How well individuals relate or communicate with one another can make or break a project. Landscape architects and contractors appear to have a relationship which is tarnished by mistrust. This mistrust hinders communication and prevents jobs from running as smoothly as possible. Research was conducted to collect data on the relationship between landscape architects and landscape contractors. A questionnaire was designed and sent to one hundred landscape architects and contractors within the State of Arizona to gather first hand information from the involved parties. Results from the research indicated relationships have improved over the past ten years. Areas suggested for further growth: (not in any particular order of importance) (1) establishment of a joint organization, (2) internship programs for landscape architectural students, (3) specifications tailored to specific projects, (4) a referral agency for contractors, (5) revamping competitive bid system, (6) nursery visitation for both parties, (7) architects taking the leadership role in the industry.

No description available.

No description available.

Job Evaluation is the process of determining, as systematically and objectively as possible, the worth of one job relative to another without regard for personalities or existing structures. (Paterson, 1975) The purpose is to achieve and maintain an equitable distribution of basic wages and/or salaries according to level of position. The establishment of internal equity with a graded hierarchy of jobs within the organisation and of external equity with the external market rate for equivalent jobs (Paterson, 1975) is important and has lead to the overall analysis of the following problem statement: An Analysis of the Grading and Remuneration Structures of Architectural Practices in the Western Cape, Cape Town Metropole with specific reference to establishing what methods are used in arriving at cost to company packages. The nature of the architectural profession is unfortunately governed by economic "boom and bust" cycles and therefore workload fluctuates with the economy. Given this and that the architectural profession in Cape Town currently has no formal grading and remuneration structures, the research hopes to answer if there is a need to formulate a grading system. Understanding how and why the nature of the profession is changing, if the way a practice is organized / graded enhances or undermines its decision-making ability and if the informality of the grading and remuneration structures currently in practice are adequate, is studied. This research investigates how architectural practices in Cape Town establish their salary structures, which include benefits and incentives, thereby arriving at a total cost to company package. Specifically, the study will examine whether there is a direct relationship between those practices that have adopted a modern, scientific job grading system, i.e. Paterson, Peromnes or Task and accordingly pay market-related salaries and cost to company packages based on salary survey data or some other scientific calculation, as opposed to those practices which adopt an ad hoc approach. Many individuals choose architecture over other professions as they believe it can provide a work and family balance. The Royal Institute of Architects (RIBA) found that women's career paths generally slow after childbirth and with inflexible working arrangements, including long hours and a lack of transparency in relation to pay and promotion, are the main reasons why both women and men, generally with dependants are leaving the profession, (www.riba.org) A need to balance the personal and professional demands placed on architects has long been recognized by the majority of literature. The study evaluates whether firms are addressing these issues or if there is a need to implement changes to accommodate a better work / life balance and grading / remuneration imbalances. The survey found that there were discrepancies in the grading and remuneration packages offered between various firms; however not to the extent that RIBA had warned was occuring internationally. There are more noticeable differences in job grades and remuneration in the higher grades, but there were also signs of disparity in the architects 1-5 years of experience in terms of gender towards pay within similar job descriptions. When pay was directly compared to years of experience, members received similar pay, however when compared to levels of responsibility and pay, there were major differences. The current informal systems are not reflective or accurate in guiding employers on the correct levels of compensation for a particular level of responsibility and those architects practicing in the higher grades certainly need to evaluate their current levels of responsibility to their pay level and hours worked. The key question was, can architects- be they male or female - balance a working career with family responsibility. The days of a part-time architect have vanished, and those that do work part time are confined to helping on other member's schemes with less responsibility. The 'all-nighter' syndrome of the academic design studio is evident in some of the overtime hours recorded, but these marathon hours are few and far between and does not infringe on a regular home life for employees in the lower grades as the hours worked are in line with the normal 45 hour week. What is a concern is that in the upper grades, especially in senior member and owners, reported excessively long hours which are not condusive to normal work-family interaction. Other than some of the contraventions to the basic conditions of employment act, most firms are trying to address options for a balanced work / life relationship Salaries in particular are extremely low in relation to length of training when compared to similar professions. The research found that poor advancement prospects were a significant factor in members choosing to leave the profession. With lack of training opportunities leading to a lack of experience, lower levels of responsibility and poor career progression paths, combined with limited opportunities for creativity, were the main factors leading to architects expressing their dissatisfaction in the industry. From the salient points made in the study, a list of recommendations are outlined for consideration. These included developing more expertise in business management, addressing the image of the profession, training needs, salaries and working hours Architectural firms are seeing the demise of the old arena, dominated by tiered hierarchies, vertical career ladders, practices and processes that are confrontational and authoritarian. Workplaces are becoming more suited to negotiation, to collaborative management systems, horizontal career paths and a more democratic view of how individuals can develop within the company structure. 'It is no longer about what you can do for the company, but what the company can do for you.' / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Solar photovoltaic technology (PV) is a promising clean energy source that assists in climate change mitigation. This is due to solar PV having minimal greenhouse gas emissions when operating compared to burning fossil fuel. Solar PV is also a versatile technology owing to its multiple applications within the built environment. Buildings are responsible for nearly half of the world’s energy consumption; thus, reducing buildings’ energy usage through environmentally-responsive design techniques, in addition to the application of PV products, can not only assist in reducing the energy consumed by buildings, but also contributes to mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Architects, in particular, play a substantial role in achieving sustainable/environmentally responsive designs; hence, their collaboration is essential. This study investigated American and Canadian architects’ level of awareness and interest in Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) and Building Applied Photovoltaic (BAPV) products. It also aimed to shed light on the barriers that are responsible for slowing down the adoption process. This study was conducted in two phases: a) a web-based survey questionnaire administered to architects who have an active membership in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA); b) in-depth interviews with architects and key informants in the solar industry. The results indicated that architects are aware of PV benefits and the products available for buildings’ application; however, they lack essential practical knowledge. Furthermore, the results indicated that PV systems’ capital cost is the major perceived barrier to PV adoption in the building industry. Other reported barriers are: the lack of government financial incentives in some jurisdictions, the problematic grid connection process and the lengthy application lead times. Recommendations based on this study’s results include, but are not limited to, providing financial support mechanisms, simplifying the administrative procedures of financial support mechanisms and grid access permits, and offering education and training to architects through architectural associations and academic institutions.

