a feat that is as worthwhile as it is difficult. If it were not for the many competing interests involved – the building would never be as great.

A RIGOROUS PUBLIC APPROVAL PROCESS IS WHAT PROTECTS PROPERTY VALUE.

Some architects will complain about the endurance test their designs are put through before being approved by public agencies. Projects in Boston have been known to take over a decade to be given the final go-ahead. The upside to this costly marathon is that property values in places like Boston stay strong even in economic downturns, because the barriers to entry are so high.

TWO HOURS AHEAD OF TIME, EVERY TIME.

Legendary basketball player Larry Bird was famous for arriving to games two hours early to practice shooting from the 3-point line. This commitment to hard work is what made him one of the greatest shooters of all time. When the league introduced the 3-Point Contest, Larry decided he was going to win it. When he arrived for the contest he asked the other players, “Which one of you do you think will come in second?” Bird’s confident trash talk was not just arrogant, it was justified. Because he over-prepared, he won the contest three years in row.

THE TERM CONTRACTOR IS A MISNOMER.

From the moment they sign the contract, they will proceed to attempt get out of the provisions it contains. Scope, budget and schedule are fundamentally tied to one another, and each can severely get in the way of profit for a builder, especially if they bid low. This is one of the underlying causes of the adversarial nature of construction.

BLUEPRINTS ARE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS.

When young architects work on plans, they notate the work and sometimes do not pay close attention to their words. The language on drawings needs the same scrutiny that lawyers give contracts, because the drawings become part of the contract for construction.

A note about required fastening was drafted to say (2) #5 TEK SCREWS EITHER SIDE The strict interpretation of this means the contractor can choose which side to install the two screws – the note got revised to say, “BOTH SIDES!”

REAL ESTATE BROKERS CAN BE A SCHOOL OF FISH THAT CHASE TRENDS UNTIL THEY ARE STALE.

When we designed luxury condominiums in Boston’s South End, the developer brought in real estate agents to advise us on architectural finishes. They told us granite counters, maple cabinets and stainless appliances were a must in that market. Fast forward sixteen months later when the building was finished and had a “broker’s open house.” I had the pleasure riding down the elevator with a bunch of these agents and overheard one of them say, “I can’t believe we are expected to sell more of this granite-maplestainless shlock!”

The glut of cliché condo stock was caused by this collective “Groupthink” mentality. Designers need to stand their ground and create refreshing ideas.

THE ARCHITECT MUST CARE ABOUT EVERYTHING.

Engineers have narrow areas of focus; specialty consultants will promptly remind you of what is not in their scope. The architect is in the same category of owners and builders – they recognize that everything that goes into a building project is important.

LANDLORDS AND TENANTS WILL ALWAYS DISPUTE THE MEASURED AREA OF A BUILDING.

Even in the world parametric modeling, where a designer can simply extract area from the modeled geometry – the measurement will be increased or reduced depending on which side of the rent equation you are on. This is because the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) publishes measurement standards that allow for a 5% deviation in measurement.

SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT ABOUT AND SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO BE IMPATIENT ABOUT.

When our triplets were 4 years old, we were out someplace and I told them, “I need you to be patient.

Do you know what that means?” My daughter Frankie answered, “Just stand there and don’t do nothing and don’t say nothing” She was right.

When working on one’s professional development one must be selective about what to wait for and what must happen now. As intern, you cannot be expecting to be given the responsibility to shape the design of a building. However, if after several years, one is only being given the same menial tasks, it’s time to move on and seek new opportunities.

THE BEST WORK GETS DONE AT THE LAST MINUTE.

Deadlines that loom and then stress us out. Milestones that fast approach and become the topics of long meetings, planning and consternation. The fact is, the more of these deadlines a project has, the more work gets accomplished and greater success can be achieved.

TRANSFORMATION IS MAGIC.

For all the trouble and grief described in this book, there is something that makes it highly gratifying to me. It’s truly magical to create a space that previously did not exist. I get a tear in my eye to stand within the partially complete frame of a building and occupy the geometry that previously was only imagined.

Recently, within hours of completing a luxury hotel, a red pin appeared on Google Maps and within hours of that, photos began to appear showing views of people’s feet up enjoying a drink on a rooftop terrace admiring the view. There is something really enchanting about that.

YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE AN INTRO TO DRAWING CLASS…AGAIN.

It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or Michelangelo, it is worthwhile to get back to the basics of drawing and practice the fundamentals. Sharpen the saw, sharpen pencils.

FRAME IT TO THE GODDAM BEAM.

Structural engineers are always cautioning the architect about how much load is involved in whatever gymnastics the building in design is calling for.

Sometimes this is just the structural engineer dreading having to do complex analysis of an indeterminant rigid frame and produce unconventional solutions. By reminding their job is to frame the damn thing, helps them to start framing it.

IT’S ALWAYS A SURPRISE.

Sometimes it’s a good surprise, sometimes it’s a bad surprise, but it’s always a surprise. This is why architects love mock-ups – you can test the surprise at full scale, on site, and get a sneak preview of the surprise before it’s too late to change something.

ARCHITECTURE IS ALL THE STUFF THAT BLOWS OFF OF MY BUILDING DURING A HURRICANE.

It was Florida developer who made this joke to the design team, but he really hit a nerve there. A building is just a building if all it does is withstand storms.

PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO LOOK AT DRAWINGS.

Or construction drawings, anyway. Large building designs today will often include over 500 drawings. These sets will be issued numerous times for review and pricing and bidding and permit and construction. Information overload is a real issue for the people who need to coordinate all these parts and pieces. Just because something is somewhere in a set of plans, doesn’t mean the right person will attend to it – additional communication is required, and people must be compelled to read the drawings.

Do not even get me started about specifications.

THE WORLD DOESN’T ASK FOR ARTISTS. IT JUST GETS THEM ANYWAY.

If you are an artist and someone asks why you are making your art, there is little use in explaining. As long as the world has people, the world will get art.

WE USED TO BUILD BUILDINGS FROM DRAWINGS.

When I began architecture school, they still taught us how to draft by hand while also training us in the emerging technology of computer aided design or CAD. The came Building Information Modeling (BIM) where every object on a computer model contains any number of parameters from construction materials, to energy performance and lighting characteristics.

Recently, with the advent of augmented reality, designers and builders can occupy a full-scale transparent design model on site and visually assemble components to match. Buildings can be 3D printed from these files as well. At some point soon, the idea of a drawing will become an old-fashioned thing.

THERE IS A THRESHOLD THAT YOU WILL REACH WITH ANY BUILDER WHERE NO MORE DESIGN CHANGES WILL BE ACCEPTED. The owner, designer and builder of an architectural project have a tenuous relationship. Of course, there is a financial agreement amongst the parties, but more than that there is limit to the endurance over time that they will continue to cooperate. If this is recognized and managed, it will go a long way towards preventing the fatigue that sours relationships. One day the builder will leave the building for good, and when that day comes, it is nice if people are still on good terms.

IT’S NOT ABOUT DRAWINGS, IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE…

…And it’s about people that want their damn Drawings! So why bother in the design and construction field if you cannot enjoy working with people? It is about drawings, but if that is all it is, that is not enough.

PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAWING AND PAINTING ARE WAYS TO BE VISUALLY SELECTIVE.

You frame a shot, you choose a pencil, each decision you make is choosing what you want to focus on. The decisions made to exclude and what not to show are as important as what remains. As designer you do this in reverse, by presenting a composition to a viewer. The two processes inform one another and it’s how to build visual fluency.

IF YOU PUT IT ALL DOWN, IT WILL ALL COME OFF.

Being a short order cook is great training for just about anything you might want to do. It teaches you how to triage many urgent tasks in order to complete them in an orderly way, all while in physically hot environment. At D’Olympia’s Restaurant on Cape Cod we would serve over one thousand plates during a Sunday brunch. My old boss taught me to take down from the rack all of the checks and count up all the breakfast meats and call them off to that delegated line cook, then do the same with toast and muffins and then again with the eggs, pancakes and waffles. Once all the items were “working,” then plating and serving them became relatively easy tasks.

CHERISH WORKS IN PROGRESS.

Michelangelo has an unfinished work called the Boboli Slaves. These are unique amongst his stone sculptures because they show how his technique was executed.

From within a block of stone emerges a rough outline and then a perfectly chiseled kneecap.

