Poetry Woman

Architecture, it has been said, is frozen music.  Right now that analogy rings hollow.  Music when performed by a consummate talent has intellectual and emotional content so far in excess of any pile of bricks and mortar that the comparison fails on multiple levels.

When was the last time you would sit with your eyes closed, tapping your foot subconsciously?  When did walking into a space compel you to dance, even though you have two left feet?  Did a building ever bring you to tears?  Or could a room, by itself, symbolize your love for another person?

Today the world lost a spectacular talent.  Singer Phoebe Snow succumbed to complications from a brain hemorrhage suffered last year.  With a vibrant dynamic voice, she imbued all that she touched with her unmistakable idiosyncratic style.  In the early and mid 70's she took the music industry by storm with many vivid and personal interpretations, not just her iconic "Poetry Man".  But then she faded away, while she took care of her daughter who had been severely brain damaged at birth.  I was lucky enough to be there for one of the last live performances before Ms. Snow's hiatus.  Phoebe refused to let her career take priority over her daughter.

But Phoebe Snow came back to public performances after her daughter's eventual passing.  She had, in fact, never been totally silent, doing the occasional commercial vocal and studio-recorded album.  Now she too is gone.

This blog is intended to be about our business - and trust me, this is.  We should all aspire to touch people by our work.  We should do so with thorough commitment and ethical purity.  We should do so with fervor, seriousness, and - yes - humor.  We should learn from the example of others, who inspire us by their wholesome contributions.

We now live on a planet made better by Phoebe Snow.  We owe it to her to honor the experience she has given us.

 

Who's more nuts?

Construction Managers or Owners?

Over the last year or so, many Construction Managers have been caught up in a downward spiral of ever reducing fees?  (Architects have been doing the same thing - but that's a topic for another day.)

Conventional wisdom is that, with a routine CM contract, fees of between 2 and 3 % are needed to spin off enough profit to maintain the business.  How can it be that many proposals are now coming in at 1/2 of that?  What the heck is going on?

• Are Owners now rationalizing some sort of retribution?
• Are CM's buying work to keep staff occupied?
• Have some accounting changes made conventional wisdom invalid?
• Is risk getting reassigned?
• Are there hidden profits not fully disclosed by CM's?

Does any one really know?  What do you think?

Madness March

It's that time of year again.

I seem incapable of watching tournament basketball without thinking back to the 2004 Olympics.  Wikipedia refers to the US men's team of that year as "The Nightmare Team".  Why?  Because they lost in the semi-finals to Argentina of all countries.  This, in spite of some real hot shots (at least in their own mind) on the roster.

I can't shake the memory of the interview of Argentina's captain, when he made the simple observation that "Basketball is a team sport".  Something our collection of prima donnas apparently failed to grasp.

In my No Left Turn newsletter of January 2010, I made the same observation about how this notion bears repeating to Design/Build team members.  Teamwork, I think, improves virtually any endeavor.  Will the men's and women's final four contenders demonstrate this capacity?

I'm glued to the TV.

How Many Bars?

Is it possible there has been a turn in our dismal economy?

In the last three months I have seen more RFP's and RFQ's than in the previous 18.

One posting service for jobs that I see every day shows 327 openings with the filter "Facilities".  There were times at the beginning of 2010 this same service had less than 50.  The latest unemployment rate is under 9% for the first time in eons.

Is money for construction becoming available?

In short, have we passed the nadir?  What's the signal strength in you cell zone?  We'd all like to know.  It's sure a more appealing thought than shoveling water.  I'm tired of that.

Shoveling Water

Patience is a virtue, right?

Then why is it that we are compelled (sometimes by law) to shovel snow from our sidewalks within 24 hours of a storm, when all you have to do is wait long enough and it will literally melt before our eyes?

I sometimes can't decide if I'm invigorated by the diversion of the activity and the karma of it all, or annoyed by the imposed pressure to get it done before it becomes a block of ice.

I guess there  are consolations.  It is pretty (if only for a while).  There is a sense of accomplishment once it's done.  And my wife can take record photos to show friends wintering in Mexico.

I'm reminded of the enthusiasm of the guy cleaning up after the elephants in the circus.  He'd never give up show business.  Me neither. 

PS, If you look closely, you might be able to appreciate why the business is called No Left Turn.

Balls Out!

Which do you like?

Personally, I'm partial to the old one.

Following on the theme of 'Tradition', I wonder how others feel about the new incarnation of the venerable Times Square New Year's Eve Ball.

When you honor a ceremony that's more than 100 years old, are you doing it justice when you add expensive crystal, computer controlled colorizers, and flashing strobes?  Maybe that's what it takes for the image to register on your cell phone.

Four middle aged men with their ropes and pulleys did pretty well for decades.  After all, if you're fortunate, at the critical second you might be kissing someone.