Although I enjoy my own creative projects immensely, I do have to earn a living selling “creativity on demand” services to clients as a normal course of my day around here.
Part of my frustration in designing and managing complex, creative projects has to do with the fact that most of my work is centered around highly customized fabrication and installation. That said, I have, for a long time, wished there was more information out there for those of us engaged in the custom-design process; a knowledge-base of tricks and techniques, gotchas and what-ifs. However, everyone has their own ideas and opinions regarding a process which, if you think about it, contributes to the individuality of a design. I am fully aware that this is what makes custom design truly custom. And truly unique.
 
Here is a typical problem:

1. Designer or Architect makes a simple (or even semi-detailed) drawing in CAD for a particular design element within a project.
 
2. Owner thinks, “That looks good.” Then proceeds to give drawing to a General Contractor for pricing. The General Contractor, unfamiliar with the “wacky” design stuff, usually asks a specialized subcontractor to provide pricing for the design element only.

3. The subcontractor, now arm's length removed from the original designer/architect, looks at the “notion” of the design and - using the best available knowledge he/she has - begins to build the required design in a spreadsheet, attempting to capture the elements of materials, labor, installation, and a few unknowns to the best of their ability.

Note: A fair amount of speculation and guesswork goes into determining if the designer and owner want it built sorta good, kinda good, really good, or super good. The subtle differences between these levels of “goodness” vary radically from one specialized contractor to another.
 
4. Once the subcontractor feels they have created a price for the indicated design, and is confident that the costs to build the design are covered, they send this price back to the General Contractor.
 
5. The General Contractor will take this price, mark it up, and submit the price to the owner as part of the overall budget.
 
6. The owner sees the price and says, “Holy shit! (Insert item here) costs that much to make!?? Forget it! You guys re-design it to be a lot cheaper.”
 
7. The designer erases a few features on the design to “simplify” it and, instead of using 1/2” thick glass, uses 3/8” glass or something like that. Then faxes this “updated” design to the General Contractor.
 
8. The General Contractor, without looking at the updated design just received by fax, simply sticks it back into the fax machine and sends it along to the subcontractor with a note that says, “You need to figure out how to make this cheaper.”
 
9. Sub-contractor loses money before the project has even been awarded.
 
10. GO TO 6.
 
 
How can designers, architects, contractors, fabricators, and project managers minimize this iterative process? I may have some ideas; but first, I hear my fax machine... gotta go see what they want this time.

(To be continued...)