The Boley Building

While I can’t mention the client just yet, I thought I’d post a snippet about the building I’m currently working on, the Boley Building at 12th and Walnut in downtown Kansas City. The Boley Building was designed by famed Kansas City architect Louis Curtiss and constructed in 1908 for Charles Boley and the Boley Clothing Co. While the facts are not totally clear it is commonly accepted that the Boley Building was one of the first examples of curtain wall construction in the world (click here for info on curtain wall construction). Also, it was the first use of rolled steel columns in building construction, as opposed to steel plates riveted together to form at I shape.

Schematic Misconceptions

Last Wednesday I found myself, after a four hour long team meeting and marathon design session, with my head spinning, wondering where all of our initial ideas had gone. Many of you have been in similar situations, in academia and in professional practice alike. You’re two thirds through the design process and suddenly you’re entire design concept is dismantled piece by piece right before your eyes and you’re left scrambling to make something work. This happens for many different reasons depending on the project and office, so to speculate on a single cause would be in vain. However, I see a lot of concepts and ideas being reversed, not because they are terrible ideas, but because they are either not thought out or not appropriate for the specific design problem. It’s a misconception to think that the schematic design phase is a free for all, where ideas have no repercussions, and anything and everything is subject to change. This usually leads to watered down, undeveloped, and mediocre design solutions and can generally be avoided by making smart decisions upfront.

A View From the Trenches

Let me start by saying that I am not an accomplished designer. I am not a business owner. I am not a consultant. My experience is limited to five years of school, a handful of projects and a boat load of questions. However, those of you who share my position as an entry level architect know that we are given the sometimes impossible behind-the-scenes task of giving ideas form. Our managers rely on us to move schematic ideas from conception to reality. Ours is an view from the trenches. An outlook on creativity from the bottom up. So read along, and don’t forget to leave your two cents.

What does it take to give an idea form? All creative fields have at their core the illusive concept of ideas. You have them, I have them. Your boss has them. Why is it that mediocre ideas flourish, making their way through the ranks and into the project? Why are some ideas given form, and others aren’t? These are questions I ask myself almost daily.

Articulating an idea was hard enough in school. Now, as young designers, we are faced with the challenges of office hierarchy, project structure, and market influence. Our perspectives have changed, but many of the fundamental aspects of articulating an idea are now even more relevant in the workplace than they were in the studio.

Our generation is positioned to capitalize on bringing new ideas to the table. We were brought up to accept new processes and emerging technologies. We are quick to adapt. But in today’s creative climate the next best thing is always on the horizon and the pressure to innovate can be monumental. Meaningful, functional, and beautiful solutions are often passed by in favor of fashionable or clever gimmickry. So how are we to build a foundational knowledge of good design? And further, how are we to ensure that those principals make it through all phases of project planning?

What really happens in the process of finding form?