Class Lecture 07

April 14, 2011

What is a topping out ceremony?

Ground breaking ceremony

This type of ceremony takes place when the last beam is added to the top of the structure.

Programming = listening to client

Schematic design is talking to client

Design development is talking to yourself

CDs talking to contractors

Specs is talking to mfrs plus contractors

Ff&e specs is talking to furniture reps

What do furniture specs look like?

Furniture specs communicate…

Manufacturer of product

Product finishes

Description of product

Location of product in project

Quantities

Quality

What happens to furniture specs?

What does a furniture proposal look like?

What skills are required for furniture specifications and proposals?

Are furniture specs required for all projects?

NO

Contract administration

Bidding and negotiation phase

Finding contractor

Establishing a contract between owner and contract

Managing bidding procedures

Finding a contractor:

Existing relationship between owner and contractor

Pre-qualifying process

Open bidding process

Establishing a contract between owner and contractors

Negotiated contract

Bid contract

Managing bidding procedures…

Prequalification of bidders (optional)

Advertising for bids (newspaper, trade journals OR invitation to bid)

Bid documents made available

Contractors may request substitutions

Addenda generated to respond to RFIs

Pre-bid conference

Bid opening

Evaluation plus awarding of bid

Instructions to bidders**

Consideration of bids..

procedures for opening and reviewing bids
bidders representation (states you read + understand the documents)

Bidding documents (how to get documents from designer)

Substitutions (how to make substitutions during B+N)

Bonds (see next slide)

Interpretation or correction of bidding documents

Addenda (additions, corrections, clarifications)

Post-bid information

Bid bonds

Form of bid security (also check or cashiers check equal to 5% +/- of bid price)

Performance Bond

Bid forms

Standardized form for all bidders

Space for base bid amount

Space for alternates (if any)

Space for unit prices (if any)

Number of calendar or work days to complete work

Acknowledgement of receipt of addenda

Signature (legally empowered representative)

How do you know if the bids will be higher/lower than the estimated construction cost?

Submittals*

Shop drawings – generated by suppliers, contractors

Samples – physical samples that become standards

Product data – cut sheets, catalog pages, testing information

Reviewed by contractor, then design team

Accept (not “approve”), accept with comments, revise and resubmit, or reject

Division of 01 specs. States submittal procedures and procedures for reviewing submittals

Interior designer must log submittals

Field administration

Construction observation – not management, direction…etc…

Remain familiar with overall progress and quality of wok

Guard against defects and deficiencies

Determine if work is progressing towards being done in accordance with the contract documents

Interior designer maintains good communication with contractor and owner

Interior designer generates field reports

Interior designer has right to reject work, per general conditions of the specs

Interior designer maintains documentation

Claims

Disputes common in construction projects

Interior designer responsible for reviewing claims and making decisions

Interior designers decision is final + binding, though subject to mediation and arbitration

Contractor and owner have 21 days to initiate claim

Interior designer has 10 days to take initial action

Mediation and arbitration

Process spelled out in general conditions

Mediation involves 3^rd party mediator

Arbitration, if mediation doesn’t resolve claim,, last step before claim would go to court

Construction industry arbitration associate sets standards

Changes in work

Interior designer can handle minor changes by field instruction

Construction change directive issued by interior designer and owner for immediate work, with cost to be resolved later

CHANGE ORDER – document authorizes changes in contract price, contrast time, or both; issued by owner but generally generated by interior designer

Any of three parties can request a change order

Other things to be aware of…

Progress payments (interior designer certifies pay apps)

Retainage (holds contractor accountable for finishing)

Ff+e installation (owner responsible for providing space, routes, insurance against loss/damage, and inspection of ff+e)

Project closeout (contractor initiates in writing)

Substantial completion (important legal implications)

Punch list(s) (list of items incomplete, incorrect, etc.)

Certificate of Occupancy (generally issued by local inspections of department)

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE)

Class Lecture 06

April 7, 2011

Construction drawings

What kind of drawings are included in the cd sets?

Floor plans communicate:

Building configuration

Partition types

Dimensions

Information with notes and labels

Fixtures

Mill work

To scale 1/8” or ¼” Typ.

