howtoarchitect asked:

Doug goes through his Top 10 things you’ll probably never hear an architect say

ANTONY

Frankly asked:


I’m wondering what the salary range is for a senior or principal information architect?

What is the equivalent hourly range for the same type of person doing consulting work?

ISMAEL

disappearing asked:


My boyfriend wants to become an architect, but his undergrad degree is in Education. He is great at math (is a math teacher), and quite artistic as well. I am just wondering how many years of schooling is required and where he should start? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

ADOLPH

Kadence Buchanan asked:


Among the pioneers and luminaries named to the California Hall of Fame in 2008 is a woman whose vision and skill make her a giant of architectural genius, though she stood but five feet tall. Julia Morgan’s work adorns California from the Bay area and far beyond, crowned by her most famous work, the design and construction of Hearst Castle that hovers over San Simeon Bay.

An Architect by Birth

Morgan was born in 1872 in San Francisco and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1894 equipped with a degree in civil engineering. This was likely not the first indication that Julia Morgan was destined to become a groundbreaker for women in a male dominated profession, but it was the springboard for an illustrious career that blazed a path in architectural innovation.

Her skills were finely honed at one of the world’s most prestigious architectural schools, Ecole des Beaux- Artes in Paris. There, pushing the limits of convention, she was twice denied admission. According to Morgan, her rejection was based solely on gender. Finally admitted after placing 13th out of a field of 376 applicants to take the rigorous entrance exam, she became the first woman to graduate with an architectural degree from the world famous school.

A Career Begins

Julia Morgan had a singular focus - architecture suited to the environment that surrounded the building. She was able to successfully blend the strictly classical training she received in Paris with her home-grown love of the California landscape in its many natural variations. . In 1904, she again exerted her individuality and started her own architectural firm in San Francisco. She began to receive commissions and build a reputation. One of her first assignments was a home in Grass Valley, in the foothills of the Sierra, where she built the North Star House in the Arts and Crafts style.

The widespread devastation of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake caused an interesting side effect as the acute need for rebuilding mitigated prejudice against a female architect. Her own office, on Montgomery Street, was among the hundreds to crumble into ruins. From those years of intense design and reconstruction, Julia Morgan was never at a loss for work and her reputation grew as steadily as did her body of work.

Assertive and Individual

Certainly, one of the hallmarks of Morgan’s hundreds of homes, buildings and public edifices is eclecticism. Armed with her classical education, she was never caught up in a particular trend, design or architectural paradigm. Morgan designed her buildings with consideration for the site, use and the surrounding environment. Her work ranged from extraordinarily ornate and opulent, to simple and functional. She was comfortable working in many architectural styles and considered each commission a newly stretched canvas upon which she’d create a site-specific masterpiece.

The range of Julia Morgan’s work is equally extensive. She built for billionaire magnates such as William Randolph Hearst, but attacked more modest projects with the same dedicated focus. Among her public buildings are YWCA’s, the Riverside Art Museum and the Los Angeles Examiner Building. She also worked extensively on college campuses in Northern California and designed the Mills College Bell Tower as well as buildings for churches and private homes.

She is most widely known for her work with the Hearst family. The crown jewel, of course, is Hearst Castle which is visited by millions of people each year. There, she was remembered for wearing stylish slacks and silk blouses while scrambling quickly into the construction work to make certain the details of her design were being followed and properly executed by craftsmen, carpenters and masons. Julia Morgan dedicated years of labor, love and exceptional creativity to build the vast estate that sits atop “La Cuesta Encantada” - The Enchanted Hill. As visitors from around the world know, it takes many hours to appreciate the 165 rooms, gardens, water features and acres that make Hearst Castle a woman-made wonder on the Pacific Coast.

From Bavaria to Wyntoon

Less well known, but nonetheless breathtaking is the Bavarian Village at Wyntoon, built in the 1930s. This was Hearst’s 50,000 acre getaway that lies in the shadow of Mount Shasta in Northern California. At this heavily wooded site, Julia Morgan felt the pull of Bavaria and Austria, with timbered building sheltered by tall pines and crisp clean air filled with the scent of pine.