As for buildings in progress, the crane is the favorite bird of the late mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino.

Many people look at buildings under construction as an eyesore that they must endure until completion. I see these views as a rare and precious moment in time that will never be seen again except in photos. If you see a building during construction, you get an important glimpse into how such structures are built.

BUILDING PERMIT. THE PIECE OF CARDBOARD YOU ARE TRYING GET...THEN TRYING TO GET RID OF.

There is an irony that at a beginning of a building project there is pressure on the design team to rush to get building permit. The day it is received, however starts the even greater pressure on the builder to get rid of it in exchange for an occupancy permit. These two pieces of cardboard shape the activities and goals the entire team over the course of the project.

BICYCLE COURIER IS ALWAYS INTENSE.

Before I went to architecture school, I was a bike courier. I got to see inside all the fancy building lobbies in downtown Boston and carry enormous rolls of drawings on my back while dodging traffic. Sixty miles a day in one-mile sprints. Five peanut butter sandwiches before noon, then a big sub for lunch and a snickers bar and coke as an afternoon snack. If you ride your bike to work, then the rest of your day is piece of cake.

IT NEEDS MORE PANACHE.

Architect Wayne Koch would say this when the design is meeting the basic needs of the program but is not yet “singing.” Nobody really needs panache, but everything is better when you have it.

USE THE MAGICIAN’S FORCED CARD. One the one hand, people often do not like to make decisions. On the other hand, people hate to be told what to do. So there is magic in being able to put a solution in front someone and make them think that they came up with it. Architects are known for presenting multiple, “schemes.” Sometimes the architect prefers one of them but will surround them with lesser options to let the client “choose.” This sleight of hand is borrowed from the magician who asks you to, “pick a card any card,” only to put the card of their choice into your hand.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HORSE?

Architect, Shirley Yee having just returned from a lengthy vacation went to catch up on construction correspondence of the project she was working on. A written question posed, “Over the weekend a horse got on site and stuck in fresh concrete – please advise which option you wish, we prefer option #2” Option #1 showed a concrete patch detail, option #2 showed a horse leg ground down flush with concrete with the flat top of ankle, “painted to match.”

Watch out for office pranks and keep others on their toes, too.

A LINE AND A COUNTER LINE. THE JAZZING OF ARCHITECTURE.

“What is a line and why do people play this way?

- Oscar Peterson You see light because of shadow. A melody works against a bass line. The reciprocity of a composition is what brings it life. If we look to jazz principles, then we may breathe humanism and dynamism into the built environment.

This was my thesis in architecture school, and it remains my guiding principle.

PUT SOME SUGAR ON IT.

Architect James A. Loft would provide the indispensable service of wordsmithing important emails I had drafted before the send button was hit.

I knew the substance of the message, Jim taught me the to use emotional intelligence to consider the mindset of the recipient.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LEARN BY ESPIONAGE.

As an intern architect at the firm Architectural Resources Cambridge, shredding financial documents in basement was among my menial tasks. Studying the documents and retaining the knowledge taught me how to budget design and construction projects.

Be a spy and learn the knowledge that you seek.

A BUILDING RENOVATION IS A PERFORMANCE OF SURGERY.

Doing renovation project in an occupied building is like keeping a patient alive while performing a life saving operation. The keeping the Boston’s traffic-congested highway open for sixteen years during the fifteen-billiondollar highway tunnel construction project, known as the Big Dig, was compared to doing a quadruple bypass, while the patient played playing racquetball. If a project can be completed from scratch or while closing it to the public, it does not have to take decades and billions of dollars.

BLOW ME…A KISS!

“The best thing about working on this job is getting to see your ass crack every day.”

This entire book could be devoted to examples of juvenile and perverted humor I have heard on construction job sites over the years. From singing at the top of one’s lungs to raising personal insults to a competitive sport – there is a refreshing contrast between the politically correct design office and the vulgar reality of where things get built.

I’M WORKIN’ FOR MARK.

The late great Mark Stebbins was a developer and CEO of PROCON design build firm. When working there, I would remind my colleagues that we are all on the same team, because we sometimes forget in the thick of things. When we focus on the common goals, we can get past our differences.

