[Seth Johnson Bockholt]

Thanks guys. I have a lot of work to do on the mobile version still. Its good to know about the security thing. I think I still have to get an ssl certificate but I have put it on the back burner because I’m not selling products. Gerrit, I know the Mobile version on phones is horrible. I had a mobile version that really dumbed down everything and was easier to navigate but it kept that same dumbed down stuff on tablets. I didnt like that so I just got rid of my mobile version so the site would atleast appear like i wanted it to on I-pads and stuff. Its really difficult to find a decent mobile app that does’t look like crap. And I havent figured out how to allow the regular version to still come up on a tablet or I-pad.

[Seth Johnson Bockholt]

Thanks for your insight! I will look at the Drylands Competition to see what they have been doing.

I am really talking about making a dent in the water used for landscape irrigation, and maybe even some agriculture uses.  Utah is on the western edge of the Rocky mountains and borders the Great Basin.  We live in a desert with annual precipitation under 10 inches in most parts of the State. 

We don’t have a Caspian, and our biggest lake is salty. Most of our water 78% is from surface sources that are supposed to be replenished with winter melt. But most of our drinking water is from groundwater wells 56%. So as we grow we inevitably push closer to outgrowing supply and draining subsurface sources.

Utah is the second driest state in the US in terms of annual precipitation; and its citizens use more water per capita than any other state, some 293 gallons per day each.

Also 81% of all water use is attributed to irrigation. How can Utah afford not to allow rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation?

graph by, Environmental Protection Agency.

Graph by the Utah Foundation 

[Seth Johnson Bockholt]

Amanda, I have been working in residential design for years and in my experience hourly is the only way to go, especially for the conceptual or design development phase. You hit the problem right on the head. If you and the client are not jiving by the completion of the conceptual phase, then really it won’t work between you anyway and it is time to get out.  But if your clients are pleased with your concepts then they will be more open to allowing you to go further with CD’s.  When approached by a new client sketch some things out in front of them to get their take on it initially, a little bit of evaluation of what their reactions are to some basic ideas can save you tons of time back at the office, Then the next trick is to work fast and propose several concepts so that they have options and are not shocked at the sticker price of the initial concepts. These people are not designers or artists themselves, that’s why they hired you in the first place and can be easily impressed so don’t get crazy with graphics. I like to keep the concepts all free hand and no color till I really know what the are looking for. Then to revise the selected concept and get their approval once again, this is where you really show your abilities graphically, once the basics of the design are set.

Have a small one page contract for hourly work up through design development. A short contract won’t scare them and will make sure that they and you are held to some basic expectations like, you will provide 3 concept sketches then revise within 1 weeks time. afterwards you will revise the favored concept and revise that revision for the final concept. Make sure they know revision meetings are billed, as well as design time. That helps them to make decisions. E-mail or mail your concepts a day before the meeting so they can think about it a bit not in front of you, and so they are not arguing with a spouse or something while your sitting right there. Then alway set a timeline like 1 week for the next revision meeting. make sure in your contract any printing or material costs are on top of the hourly rate.

I find that I can usually perform enough work in 4 hours between revision meetings, then one hour meetings and so within about 8-12 hours we have a final concept. Also concepts I usually only do on 11×17 unless its a real nice project. 

I guess all I am saying is do everything you can to make your revisions early when everything is conceptual and free-hand. saves everyone time and money. 

[Seth Johnson Bockholt]

Architecture is as artsy as it wants to be. I think the obvious difference between architecture and art is function. If somethings function includes being ground breaking, new, or expensive then art has a lot to do with the function of the architecture, however if the function is to not stand out, be economical or cheap then architecture is not art but craft.  An architect is a designer craftsman, no more than the person who makes door handles is a designer craftsman, it depends on the use or function.

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