To make Hearst’s many distinguished guests comfortable, Morgan designed three guest houses, each three stories tall. There were four to eight bedrooms in each timbered house along with sitting rooms. All looked out to a grassy expanse and backed up to the rushing sound of the McCloud River that meanders through the estate.

True to her love and connection to the natural environment, Morgan used local stone and wood in the construction of the Bavarian Village. The effect remains timeless as steep roofs jut skyward with many gables and faceted windows framed by massive timbers. It is, indeed, as if a small piece of Bavaria was lifted up and gently eased into the California landscape. But, upon closer examination Julia Morgan’s touch of genius took the traditional architecture to new heights. The many artistic touches and unusual conventions that Morgan brought to the Village are entirely unique.

In preparation for building the Village, Morgan and her sister, Anna, traveled with Hearst to Bavaria in 1931. Some experts speculate this visit furthered Morgan and Hearst’s resolve to carry forth the Bavarian theme because they sensed the rise of Adolf ****** might threaten the survival of Austrian and Bavarian architectural treasures.

The Wyntoon Bavarian Village guest houses were named for fairy tale characters - Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty among others. A noted muralist from New York added his artistry to the outside walls of two of the buildings, painting fanciful scenes of tales from the Brothers Grimm. Among the most embellished was Hearst’s personal home on the property - the Bear House. There, the muralist painted scenes from Snow White and Rose Red over the entire stucco exterior.

As with many of Julia Morgan’s major projects, select artisans - men and women - traveled with her to ply their craft on her projects. Although she never married, Morgan attracted a rich following of friends and colleagues in whom she had confidence and respect for their work. Wyntoon is a prime example of the kind of team work that characterized Julia Morgan’s long and successful career.

An Isolated End

After hundreds of notable projects and widespread recognition of her considerable talent and leadership, Julia Morgan’s last years were spent in self-imposed isolation. With many of her friends and family gone, including Hearst who died in 1951, Morgan felt herself failing. No longer able to work, to express the passion that had fueled her life, she chose to become reclusive. She died on February 7, 1957, leaving behind endowments for aspiring architects, scholarships and an unparalleled body of work.

She also left behind a road - one that started out a rough and cobbled path to be maneuvered by only the most bold and brave of young women. Today, that road is paved and many women architects stand on the mighty reputation of Julia Morgan, a California original.



JOSE

Robert Hand asked:


U.S. Gov’t, Architects of Hedge Funds Cause Collapse of America’s Real Estate Economy

By: Robert W. Hand

Designated Broker/Owner

Equity Alliance Properties



www.equityallianceproperties.com

Subprime Crisis? Heavens no, this is a complete collapse of the national real estate business sector of the U.S. economy, with the mortgage companies and the federal government right at the heart of the matter. The effects of the national real estate business enterprise breakdown with the subprime debacle well underway can be felt throughout every economic sector, including Wall Street.

Of course, there are still those on Wall Street profiteering on the broken back of the real estate business economy. These investors originated, and still draw huge amounts of interest on “interest only” loans, and are the beneficiaries of the federal government’s deliberately slow actions to remedy this fundamentally simple matter.

For most Americans, the most significant form of wealth we have is in the equity in our homes. Americans are losing their real estate endowments, and the effect of a broken real estate business sector has brought the general economy to its knees. The masses are feeling it while the rich get richer. That’s right, the guys still making money off of these high interest loan products make the headlines saying, “Just let time fix it”. You didn’t think they were out of the game did you? Who do you think these “interest only” loan payments continue to be paid to? The longer this thing takes to get fixed, the longer they will continue to draw huge dividends on their “interest only” loan products that by design were never intended to be paid back as no money ever goes toward principal. Strong lobby money representing those interests is slowing down the process in Washington where debts take time to repay, with a nod and a wink.