LEVERAGE THE LIMINAL SPACE BETWEEN MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY AND INSANITY.

Electrical engineer, Steve Miller aptly describes a mindset of high achievers. It’s a fine and balancing act to do great things without being overwhelmed. In the words of architect Chris Cody: Be Whelmed.

SMILE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.

Ryan Schroeder is the president of the design firm CRB. His positive attitude is infectious, and he instills a culture of continuous learning. By constantly acknowledging even small success we can fuel future gains.

THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM AN ARCHITECTURE OFFICE.

Architect Been Wang gave this simple criticism to anything that was not just about perfect.

It’s a good standard.

DO NOT WASTE TIME WITH TREE BARKERS.

Sometimes people come to you who are barking up the wrong tree. This happens when a large construction project gets published publicly and salespeople start coming out of the woodwork to try to get their products and services included in the project.

Architects need to specify based on the needs of their clients and not be influenced by these commercial forces.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF NEGOTIATIONS.

Type One – you are negotiating a transaction. For example, you buy a house, it’s over, you are not friends with the seller afterwards.

Type Two – you are negotiating a relationship. Like during a job interview for example, the negotiation continues to evolve over the course of the relationship.

A construction contract can be a combination of both types. You have the transaction, but it occurs over an extended length of time.

This is what makes it so difficult.

KNOW WHAT YOU HAD FOR LUNCH. I was fortunate to have two Bill Murray experiences. First, in 1993, my family and I were invited by a family friend at NBC News to sit in on a rehearsal of the Saturday Night Live , where Bill Murray was the host. He played to us, as the sole audience members and had us in stitches. The director would ask “Billy” to take his place and he would reply, “Oh yeah, Lorne? What did you have for lunch?” The joshing around turned out to be funnier than the script.

A couple of years later I met Bill again on a street in Manhattan. I recalled to him how much we enjoyed that experience and he just asked, “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’m just hanging around,” I told him, “What about you?”

“I’m just lurking” he said.

HEY SMARTI-TECT. COME OVER HERE.

When detailing a building you never want a tradesperson on a job site call you over and see their bloody knuckles and hear them say, “…you try taking this wrench and tightening that bolt! Do you think you could have given another two inches here?” Be generous, exceed minimums.

WE ARE MAKING SOMETHING BIG!

Architect Paul Johnson would always ask, “Hey whatchu making?”

Hopefully, you always have a good answer to this question.

KEEP BUCKETS OF MONEY EVERYWHERE.

Architect Bob Brandon taught me the fine art of project management at the design firm Kleinfelder. When you have a budget, its not enough to set aside one sum for contingency for when things do not go according to plan. You need to put “cushion” in lots of places, and you will be glad you did.

DON’T GET WRAPPED AROUND THE AXLE.

Architect James Gray would tell this to design teams that started getting too deep on the weeds on a given topic. Sometimes we need to get back to the big picture, keep making progress and sort out the details later.

THINK WITH A PENCIL.

In the business of architectural design, like any other business, communication is key. With design, graphic communication must go hand in hand with the use of words. Being able to talk and draw is one the most fundamental skills one can hone. And whether it is with an actual pencil or digital tools on the computer, mastering the fluency of illustrating what you are talking about while you are talking is fundamental and it leads to better thinking. Do not be the architect who mimes gestures and expects other to imagine what they are describing.

PARADIGM SHIFTS ARE FREE. The building is inspired by a ‘57 Chevy. Okay I get it.

But wait, these tail pipes are in the way of the loading dock door. Sure we can reframe the wall and trash the door and get a new one in a different size – OR, we can change our mind and let the loading area be a loading area. It don’t cost nothin’.

ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER.

Master mechanic, Tony Bones Malone Hebert would tell me this every day and he was right.

TRIPLE CHECK YOUR DOUBLE CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLY.

The Life Science Design Build firm, CRB, has one of the most rigorous quality control programs I have seen.

There are procedures for procedures. It can be redundant, but since it reduces costly errors – it is one of the smartest things they do.

GET PAST PEOPLE’S POSITIONS, TO THEIR INTERESTS.

It’s easy for someone to say, “just flip the plan,” it’s important to ask, “Why?” Just because someone states a solution, it is not necessarily the best solution to what they are trying to solve. This is true in problem solving and it is also helpful in negotiations.