Demolition information

Enlarged plans communicate:

Information that doesn’t fit at scale of floor plans

About spaces with substantial detail

Information that is not included elsewhere

Typical for stairs, toilet rooms, elevators, lobbies, kitchens,

Interior elevations:

Configuration of walls plus vertical elements

Vertical dimensions (not plan dims)

Location of wall elements, like switches, receptacles, thermostats, etc.

Elevations of panels systems, mill works, etc.

At scales of ¼”=1’ and larger TYP

Information with notes and labels

Section cuts through elevation boundaries

Sections and details communicate:

Relationships of different materials

Horizontal or vertical relationships

Relationships of different systems

Elements beyond section cut

At scales of 1”=1’ and larger TYP

Not all details are sections, not all sections are details

Schedules:

In tabular form

LOTS of information efficiently

Specific attributes of the design

Elements beyond section cut

Typ. Schedules are finish, partition, door, hardware, equipment, millwork, paint

Specifications = talking to manufacturers plus contractors

Project manual includes:

Bidding requirements (if bidding)

Supplements to bid forms

Contract forms

General + supplementary

Bidding requirements:

Invitation to bid

Prequalification forms

Instructions to bidders

Information available to bidders

Bid forms

Types of technical specifications:

Prescriptive (closed)

List “exactly” what product or material should be

Ensure that you get what you want

Eliminate competitive bidding

Restrictive, not generally used for public or bid projects

Proprietary specifications:

Most restrictive specifications

Call out specific manufacturer’s product

Provide designer with complete control

Do not give contractor options

Specific materials might be expensive or have long lead times

Base-bid (equal) specs:

Call out proprietary (base bid) products

Allow contractor to provide substitutions

Variation #1 – specs list approved manufacturers

Variation #2 – specs include “or approved equal” language

Allow for competition and bidding

Performance (open)

List what kinds of results the finished assembly shouljd achieve

Provide contractors with choices

Descriptive specs:

Give detailed written descriptions of workmanship, quality, fabrication, and installation

Difficult to write, due to how complete the description has to be

Reference Standard Specs:

Provide description of material, product, or process based on referenced standards

Performance specs:

Provide descriptions of criteria and results:

Used when designer wants to encourage new ways to accomplishing performance

Difficult to write

Specifier must write an unambiguous document

What skills are required for pulling together specifications?

This class we learned what each type of drawing includes, from floor plans to enlarged floor plans. The skills necessary include being able to draw the plans to a typical scale and have them legible to all designers. We learned about different types of specification sheets and what needs to be included on each.

Class Lecture 05

March 31, 2011

Today we had guests Kara Phillips and Theresa Mirk with Phillips PA who spoke with us about their journey from students to their positions in their current firm.Guests today

Securing a project requires securing a client

Need someone that is actually going to pay for the project

How do you and potential clients find each other?

Networking

Walk-in clients

Request for qualifications/proposals

Design competitions

How do you find RFGs + RFPs?

Networking

Professional associations

Agency websites

Dodge reports

They find you

How do you put together a proposal in response to this RFG?

1. Appropriate expertise

2. Past performances

3. Proposed design team

4. Current workload

5. Proposed design approach

6. Recent experience with project costs and schedules

7. Proximity to familiarity with project area

8. Successfully completed projects

9. Other appropriate factors

What happens with proposals?

What’s next?

Selection without short-list

Short-list of 3-4 firms

Interviews

Charrette/competition

Reference-checks

Possible building tours, visits

Phone calls, sizing up the competition

SELLING

What happens in a marketing interview?

What skills are required for pulling together proposals plus marketing interview graphics?

Programming = listening to the client

Client interviews

User surveys

Natural observation

Research

Benchmarking

Case studies

Documentation – dwgs, photos, videos

Schematic design = talking to the client

Skills required for schematic design?

Models

Renderings

Sketches

Class Lecture 04

March 3, 2011

This class focused on alternative compensation methods. Hourly is used when scope is unclear or to cover travel time. Most clients won’t agree to hourly, they prefer fixed fee rates. Hourly is useful when you suspect the client will have a hard time making decisions.

Fixed-fees, also known as a flat fee or lump sum, require a solid estimation. This is not for the inexperienced as this requires a clearly defined scope. This could be used in residential or commercial.

Square Foot requires extensive knowledge or project type. This also requires a clearly defined scope and is more common in commercial than residential. Value-based is when the designer has to convince the client of the value. Most clients will think that all designers are the same. Specialist designers can demand higher fees, as well as signature designers.

