London 2012

Actually, it's about London Olympics - the font.

This is the weirdest damn font.  Look at the spacing of the characters in the line above. The word "Actually" looks miserable. The word "London" only may look reasonable because I played with the kerning of the letters.

Ever since London went public with this new style, graphic designers have been arguing for and against the presentation. I've read that the intent was to have a gritty graffitti image for the games. I guess there may be some agreement that the logo gets there, but I'm not so sure about the font.

"Branding" experts, I suspect, will say it's been a success.  Oh well, at least the games have been entertaining.  What do you think?  

Summertime Fiction?

Actually no.

Tune in to the latest No Left Turn newsletter at http://www.noleftturn.biz/architecture/NotesFromTheRoad.html. It goes out every few months to the regular mail list of business recipients.

There you will find a light story of a few entertaining months in the career of hapless Acey Trey. All true, not fiction.

Actually, it's stories such as this that give me the confidence to talk about how we can and/or should do business.  Experience is a fine teacher.  If you like what you see, you can sign up for more at http://goo.gl/PL6Sj

Who is Acey Trey, really? I'm not tellin'.

Bain Existence

Bain & Company (NOT to be confused with Bain Capital) is extensively quoted by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The headline: "One-Third of Colleges Are on Financially 'Unsustainable' Path, Bain Study Finds".

To say this conclusion strikes a nerve is an understatement. Commenter markneustadt had this to say: "I can't imagine why the Chronicle decided to give media space to such an obviously flawed tool. It only takes a few minutes with the "interactive website" to see that the Bain process has yielded ridiculous results. And I don't understand why the folks at Bain weren't embarrassed to release this table. In any event, business leaders and politicians may love this report and it may be quoted many times. Looks to me like another example of extremely shoddy work by a high profile consulting firm."  Others will, I'm sure, be equally critical.  There's no denying there may flaws in the approach and the veracity of some of the conclusions offered by Bain.

However, the article as well as Bain's analysis and white paper, all circle around a common subject in Higher Education. Administrators are all well aware that their financial futures are murky to say the least.  In many colleges and universities, real estate is the single largest asset class, and thoughtful analysis is essential in the management of those assets.

Those of us who are in the consulting business of advising clients how to do that best are smart to appreciate the context of their activities. In Higher Education, stemming the the extraordinary rise in tuitions recently has become a cause celebre.  I try to appreciate the nuance of what's going on with the bigger picture as I look at buildings.

For reference, see http://goo.gl/q5ALr and http://goo.gl/mpcsM.

The Power of Faculty

As I offer consulting services to higher education faculty officers, I often ask about their rapport with the chief academic officer. My theory is that, barring extraordinary circumstances, virtually anybody in an administrative position serves at the pleasure of faculty consensus.

When I voice this opinion, sometimes there will be pushback. Arguments vary: the faculty is weak, the board is strong, the president wields the power, the University is public, facilities people are invisible. I'm now emboldened in my opinion. Why? You might ask.

Developments this past week at the University of Virginia have been extraordinary.  The ouster of the President (no less) was reversed by the the Board of Visitors (Virginia-speak for the Board of Trustees) after a rebellion led by many groups, including the university faculty senate.  See what the Chronicle of Higher had to say at http://goo.gl/uOYNA. In any event, do you suppose a lowly facilities officer would ever survive a faculty movement? I still doubt it.

At a minimum, facilities people need to have an awareness and appreciation for the academic mission. Too preachy? Let me know what you think?

Apple Rules!

Does this look like an iPad?  Well, it should, because it is.  Media automation company Crestron now has a wall-mounted dock for iPad - to control all sorts of things in your home, office or classroom. Crestron is hardly unique.

The dominance of Apple products in this 'wireless interface' business is truly remarkable. With scores of small apps, as well as full software integration available for iPhones, IPads, iPod Touches - not to mention regular computers - Apple is everywhere. It's fascinating that the expansion of tablet use is based on a product type that had virtually no market share prior to the iPad.

Earlier this week, I was at a demonstration of LED lighting applications. The manufacturer and local installing contractor were doing handsprings to show the potential for remote control. Emphasis on "Remote".  With your Apple product (or other device, if you're so inclined), you can talk to controllers from the other side of the globe. No more "Did I forget to turn off the lights?".

Me - I'm more or less satisfied when my wall switch works. Maybe I'll come around. Send $$ please.

Crumbling Campuses

The latest issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a sobering article on the exacerbating effects of recessionary pressures on maintenance budgets at North American Colleges and Universities. Take a look at http://goo.gl/yp3JC.

Let's say you live in a $200,000 house. Are you setting aside $4,000 to $8,000 per year to address the inevitable expenses?  My guess is not. You just struggle with tapping into savings when the roof has to be replaced.

Now, put yourself into the shoes of the local College president who has to look after  hundreds of 'houses', all with a replacement cost of 6, 7, 8 or even 9 figures.  To further extend the analogy, imagine that you have no 'savings'.  Decades of underspending are approaching catastrophic on some campuses.

It used to be that some amount of Capital Renewal with new construction, renovation and replacement was offsetting the accumulating deferrals, but recent budgets have curtailed those expenditures as well. What does the future hold? I hope it's not the educational version of a bridge falling down, but my fear is that's what it will take to force some readjustment.