Architect, Client and Engineers Role in a Building Development

This is article will somehow enlightened us what really our responsibilities as a client? as an architect? and an engineer? in building a structure. There are misconceptions of hiring an architect and an engineer. Some client were not fully informed or aware on the process of building a structure. So read upon the lines as Arch. Celso Nieves, a filipino architect shares his thoughts on this topic.

 

THE ARCHITECT AND THE CIVIL ENGINEER ON BUILDING A BUILDING - What you should know. Arch. Celso C. Nieves, FUAP, UAPEMERITUS, PIA, AAIF 

The client or owner hires the service of the architect, not the civil engineer (CE). He is more interested in the design on how he should occupy the spaces for safety, convenience, health, satisfaction, and their functional uses. He is not interested in the structural design of the building. The fee of the architect, called architectural fee, includes the fee of all engineers; that is, civil, electrical, sanitary, etc. As soon as the architectural plan is finished and approved by the client, the architect, not the CE, lays out the structural plan. He places where the beams are to run, the locations of the columns, their dimensions, and their sizes. The architect creates the forms in the plan. He hires the civil engineer to design the structure according to the architectural layout. The CE should not change anything of what is shown on this layout. This is what is called conceptualization. He hires the CE to do his expertise. The CE has all the authority to do his work. No one, even the Architect, should meddle with his structural ingenuity. Afterwards, the architect, not the client, pays the engineer. If the architect doesn’t like the CE, the architect can change him. But the CE cannot change the architect. The CE now submits to the architect all the original documents of his work. He puts the letterhead of the architect to his plans. Both will sign the plans. If after the construction, the structural fails, the client sues the architect, not the civil engineer. It is the architect who sues the engineer. So, the CE cannot design the structure without the architectural. He is dependent to the architect.

The other engineers, electrical, sanitary, mechanical, and the others should also follow the same procedure. During construction, the architect oversees the progress of the work. He sees that the works of the engineers are coordinated and that all engineers follow what is shown in the plan and specification. He also checks the quality and the workmanship of the one in charge of the construction. He is either the Project or Construction Manager.

It is clear therefore that the architect is the author and the master builder of the project call building. He creates and controls the progress from his mind as an idea to the finished product as a building. All engineers should follow the architectural plans and other documents. Although architects are also structural designers of building as called for in RA 545 and the second biggest unit in college, UAP, through a new law RA 9266, waived its right during its meeting with PICE so that the CE will have its sole right of its practice, and not compete anymore with the architect. In the meeting, PICE agreed also that it will drop down the architectural design and the CE should not practice it anymore. What is happening now is different. RA 9266 is impotent. For more than one-and-a-half decades, UAP is adamant pursuing our right. The CEs are still practicing our profession boldly and blatantly; even defying our Code of Ethics. 

Addendum: The structural design unit of architecture in the board exam is 20%; while in CE, 33+%. The difference of 13+% is the infrastructure which is not the line of the architects. Therefore, in building, knowledge of both practitioners in the structural design of building is on the same level. END. 

