There are many problems with this situation and a lot of question determining who is responsible for what. Additionally, this question wasnāt too clear as in if the sprinkler heads were different in the aspect of performance from what architect had specified ie. sqft coverage. If they had different mechanical properties, the sprinklers must be removed and replaced with the appropriate ones and another inspection must be done. The general contractor is responsible for this mistake because it is his job to ensure the shop drawings reflect the architectural drawings. Additionally, because the general contractor is responsible, he too must pay for the fix. The general contractor should have verified the shop drawing were done as per architectural drawings. Additionally, the general contractor should have made sure the sub-contractor was installing the correct heads on the site.
Author: Aqib
Case Study
Historic Restoration
There are numerous alarming problems with this case study. Starting off the architect brings their child to meetings. Whatās wrong with this is that she probably will not be giving her full attention in the meeting, additionally it is not professional. Moving forward the architect is recommending aa contractor to the client that has no proof that they can perform this work. To add on, she only recommended one contractor where she should be supplying client with multiple options. Furthermore, the architect supplied one page of work that may be needed. There are no working drawings, specs or even signed contracts. On the general contractorās end, they created an invoice of $700,000 without getting quotes for materials from suppliers or even doing a take-off. To put the cherry moreover the invoice the GC provided was hand written with pencil and not referenced in contracts or signed. I hope this was all a made-up situation strictly for learning purposes because this is not how work should be performed.
Architect: Yes or No?
There was a point in my life I heavily debated if continuing my education to become an RA was worth it. I was transferring from Queensborough community college with an associate in architectural technology. Problem was none of my design classes went through transferred to NYCCT. I was worried if I was wasting time in school where I could be working. I wasnāt in a position I couldnāt find a job because I have connections in the industry, but I asked myself is that as far as Iāll go? Being a registered architect for me is more then just a job its an accomplishment. That certification validates all my hard work and opens even more avenues to me. Before I always thought ill just be a General contractor one day and thatās it. But why stop there? Why not be the guy who designs and builds his structures. Some people enjoy a comfortable life and that is 100% fine. Personally, I want to see exactly how far I can go and push myself so I wont ever have the opportunity to sit in regret and say, āI could have done thatā. Why not dream big and see where life take you even if its halfway around the world?
Dream Job
Day by day as I progress through school, becoming an architect becomes more realistic. Architecture being such a unique field where it branches off into so many different fields, youāre wondering where in tree of architecture you want to be. For me a big ideology of mine is legacy. After you perish what is left to keep your name alive? For me creating & designing a building would be a means to the goal of staying relevant through time. Iām not solely perusing architecture for this, but I love buildings. Since childhood, Iāve grown up in the construction industry. I have a deep respect and appreciation for this industry and what it has provided for me.
Furthermore, my dream job is to have my own design build firm. As mentioned before, I want to design buildings and be able to say, āIāve built that buildingā. For most thatās enough but I also love numbers. Working in a general contracting firm I had the opportunity to see what goes behind the scenes. I enjoyed the number crunching, bargaining, and overall contact I had with so many different people from all over the construction field. A design build firm lets me enjoy both heads of the coin, not to mention the money from that would be astounding.
Additionally, I too would like to take my skills and use it for the better of the world. Specifically, I would like to have a hand in the development of Pakistan (my home country). Many villages have depressing quality of shelter which I feel I can fix. Also, Pakistan is titled as a third world country. With recent progression of politics, the country is on track to progression. I want to be apart of that movement, bringing the country ways of building into modern times.
*Edit: sorry i posted this late here. It was initially posted in the discussion center, still getting used to using open lab.*
