It has been approximately a month since we purchased the new Airstream mobile office, a 1958 Flying Cloud. The "Archistream" has been active in Davenport's Freight House Farmer's Market on Saturdays as well as being stationed at the former Governor's restaurant in Moline.
I will have to admit, I was a little nervous the first day I worked from the mobile office "Archistream". Since starting January 1st, [design] [build] by architect's mission statement has been "Bridging the gap between contractors and architects by housing the architect's office at the construction site." June 8th, the Airstream was finally needed on site, and what better way to do it, a restaurant renovation!!! Although I never doubted the Archistream's ability to provide on-site coordination. I was nervous because I received a considerable amount of doubt from other architects, contractors, and owners regarding my ability to work on other project's while being on a job site.
This week, [design] [build] by architects achieved a huge milestone. While being onsite for the renovation of the Governor's restaurant in Moline during rough carpentry framing, MEP rough-ins, and selective demolition, I was able to complete the permit drawing set for a 3,000 square feet office project in Downtown Davenport. As with the completion of any permit set, the construction document submission can be very stressful. But as I anticipated, being on-site at the Governor's renovation saved a considerable amount of time when questions are asked by the owner and contractors.
One effect I did not anticipate, is that my construction administration time has also decreased. Previously, when a question is asked by phone or email, the Architect has to spend time acclimating his or her self with the project and drawings to understand the question. Once the question is sent, the Architect then has to formulate a written response with directions or supplemental drawings to assist the contractor. Assuming the contractor understands the response, the question would be answered. By having the architect on the job site, when a contractor has a question, the architect has the ability to immediately see the problem, and provide immediate coordination with the contractor. The construction process has been streamlined and all parties are working together to create a unified solution.
The "Archistream" has also been busy in the Davenport Freight House Farmer's Market on Saturdays along the riverfront in Davenport. [design] [build] by architects is hosting a 10 week Discover Architecture course to introduce architecture to kids between the ages of 2-12. We have had Fun with maps, built houses, explored the psychology of color, made blueprints, and explored architectural scrapbooking. Children's interest has increased every week and the last three weeks we have ran out of supplies! In the coming weeks, the Discover Architecture course will Discover Skyscrapers, have a gravity egg drop, build creative castles, toothpick structures, and teach children how to computer model. We hope the Discover Architecture course will increase children's interest in architecture, and maybe some day produce a couple more homegrown Architects in the Quad Cities!!!
Discover Architecture at the Davenport Freight House Farmer's Market!