Source: 1 , 2

Comparing Architecture Today and Before

Credits: Posted by: Arkicels fb.
When a profession called Architecture came to the Philippines almost a century ago, Architects build (design and construct) buildings for shelter and gatherings of people. Since then till now, their main and basic goals are to make the buildings functional, strong, serviceable, and artfully beautiful or aesthetic. They follow the theory of art like organization, coordination, color, rhythm, balance, etc. Yet applying these goals and theory, no two architects are alike; the same that there are no two music, paintings and other works of art are alike. Architects use their creativity with tools, simple mechanism, and electricity and light types of equipment. Their materials came from nature combining them together. To make their designs different from the others, they sustain them with their own ideas and forms through researches in books, observations, and advice from their elders. The procedure is simple. Design is drawing by the draftsman, specify and estimate. During construction, An architect supervises; or oversees it if done correctly by the contractor. The finished product stands there, sound, beautiful, functional until today. The procedure is very simple and direct making the cost very minimal. With the advent of alleged advanced and intelligent technology, drafting is almost trite with the coming of CADD; mathematics on estimate can be done through EXCEL, and artificial materials abound with their specifications and prices and with focused assistance. New allegedly knowledge and inventions appear which is only the older procedures, sensationalized making it complicated and hard to understand. These are all for the sake of money which is our modern god today. Academic studies and board examinations were very simple then, yet it produced many of the best architects. Our architects of yesteryears are expert in architectural and structural design and construction. Although now, architectural design is still creative, it has already templates to base on. New technological-sounding procedures appear, making it easy to apply. Change is progressive, but it also is expensive. Computer is the new trend that brings progress and facilitates time and increases quantities. It also improves quality. But the computer robot makes the advancement soar the prices very high that affect the balance of our economy. The introduction of CPD is not much of a necessity to the architects. Why is he obliged to study and pay for knowledge he is not interested and would not apply in his practice? Will architecture not survive without CPD? In fact, CPD is not known to our ancestral architects who brought architecture famous in our country. CPD is already a law and there is no way to escape out. We must abide by it. We are converting the creative mind of our children by the introduction of this so-called Artificial Intelligence. By using these digital gadgets like AutoCAD and other templates, Artificial Intelligence can easily solve problems with one click on a computer depriving our children to use their creativity, constructive ability and focus analysis. Artificial Intelligence children, according to Albert Einstein, can cause chronic depression and sometimes mental derangement to our youngsters.

Source: Here

Why Architects are not Engineers? Here's the reason why?

This is why engineers hate architects, based from history the their type study shows huge difference.

The Architect on the Move

Repost from Facebook by: Arkicels

(This article is based on my experience as a professional architect for four decades; also from other written resources. Although there are many variations, this is only basic and simple for the understanding of the senior students and young architects alike. This article is only short, and more comprehensively described if lectured).

The prime mover of a sound building is the architect. He designs the building to be functional, strong in its form, serviceable and artistically beautiful.

This building is first conceptualized and analyzed from an intangible or spiritual source call idea. This idea starts from the mind of nobody else but the architect. To begin with, the owner or client gives the architect a big blank space or lot. The architect divides it into small spaces call rooms. Each room has its own functions yet independent from its other. It is synchronized and organized according to its purpose or what it is intended for. The wholeness of the building is harmonized for the convenience, satisfaction, health, safety, and usefulness of the occupants. The architect applies his knowledge of the theory of architecture in unity, coordination, proportion, color, balance, scale and rhythm. This is architectural design unified. The architect convenes with the owner showing the arrangements and advantages of his design drawn in papers. The owner may comment, alter, or revise some according to his taste but should be under the guidance of the architect. When the owner accepts the design, the architect makes the final drawing of the floor plans, elevations, sections, and perspective. The perspective is a 3-dimensional drawing showing the image of the finished product of the building.

The owner now can look at the image and has already the idea of his house or building. This architectural plan is the start of the creation of the building.This is the only one the owner wants to comprehend and wants to see. He is not interested in anything else. After all the drawings, the architect makes the specifications and estimates. He draws all the details in the plan. It is at this point that the engineers come in. They are the civil or structural engineer, the electrical, sanitary and mechanical engineers. Using the architectural as the basis, pattern or foundation, they apply their respective expertise. The engineers must synchronize their technical designs using the architectural plan as their basis. They must not deviate from these patterns, lest it may create confusion and incoherence during a construction period.

The architects and engineers must profess to what they learn in college. Webster Dictionary defines a profession as a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill; http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profession; professional: done or given by a person who works in a particular profession; http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professional. Architectural design is the skill of the architects, without exception; and the other professionals have their own too. No professionals could claim they can practice the work of the architects nor architects to their professions. From the time architectural student steps inside a designing room, he studies architectural design alone, 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the whole school year until he steps down from that room after 5 years. Half of his student life is architecturally designing of buildings of different kinds. The other half is spent on other subjects like Maths, Structural Design, Professional Practice, Theory, and others. Therefore, the architect is already well-versed in the practice of his profession..