Percentage of cost is a fee based on percentage of merchandise and installation costs. This is similar to an architect’s percentage of construction costs. This might tempt designers to use more costly products. There is also a cost plus percentage markup, which is primarily in residential designers. This is when the client pays for the merchandise plus a percentage markup. The markup costs cover design fees but the client ends up paying less than retail.

Next comes retail or a consultation with a designer. Retail is used less often today than in the past, and this is used when a retail store or showroom is in place. This allows the clients to “shop around.” Consultations are used for very small-scale projects. The designer will provide advice, not services. This is followed with a flat-fee for a small number of hours.

During all of this one should consider the IIDA Code of Ethics

Preamble

Responsibility to the public

Responsibility to the client

Responsibility to other interior designers & colleagues

Class Lecture 03

February 17, 2011

This class focused on owning your own business and different types that follow.

Advantages of being a business owner include independence, credibility and personal security. A few drawbacks would be greater stress, top responsibility, you can’t quit or run away, and everything falls back on you..good or bad.

Partnerships are another popular route. This can combine different skills and experience to create the best firm possible. Unfortunately this puts your personal assets at risk fully trusting the other partner. It’s easy to form a legal partnership, but every action one makes affects the other. The biggest downfall would probably be a split profit. Especially if you go from owning your own firm to becoming a partner. But, if you start as a partner and learn the ins and outs, then proceed to own your own firm the payoff would be substantial.

There are also limited partnerships which include general or limited partners. General partners typically manage and limited do not. These partnerships are generally more expensive. There is a corporation which entitles complex tax issues. This requires “Articles of Incorporation.”

Then there comes a business plan: Business Summary, Market Research, Marketing, Operational Plan, Financial Information, and Financial Considerations. These steps are important in running a successfully business.

Class Lecture 02

February 2, 2011

During this class we talked about our path and how straight it is.. or isn’t.

A few straight paths we discussed are commercial (contract) interiors or residential interiors.
The commercial path would include a more structured road. It would more than likely be a Monday through Friday, 40 hour work week. This could include full or partial service contracts. It will have an office environment that will include group and individual work. The residential interiors path would be smaller, and less formal than contract interiors. This path would almost have to “shop” for their clients to get their name out there to be recognized. Also, potentially less pay.

So what path do I want? Originally I wanted to be a residential architect, which has lead to being a residential interior designer. But now I’m not so sure. I need to decide if I want to be a generalist or a specialist, which I feel will come when I get a job. My thoughts are so up in the air about what I want to do specifically (since there are SO many routes) that I will probably end up going wherever I am needed. If I get offered a job to specialize in something, I will give it my all and do so.

Some of the different paths include, but are not limited to:

Architecture

Graphic designer

Illustrator/model maker

Photographer

Entrepreneur

Writer

Educator

Product Design

Out of these, I would love to be a model maker, whether it be physical or digital. That is what I love to do. Anything hands on. Product design would be ideal but I’m not sure how good I would be at this. Writing is out of the question. That is something I have never enjoyed doing and am definitely not good at it.

Class lecture 01

January 20, 2011

I am taking a Professional Practice class as one of my final courses here at UNCG. This class is an investigation of business, legal and ethical aspects of professional practice in interior architecture and design. We learn through other students, staff and guests speakers. Our class is scheduled every Thursday from 2-4:50.

Our first class consisted of learning about what Interior Architecture was. I found this kind of odd seeing as I am in my fifth year and should know what I’ve been going to school for. We have had other classes that seem to focus a good deal on teaching us what we are actually being taught. It gets to a point where I feel like we, as students, are being convinced of what we are studying. We are told to a certain extent it will be hard to get a job because of our degree in Interior Architecture. Not many people understand what Interior Architecture is.

I used to go to UNCC for Architecture and transferred in as a 3^rd year. My friends from Charlotte laughed and said I was going into interior decorating, but honestly I have been doing the same things as I did in Charlotte. We go through the full design process, use the same computer programs and learn basically the same information. It’s a different name and we are viewed more as interior designers, but the average person doesn’t fully understand what an interior designer is. Most hear the name and immediately think, curtain picker. This is not the case at all.

Throughout this course we are learning what we are capable of, what we have learned, and how we can apply our knowledge in the real world and hope to obtain a job.

What are we? We are a combination of architecture, interior design, and industrial design.