|
|
| THE ARCHITECT'S ANGLE
January 2014 |
| Greetings!
This month our lead article focuses on the added value that can develop from Long-Term Owner-Architect relationships. Our reference article on Asbestos Abatement demonstrates how you can value engineer your way around abatement costs. We value your opinion. Tell us what you think. We look forward to hearing from you. |
|
True Value... It's Not About Hardware
" Value Add" is a much used phrase in today's business world. To some, it can literally be taken to mean getting more than you paid for. To others, it might mean obtaining some more intangible future pay back. Based on my experience, the "Added Value" stems from the relationship between Architect and client.
Our primary goal in working with any client is to look beyond the specifics of any one project. We seek to gain an understanding of our client organizations' mission, values, goals and culture. We want to become much more than our client's Architects. We want to become an extension of their management team. We want to be their strategic planning partner.
Achieving this level of understanding between Owner and Architect produces value on many levels. Value can develop simply from gaining an understanding of a client's key vendors and their products and services. For example, one of our clients needed more space for a growing program. Adding on to their building was cost prohibitive and would take too long. We were able to utilize a high density storage system from one of their existing vendors to store almost 30% more material in half the space they were currently using. That "found" space was then converted into the needed program space. In this case value was found by using an existing resource more efficiently.
Continue Reading |
Environmental Construction Costs:
Abating the Abatement  A major part of our architectural practice involves significant renovations of "older" health facilities. In some cases, we are renovating senior care facilities to provide different care models such as assisted living or the "greenhouse concept". In other cases we are reconfiguring and converting space to provide new services such as hemodialysis.
Although these projects can vary in size and scope, they all potentially share a common element which can significantly increase the cost of construction; the abatement of asbestos containing materials (ACM).
In 1982, regulations were enacted that prohibited the manufacture and use of building materials which are composed of asbestos. In most jurisdictions, no building alteration can be filed without the submission of test reports stating whether or not the materials to be disturbed/removed contain asbestos.
Continue Reading |
We hope you enjoy this month's issue. Do you have questions or feedback about the information provided or regarding your facility that we can answer? Contact us at info@jwbarch.com and we will be happy to provide you with any additional information you may need. We want to continue to offer content that interests you, our readers. Please drop us a line and let us know what topics you might want to learn more about. As always, we love hearing from you.
Sincerely,
John Baumgarten
John W. Baumgarten Architect, P.C.
|
|
|
|
|