THE MAIN ENEMY OF BUILDINGS IS WATER.

Every architect’s roof leaks, or so it seems. Water is the force that will work its way in and wear a building down. Just look at the ancient ruins or the Grand Canyon to see how powerful it is. When Frank Gehry completed the Stata Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Boston Globe reported it was a 300 million dollar, “fixer-upper,” due to rainwater leaking in the main lobby, amongst other problems. Don’t be the architect that thinks about water infiltration last – think about it first.

GET EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD BEFORE COMMITTING TO A DEGREE PROGRAM.

In my third year at the Boston Architectural College, while working full time at Jung | Brannen Associates, I was directing the work of a recent architecture graduate of MIT. He would ask me questions that I was amazed his education had not prepared him to know.

Before long, he left the field of architecture and never returned. MIT did this young man a great disservice by not letting him know what it is like to work in the profession they were supposedly readying him for. It is the responsibility of the student to look out for their own future and experience the real-world workplace prior to embarking on a given career.

CREATE THE CULTURE THAT YOU SEEK.

Critical to the success of any project is cultivating shared values with your colleagues about the work.

Architect James A. Loft showed me, with his incessant positivity, that every member of a group contributes to that experience.

Don’t wait for others to move things in the right direction.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD NUMBERS. AND STAND BY THEM.

Doing Hollywood motion picture market research for the firm Anchor Network taught me the importance of numbers. Any one can generate figures, but it is the confidence in their accuracy that gives them value.

Providing the square footage of a building will always lead to trouble for someone at some point – having good numbers will keep you out of trouble. If you don’t have them, don’t give them.

THE INCHES WE NEED ARE EVERYWHERE AROUND US.

Architect Marlena Irrizarry knew that Al Pacino’s locker room speech in the film, Any Given Sunday, does not just apply to football. Architecture involves large structures, but it is a game of inches.

“We tear ourselves, and everyone around us to pieces for that inch.”

KEEP UP, BECAUSE I DRIVE FAST.

The Wolf : “If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this.”

This line from Pulp Fiction sums it up – do not delay, be the Wolf.

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.”

— Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect (1864-1912)

…Unless you need to print a half size set.

EVERY TRADEPERSON WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WORK THAT CAME BEFORE THEM.

Concrete contractor: “Who is going to move all this dirt?”

Steel erector: “These bolts are not accurate enough” Metal stud framer: “How am I supposed to frame to this steel?”

Drywaller: “These studs are all over the place” The fact is, everyone needs to pay attention to their own work as much as they complain about everyone else's.

IF YOU BUILT IT ANY WORSE, IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL.

The old joke goes, two real estate developers were at the club. One brags to the other, “You should see my new building. Every single thing in it meets code. Federal, state and local codes – it complies with them ALL!” The other developer replies, “That means if you built it any worse, it would be illegal.”

Codes are minimums, they can and should be exceeded.

THE ARCHITECT IS THE ORCHESTRATOR OF CHAOS.

A construction project has many moving parts and parties that sometimes have misaligned interests.

Often at the center is the architect that needs to try to remind everyone the goals they have in common. The process is not easy, nor straight forward, but that makes successful outcomes all the more valuable.

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SHOVEL.

“Good luck trying to build it without drawings!”

“Well, that’s basically what we are doing.”

These snarky quips between an architect and the builder, Dan DalPra, are typical of a love-hate relationship amongst designers and builders. The truth is, even though builders will often criticize the plans, if the design is not conceived and conveyed, then there is nothing to build.

START BY DRAWING WHAT YOU KNOW.

“Get yourself a base kid, get yourself a base!” said Architect Rob Z at Architectural Resources Cambridge.

This turns out to be fundamental advice for a lot of endeavors, when asking where to start. Sketch a layout for a building? It’s not going to mean much unless it is laid over top of a site plan of existing conditions. If you don’t know what to draw in a detail, a simple horizontal line represents a floor, a vertical line is the face of wall – having the basics let you get to the next steps of design.

“YOU’RE F-IN’ THE FIRM!”

