Vince was our task master and gatekeeper. He taught everyone including myself that drawings and specifications are a specific and shared language, a communication of not just intent, but how to implement our designs at whatever level of detail a construction team requires and beyond.

So many firms and practitioners, and yes some very respected and well known firms included, have over the years shifted that level of detailing onto contractors, fabricators, millworkers, graphics production houses and the like.

The excuse I have heard from these practitioners over and over again is the added contract hours/fees it takes to work out and draw documents at this level of detail is too excessive, or our pricing model and size will not allow it…I call bullshit.

Time and again from what I have observed not doing so is due to a lack of knowledge and skills by designers to think thru a design to a level that communicates an understanding from the point of view of the people building it so it is executed exactly as designed without errors or interpretation.

Having taught at two design institutions, there has always been the problem of a continuity in curriculum; a lack of focus in education on the full design process to think thru projects and understand why a drawing set should communicate, and not just learn the software itself and some elements to include in a set. Executing detailed sets makes them a critical tool of design.

And observing the costs from errors and omissions, and overworked project managers having to pick up holes in drawing sets and details on site after something is built, or in-process with an angry contractor who decided to create their own resolutions outside the design intent, I find it laughable that firms do not build in the time needed as an operating cost AND into the fees.  Especially when I’ve seen first hand these offices overhead and profit margins.

That said, I believe it is also the result of a lack of foresight, investment in the design outcome as a priority, not staffing properly in the first place, and not providing true on the job mentoring as a return on investment for everyone involved.

We have hired many team members who came in not having these skills. And yet with Vince, Jim, Isaac, Mark and the other seasoned team members mentoring and guiding new people, they quickly learn to connect the dots from concept intent to drawing details to how it needs to be communicated and then actually built, with intention.

And yes, this means spending time to mentor, but what better investment for both the individual and the studio, to do so. Timecards be damned.

Not doing so may look good as a fee when presenting an original contract, but as Vince would say “You either do it right in the front end and own your work and intent, or lose control in the rear end scrambling to save it”. Ha!

So today, I walked everyone thru the large format drawing sets (that is prints NOT just a digital version on a screen) with one set for each team member and one for the client to follow thru each element and detail…plus an organized binder packet of specifications, details and cut sheets for every fixture and product including up front pricing by one of our most trusted dealers for everything specified in advance, all tagged directly to the same drawing set for simple reference by our clients and the team.

When I was done, I asked if there were any questions.

The construction team kinda stepped back a little wide eyed and the leads responded saying “It is so unusual to get readable and understandable large format prints so complete and self explanatory. Your team and package already answers every question we normally have at this point. We rarely receive drawing packages at this level, especially for a 4000sf project, much less for much larger projects.”

Stated in front of our clients, of course…

I am posting this not to brag, though I am proud as this reaction has always been the goal we hope to elicit from new contractor teams who have not experienced working with marquardt+ in the past.

They walked the job with the sets and made notes, and the 2.5 hour meeting was 1.25 hours and honestly the project management, change orders, RFIs and the like will be minimal, I know it.

I post this as it was our team consultant architect Isaac Plumb that by his enherent education, training, experience and natural desire to create documents that do not allow for error by including every detail required and anticipating where that occurs, who helped honored Vince, myself and the marquardt+ legacy by adhering to our standards, and as such validated the spirit of Vince and his mark on our practice and processes, that I will NEVER compromise on.

 

 

 

And this all was achieved, despite our everyday work/life demands and desirable distractions along the way that are definitely worth the time in process to either help us break and refocus on our work afterward, or to put off with discipline, knowing we will be able to get to them in the end anyway.

Whatever works to help keep our heads down. And if we can’t have fun from what life offers us along the way, then the work isn’t worth the time anyway, is it?

It was a good day and Vince was definitely smiling (and laughing) at us from somewhere in the details…and made my drive back all that much more moving and satisfying, thru the city he loved so much.