I released an article last month (http://paradisevalleyblog.com/2007/11/crisis-or-opportunity-truth-about.html)portraying the number of incidences of loans in default as a small fraction of the number of loans overall, a number which is steadily climbing. Nevertheless, keeping those numbers in perspective, that still leaves, by some estimates, 1.1 million Americans losing their residential properties over the next 6 years.

Yes, this is a simple matter and it can be fixed with cash money, go figure. Let’s put the numbers of dollars to fix this problem into perspective in a fashion to which we’ve all grown accustomed; comparing it to the money we spend on the occupation of Iraq. To continue our

military occupation in Iraq the U.S. Taxpayers pay: $270 million every day; $8.4 billion per month; a total of $600 billion spent and approved War-spending; another $200 billion requested for 2008 which would bring the cumulative total to $800 billion. There have been $10 billion mismanaged and wasted in Iraq per Feb 2007 hearings. There have been $1.4 billion Halliburton overcharges classified by the Pentagon as “unreasonable and unsupported”. 20 billion was paid to former Halliburton division, KBR for food, fuel, housing, and other items. Pentagon auditors deem that $3.2 billion of that is “questionable and unsupportable”. Some figures predict the cost of the Iraq war topping out at

over $2 trillion.

Just a small fraction of the capital Halliburton defrauded U.S. taxpayers out of alone would fix our mortgage crisis, would mend the broken real estate business sector of our economy, and would have a positive effect on the overall economy that would far exceed any amount of money we put back into fixing the system. So how much money are we talking about? Congressional Democrats led by Charles Schumer (D-NY) advocate spending just hundreds of millions (less than 1 billion) of dollars into nonprofits to help homeowners and the overall economy. A spokesman for the senator explains he

is not suggesting the government pay off borrower’s loans in full, but believes a mixture of counseling and restructuring of the loans would bring down the costs of the program dramatically. Even if we paid all the loans in full it would be a pittance in contrast to the overall federal budget, let alone the Iraq war budget (if you can call Washington’s fiscal policies budgeting). Further, we can spread the cash outlay to fix the problem over a period of 6

years, according to the rate schedules of the remaining loans in question.

Such a partial bailout is estimated to cost no more than a few hundred million dollars. Compare that to the $8.4 billion we spend every month bringing “Democracy” to Iraq with combat airplanes, helicopters, missiles, tanks, and troops. Even if we bail out everyone with a bad loan, what are we talking about in U.S. dollars…a month or two of what we spend rebuilding the Iraq we so surgically blew up? The top runners of the presidential race spill that much in a single weekend at their white tablecloth fundraisers! Appropriation of a relatively small amount of funds would pull our economy out of the tailspin we currently find ourselves in! But who’s suffering…lower middle

class, not the rich. The Bush Whitehouse neoconservatives were just this week exposed in lies and manipulation of intelligence data regarding Iran as a nuclear threat. This exposure shamelessly still has not thwarted Bush’s rhetoric to invade Iran and threats of World War III as he continues to terrorize citizens abroad and here in America. We had better just save our hard earned tax dollars to fight another war on terror in Iran and forget allocating any funds

to fix the U.S. economy which is, after all, only hurting the peasants. The war profiteers belong to the class of the super rich. George Bush should be impeached while he and his closest advisors, including **** Cheney, should all be formally brought up on charges of international war crimes.

We have seen any number of articles written voicing the opinion, “Why should we pay our tax dollars to bail out some idiot that was just too stupid to know what he was signing,” or invoking such profound truths as, “It’s just a bunch of greedy investors anyway, they knew what they were

doing.” Perhaps those are fair characterizations in some instances, but who pays? We all do. Worse yet, this type of reaction is exactly what the profiteers of this debacle want to continue to hear, so the process remains

stalled by the indecision and lack of common platform by constituents. Profiteers continue to earn big returns on the money already loaned that is not yet in default. This has all been calculated to a “T” and has been executed as planned. Everyone at the top, the architects of the hedge funds, knew this was not designed to last! These were all interest only loans,

which by design, were never intended to be paid back, as nothing is paid to principal.

