Ted

It should be done later this year.

I should cop to the fact that the new LMCU on that strip is ours. Judge for yourself... This is what we're ALL afraid of...

What a depressing joke...

Seven Reasons to Take Public Transportation

Ha! I've got some friends on the West side and the planning commission that I want to introduce you to...

'Shy'...that's an interesting way to describe it...

Come on. I hope you're joking. You, of all people on this forum, should not be 'doing recon' for somebody.

What are you Chris Knape?

And he would never stoop to playing the crowd, would he? "No city rocks like Grand Rapids rocks! Whooo! I love you all!"

I don't believe that to be the case.

I, consistently, have exactly the opposite experiences in my travels.

If I guess correctly, will you confirm?

There's nothing unreasonable in what you've written. It can work the way you've defined it, among many others - some of which I've identified previously.

This project ain't that tough or that big a deal. A local firm could do it and do it well if given the time and the resources. You have the benefit of knowing what I do to a degree. I do not know that about you. But understand that I run a business and have all the responsibilities of any business owner. Design is what I sell. Giving design away for free is stupid. Every day of the week, you get what you pay for. I'm sure Mr. Gilmore will. Agree to disagree.

There are lots of potential solutions: 1) He could ask one of the architects he has a relationship to put together a short list of architects with appropriate experience for the client and the architect to interview as potential joint venture design partners in the deal. Then he could have the best of both worlds: a local presence and experience. 2) He could tell a number of potential local architects that he would like to hire them but they must address the experience issue in an RFP - which would probably have the locals teaming up on their own with an architect having more specific experience. And, make a selection based on that. 3) Or, and this comes from a good friend of mine on the other side of this issue who posts on here from time to time, it's a lot like elective plastic surgery (it's not a matter of life or death if this project gets built or not - he's doing it for pleasure and profit): you go and sit down with the guy and talk with him about your nose and what you want it to look like, about his work and how he does it, maybe look at some before and after pictures...maybe you talk with three or four before you realize that none of them can or will guarantee an outcome. So how do you pick one? I know what I would do, but ultimately you roll your dice and you take your chances. Local or not. Experience or not. The other subtext here is that somehow this could be magically picked off the shelf or properly generated in a week of hurried design. It's not the case. Whatever alternative is selected in the short term will not be what the building looks like - the Fulton and Division project for example - for any number of reasons...cost, market, zoning, etc. Come on Daddy, you know that I know what business practices are in my industry perfectly well. And, while comp design happens, it's not the norm and it shouldn't be the norm.

So why would you ask the same firm with little experience to design the project for free? Why are you going to get a better design out of the firm without experience if you don't pay for it? There's the rub Daddy: It's not about the best design here for this project, it's about free. word.

jbr- That's the trap. No architecture firm is profitable enough to be able to rack up large amounts of unbillable hours.

If an architect or any other creative consultant provides intellectual property (concepts, sketches, ideas, whatever) they should be paid. If I'm being asked to tell someone what my fees will be or how long it will take to do the work or to share with them my experience or portfolio - that's on me.

Daddy- You're all over the place on this one. And awfully glib about AE firms do to get work. What you started with was comp designs from firms - which in my book is very different from an RFP. RFP's typically don't require design solutions - some do, but it's very rare. Marketing staffs putting together proposals is quite different from a design charrette. Now, you're correct this happens all the time - developers wanting comp work. But that doesn't make it right. Every time a firm - my firm or any other firm - gives out free designs it makes it that much tougher for my firm or any other firm to get somebody or anybody to pay for the work. If Gilmore can get it for free here why should he ever pay for it? And, if Gilmore can get it for free: why should developer X, Y, or Z pay for it? It's a zero sum game and very short sighted when architects agree to give their intellectual property away for free - it's bad business. This is different from the local or not discussion. All things being equal, I agree with you - I'd prefer to have a local architect working on this project...if it happens and if he pays. But, local or not, if he's going to be stringing along multiple firms on a complimentary design goose chase - I'd prefer him to find his sucker someplace else. Now, we've comped design to people in the past and most likely we'll grind our teeth and do it again at some point in the - but the longer we've been in business it seems like we're asked to do free work less and less. Ultimately, we find more and more that the serious people that come to us for architecture understand that we're in business too and that our time and intellectual property has value that deserves payment.

Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, you're trying to create a false distinction: the choice is never 'local architect work for free or I'll hire an out of town architect' or 'should I hire an out of town architect or get a local one to look for free'. The issue here is that a client that is proposing a multi, multi-million dollar development is not willing to pay a few thousand dollars for a design. Call it what you will but that almost always results in bad architecture. We will see.

You mean he asked some architects for some free design work with the suggestion that he would hire them if they happened to impress him? Oh the semantics.

only if you call their new cancer center a fumble...

Here's the thread...Farmers Market & Brikyaat Planning There's lots of good work being done right now. The business planning and feasibility studies are key. I can't wait to see them. We're working on some initial schemes for improvements. I'll post some images when we get a little further along.

Get their wheat or rye breads...they do a much better job holding up to the demands of Scott's sammiches.

Typical. Scott makes a good sammich and kickass bowl of soup.