[ca] construction administration

after five years of architecture school, i really didn't know how buildings were built. sure, i knew where to draw flashing in a window system, but i didn't know what it physically looked like. i knew the definition of a epdm roof, but i had never seen one put together. how to think, how to analyze, how to design, was part I of my education and existed within the walls of seaton hall. part II i have found in the 'real world,' in the profession, on the job site.

as i think back now, i realize it was out there with all the newly poured concrete, metal studs, and half completed hvac systems that i fell in love with the art of building. as far back as i can remember, my dad has been taking me out to the 'job site.' sometimes we'd come down with mom to bring him lunch and he'd take us around on a special tour. i got to ride in cranes, was once stuck in a recently installed elevator and sat on the toilet of a multi-billionaire before he inhabited his space. i fulfilled my child-given urge to push buttons when dad tested the fire alarms and eric and i collected enough cans on saturday walk through to buy mom an electric pencil sharpener for mother's day. [i know what you're thinking...lucky lady!]

i'll never forget the day when it clicked. i was twelve and had spent the morning with my dad at work. trying to keep me occupied he handed me some left over home magazines as he finished up the end of his paper work. i don't know what it was, but it hit at something deep inside. i found the plan i was sure i would build for myself someday. i pulled out the graph paper and set to work on my design, sliding walls, extending rooms, and adding windows. it was complete, or at least as much as it could be. i decided then, i would grown up to be an architect.
ah...it was a great moment.

twelve years later, i'm still in love with this profession, though now in a deeper way and for other reasons. the art of creating, of making, of forming things into being is in my core...and i also in my genes. my favorite parts of my work days now are not spent with trash paper on the drawing board or putting a drawing set together on the computer. no, they are the ones out there with mud all over my feet and my hard hat messing up my hair. there is something so energizing in standing out there on the field, watching the steel going up and the noises and smells of 'construction' infiltrating the air. sure, i can make it work on paper, but the real fun is solving the problems out there in the thick of it, putting the drawings aside for the moment learning how buildings are really built.

my dad and i visited the job site together this weekend. this time though, instead of one of his buildings, we went to mine. we walked through the open framed building and examined the way the building was taking form. we talked about hvac systems and how to make construction documents more effective. we tried to figure out how the ridiculously expensive fish aquarium was placed in the wrong location and what i should do to fix it. we discussed the relationship of the architect with the contractor and how to work better as a team. his advice to me is more valuable than the lectures i attended. [not to mention i pay more attention] they formulated not by theories or concepts, but tangible, grayed-hair understanding. i'm enjoying part II.