Most folks who have fallen prey were not stupid at all, but were just trying to secure their family’s future in real estate holdings. Mortgage brokers promised consumers that they could re-finance out of their nasty little adjustable rate 2nds or HELOCs in 6 months to 2 years depending on the loan program, pre-payment penalties, etc. No layperson could predict the market falling so far so fast. Refinancing out of these undesirable loan conditions quickly became a lost option as so many homes declined in value to far less than originally loaned on them. This has caught far too many people off guard, including seasoned investors and real estate

brokers, to write this off as some folks being careless or stupid. It is a more sophisticated problem than that. There are folks that not only predicted this, but calculated exactly what has transpired and are the beneficiaries thus: the major interests in and architects of the hedge funds that back these securities and continue to prosper from grotesque interest rates on “interest only” loans. Understand that they don’t want legislation passed that keeps them

from being able to charge insane amounts of interest as these “interest only” loans mature and reset.

You, the average homeowner pay the price, as do innocent individuals and families just trying to honestly buy their own ‘piece of the rock’. We are ALL losing equity in our homes, (whether you have a mortgage or not), at an alarming rate as property values across the nation continue to decline due to the huge surplus of homes for sale. Some markets are declining much faster than others and we’re talking about significant amounts of depreciation from every homeowner in some metropolitan areas in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Florida, to name a few. As more and more loans go into default, more and more properties go on the market in the form of short sales and foreclosures at well under market value. Increasing numbers of properties hit the market, putting ever more pressure on existing inventories, and dragging prices down further. We are getting to where we have so many short sales and foreclosures on the market that “under market” is the new norm. Our conventional methods for determining current market value and sales price now take into the effective average the

rising numbers of homes with prices slashed. Buyers, seeing the declining market values don’t want to catch a falling knife. Folks who want to buy are waiting until they see evidence of the “bottom” of the market. They won’t perceive any indication of the “bottom” as meaningful unless they see property values hold steady then raise again. This will not happen as long as more defaults, resulting in short sales and foreclosures, continue to flood the

market day after day, week after week, and month after month. Consumers keep asking, as do REALTORs®, “when are we going to see the bottom of this market?” The answer is so simple even a cave man can do it; WHEN WE STOP THE CYCLE!!!

Why then, if it is such a simple fix, are we not already on our way to enjoying the recovery as a result of taking these simple steps. The answer: Greed, and the power of lobbying money on capital hill have the process locked up and bogged down in red tape. Interest is earned over time, and with interest rates already in place for those making money from these “interest only” loans, they want more time to keep lining their pockets. This expresses one of the most frequently used relations in Algebra: Principal x Rate x Time = Interest Earned. Time is on their side; the super rich who invested in the hedge funds that back the mortgage securities we know as subprime loans. They are getting the time they want because this Republican Whitehouse favors big business, big money, and big campaign lobbyist

contributors, well represented in this group. Government is dragging their feet in spending the money to fix the problem at the pleasure of these predators.

So, folks, protect your equity, protect your interest in your own real estate holdings, protect your children’s chances of profitable

real estate holdings in America, and contact the congresspersons and senators whom preside over your districts. Give a positive voice to the budget to fix this problem. It will pay back huge dividends to our economy as a whole as we recover and stop the downward fall of the equity in our own homes.

This type of government subsidized economic recovery would not be without precedent. Consider the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980’s, where the government bailed out S&L’s to the tune of 150 billion 1980’s dollars. We can fix our subprime crisis today for a fraction of that amount.

Currently on the hill, there is proposed legislation to impose new limits on the adjustable rate mortgages scheduled to reset.