Architect John Bryer, with sun-burnt face and wild windswept hair, screamed at me over and over at 80 MPH on route 128. He slammed on the brakes and veered onto the shoulder, still shouting. He was just back from a threeweek African safari, delirious with jet lag, and I had just given him my resignation. He was mad, but he was wrong.

We both moved on and remain friends to this day. The success of a big project does not come down to any one person, therefore one person cannot be its ruin.

MEDITATE ON THE TIP OF YOUR KNIFE.

Architect Been Wang would tell us this when he heard chatter in the model shop at Architectural Resources Cambridge. “If you have something to say, then stop cutting, speak, then resume cutting” he told us. What seemed like strictly a safety rule is much more than that.

When we multi-task, quality suffers. When we meditate on the tip of our proverbial knife, we are being fully present and giving all of our effort.

YOUR APPETITE FOR CONSTRUCTION DEPENDS ON YOUR STOMACH FOR RISK.

Know how to translate the language of a builder: Dimes = Dollars Weeks = Months Whether it is Maalox in your desk drawer, or your marriage ends up in divorce, some level of anxiety will plague those who engage in building projects because of the pressures of time and money. Do not enter into it lightly.

I LOVE ENGINEERS, BUT IF I HAD TO RELY ONLY ON THEM, I’D NEVER GET ANYTHING OUT OF THE GROUND.

Architect Al Spagnolo, who made this remark, gets to the idea of need to have a vision that can temporarily put aside some real-world concerns in order to ask, “What if…?”

The architect is the dreamer, and the Engineer makes those dreams come true.

IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE SELF AND THEN LOOK BACK TO HOW YOU GOT THERE.

It is hard to know the right path forward but looking back is easier. If you cannot imagine what that path would look like than look to the example of others and how they got to where you want to go.

NO ONE ELSE’S BUILDING HAS TO MEET CODE EXCEPT

YOURS.

Everywhere you go you see code violations. Builders will argue they do not have to go to the lengths you specify because of what they got away with on their last job. Never mind what other buildings get away with. As one engineer put it – all that stuff blowing around in a hurricane, it came off of other people’s buildings - not mine.

SWEEP STREETS LIKE BEETHOVEN COMPOSED MUSIC. “Number one in your life's blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth, and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count.

The Reverend Martin Luther King Junior gave a speech to schoolchildren in Philadelphia just weeks before his death entitled, “What is Your Life’s Blueprint?”

It has been one of the most inspiring speeches of my life.

TEAMWORK IS EVERYTHING. I met Jasmine in an art history class at Temple University. Having no money, I took her on a date to the free Renoir Museum in Philadelphia. We fell in love at the Gates of Hell – and it’s been heaven ever since.

Jasmine and I have formed a team in life. When our triplets came along, we learned the zone defense.

Whatever comes our way, we have each other’s back.

Teamwork is fundamental to any challenge in life – and there has been no better teammate than Jasmine!

IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO CATCH A BIG FISH, BE GRATEFUL, DON’T STOP FISHING. AND TEACH OTHERS HOW TO FISH. There is a photograph of my father Stephen Israel Lipman as a teenager, holding a fish he caught that was nearly as tall as he was. Steve enjoyed good fortune throughout his life, in his family and his career. He was grateful for his success in life and worked hard to impart his knowledge to others in his personal life and in his professional realm.

It’s nice to get a fish, but people thrive when they learn how to fish.

NO EXTRA CHARGE.

My mother, Marguerite Jordan loved the joke about the restaurant patron who tells the waiter about the fly in his soup. “Don’t worry the waiter says, there is no extra charge.”

The attitude she had toward life was that you take what get without any expectation of entitlement.

When things are not the way you would like them, just be glad they are not worse.

Is there any better way to be?

About the Author Roger A. Lipman grew up and lives in the Boston Massachusetts metro area. He has worked as an architect and other menial jobs and enjoys investing in real estate projects with his wife, Jasmine. Roger studied Communication and Art History at Temple University in Philadelphia and completed a Master of Architecture degree at the Boston Architectural College.

“Roger has gift for anecdotes and finding an essential lesson in his experiences, as well as recognizing the wisdom of others.

Here he combines that gift with images of the built environment that are both familiar and eye-opening.”

- Jay Weber, Architect and Architectural Instructor

MMXXI Roger A. Lipman Deli Jew Press