How would the other engineers come to the scenario? After finishing the architectural plan, the architect submits to the civil engineer, the conceptualized structural floor plans showing the positioning of the structural members like the placements of the columns, beams, and slabs, etc., including their suggested sizes. The civil engineer designs the structural members using this plan as his basis. It is up to him to indicate the number and sizes of the steel bars, structural steel, concreting and the method of construction,

The Architect submits to the electrical engineer the location of the lighting outlets, convenience outlets, switches, electrical panel board, etc. The electrical engineer wires the connections. He indicates the sizes and physical features of the wires, placement of the junction boxes, compute the amperage, voltage, etc. The same with the sanitary engineer or plumber. The architect shows him where the toilet fixtures, floor drains, kitchen sink, catch basins, septic tanks are located. The sanitary engineer piped them together with their size, makes, and method of construction. All of these being done and approval of the building permit, the construction can begin.Architecture, as defined in RA 9266, is a profession that designs and construct buildings in its totality including the environment.

Therefore, the best person who could supervise and/or manage the construction of the building is the designing architect. If another architect or civil engineer do the supervision/management, the architect should oversee the process of the construction; the same that the doctor who diagnoses his patient should be the one who will operate the patient. If another doctor will do the operation, it should be under the supervision of the doctor who diagnoses the patient.This is the most basic system in the manifestation of a building process. There are others or additional processes, depending upon the complexity, designs, and sizes for its specific building.

These definitions come from the University of Phoenix in Arizona, U.S.A. “Architecture is the job of design buildings, mostly from an aesthetic viewpoint. Architectural Engineering is the job of designing or analyzing buildings for their structural stability (i.e. making sure that the aesthetic idea produced by the architect will actually stand and be safe). Architectural Technology involves using architectural design tools (mostly computer based design and modeling tools) to assist the architect in producing designs. In a small firm, an architect might have to do all three jobs, but in a larger firm, an architect will lead the team, which will also comprise other architects, engineers, and technologists, to produce the overall design. In all of these scenarios, the architect is clearly the lead here; it is his or her ideas that need to get translated from thoughts to concrete, build-able and livable buildings."

Board examination for architects and civil engineers~~~the difference. The board examination shows the subjects that pertain to buildings alone. C..Architectural Design and Site Planning is 50% load. A. and B. divide themselves from the remaining 50%. Civil Engineering has not a single load of any phase in architecture.**** The difference between the Architect and the Civil Engineer Board ExaminationThe difference between the Architect and the Civil Engineer Board Examination

Source: Here

Swimming Pool Information’s Might Be Helpful To You

Having a swimming pool in your yard is a fantasy purpose of the house for some property holders. That is something that can unwind you and give you the delight of getting a charge out of the sun near the water for quick refreshment. In any case, it is a fulfillment that needs a few filled terms and conditions for making it practical method for no particular reason. The size, the profundity what sort of channel or water pump you need are inquiries that need proficient answers.

For some reasons not all of us knows what are the mechanism or process, sometimes called systems behind swimming pools. It needs the some equipment's to operate the pool. Below are the illustrated diagrams of how swimming pool's filtration and draining processes works. It would also answer what are the required equipment's needed to run or operate a pool.

Regarding pool layouts here are some examples:

Waterproofing layers must be also properly observed.

Source: Here

How to Find Space for a Closet in Small Bedrooms

It needn't bother with such a great amount of space in your room so you can have a stroll in storage room. Truth be told, 2 square meters or somewhat more are sufficient for that. Most rooms have customary block dividers (or drywall), yet there are likewise self-supporting casings, having no middle of the road sides which will permit you to completely utilize the space. The hardware for building a storeroom can be mounted on divider boards through racks, or on aluminum uprights. You can utilize drawers and open racks, as they guarantee more noteworthy insurance from tidy. The principal address you have to consider is the state of the room. As indicated by it you can arrange the side where a storage room can be fabricate. The entryways you ought to utilize is ideal to slide. They are the most boundless, for tasteful, as well as for the benefit of not requiring space in front for the opening. See illustrated images below for your reference.

 Source: Here