Congress has been, and is trying to pass legislation to put a freeze on interest rates. These are band-aids for a bullet wound. Let your voice be heard. Put some pressure on politicians to get this subprime debacle resolved with swift and certain action! It is a simple matter, and the beneficiaries of this thing dragging out are the very entities who caused it in the first place. Together let’s end it, now!

Do you want to play hardball? All right, then let’s consider that the federal government does not want the average American to gain dramatically in personal wealth. Why would that be? Glad you asked. Since the years of Reaganomics and theories of a “trickle down” economy, (always reminds me of being pissed on), and deregulation, our country has moved ever more from the worlds’ shining example of Democracy to a text book example of a Republic aristocracy with the Center of Power no longer held by the masses, the common man. The Power Center is now with the elite, the upper class, the super rich, the multi-billion dollar corporate entities, the Texas based oil brokerage firms that ultimately determine tax code, foreign policy, federal budget allocations, and the decision to go to war, with whom and when, and whom have the power and influence to throw elections.

It does not serve the rich constituents of this elitist government entity strangling America to allow its citizens to amass wealth. No, my friends, that would pull too much of the Power back towards the center. Think Washington doesn’t give any thought to that dynamic? Of course they do. Washington is so paranoid of the power of its citizens that they are breaking constitutional laws or re-writing the constitution as they see fit to ensure “CONTROL”, threatening our basic civil liberties in the process. That’s right, even firefighters, (who can regularly in the course of their duties gain access into people’s homes without a search warrant), are now being trained to look for any signs that a citizen might not agree somehow with government policies and might thus be considered a threat to the government or even a terrorist. What a lot of bullocks. I’m a veteran of the U.S. Navy, whose job was gathering and disseminating intelligence, and have stood for protecting and honoring our nation. Now, it’s obvious I don’t agree with government policies. They would now view me as a threat! Sounds more like a Republic regime than a

Democracy. Sounds a lot like World War II Germany doesn’t it? Well, that’s America today, as we know it. Are you more comfortable with your head in the sand? That’s ok, go back to sleep, this article is about over. Germany went from a Nation of knowing to a nation of believing. Are we following in their footsteps as foolhardy, good-willed, ignorant patriots? Too often, we blindly

believe the lies told by the President and his government instead of challenging others and ourselves with the truth. I remember as a child learning of the atrocities in Germany under ****** and asking, “How could all those people let this happen?” and “how could all those people have been fooled by their government?” In the words of Bob Dylan; “Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king.” This country has been preying on the good will of its unsuspecting citizens and it will be our undoing if we don’t wake up.

Many Americans were making big money during the real estate boom, in large part due to the ease with which funds were available to acquire primary and investment real estate. So many of us bought in to it, and for most, it has only benefited the lending institutions. Once the real estate investment game became profitable for the common citizen, it would self-destruct right before our eyes. The timing was calculated, planned, and the program executed by millions of exuberant homeowners and first-time real estate investors, not suspecting the falling axe. But those in the know, the architects of the hedge funds, knew exactly what would transpire. They didn’t bet their billions on a hunch! Oh no, they calculated every phase of the process and watched it deliver dividends.

Let me offer this challenge to other Real Estate Brokerage firms, Mortgage Brokerage Firms, Banks, and Title Companies: Equity Alliance Properties will pledge $1,000,000 of every $4,000,000 it brings in net revenue towards any program signed into law organizing such private funding. Let’s take back control of the real estate business sector for

the greater good of the American homeowner!



SANTOS

mv asked:


I want to sketch my proposed residential building thru an qualified architect. What would be the appx. charges for that?

REGINALD

Need remodeling job for 1,400SF asked:


1,400 SF garage needs to be converted into living space. I will get proposals from 3 different architects. I want to know what is average share of an architect who performs from schematic designs, preparation for all documentation, and supervision of construction.

SAMMIE

Mr. Yosso asked:


In your own words, what is the difference between a software architect and a software developer?

I would be happy if you would answer it. Thanks.

RUSTY