This thesie is the first biography of Samuel Wyatt to be written. It attempts to establish the range and importance of his activity as an architect and engineer by using contemporary documentary sources and the evidence of his surviving buildings. In the past, Samuel Wyatt's reputation has been overshadowed by that of his more prolific and famous younger brother James. A whole chapter, therefore, is devoted to their relationship in order to establish the differences in their architectural interests and style. James and Samuel Wyatt were closely associated at the beginning of their careers up to 1774. After that date they were almost entirely independent of each other. Samuel Wyatt's work has been seen by many as a pale reflection of his brother's, and his achievement has thus been undervalued. Samuel was however an important architect in his own right. He was an interesting neo-classical designer with a refined decorative style. He was also an original planner. Many of his contemporaries thought highly of him. They were struck by two aspects of his architecture, its 'elegant simplicity' and its 'ingeniousness'. These are indeed the two dominant characteristics of his work. The ' ingeniousness' is expressed in his use of new materials and constructional techniques, and in his engineering projects. 'Elegant simplicity' perfectly sums up hie austerely refined decorative style. The way in which his work combines engineering and the most elegant neo-classicism is typical of the period. Wyatt's architecture is the exact equivalent of Wedgwood's pottery and Boulton's metal-ware. Several of Samel Wyatt's buildings have previously been attributed mistakenly to James Wyatt. It was essential, therefore, to establish which works were definitely Samuel's. The resulting list, with the sources for each attribution, is included as an appendix. Although hi a architectural output did not rival that of James Wyatt or Robert Adam, it was nonetheless substantial, surpassing that of such contemporaries as Henry Holland and equalling that of the younger George Dance. In addition to the catalogue, many photographs have been assembled to illustrate the range and quality of his work as fully as possible. Various chapters deal with his more important types of buildings. The longest of these describes his country houses, which formed the largest part of his architectural practice. They differ considerably from those of James Wyatt, being more restrained and consistent in scale and style. The majority are Greco-Roman, of moderate size. There are no fully-fledged gothick mansions by him. He only used the style when he had no option as, for instance, at Panshanger and Penrhyn. His few gothick works are vapid and of no interest. On the other hand, his classical country houses are of high quality and some originality. He evolved two personal types of house. One of these was his own version of the Anglo-Palladian villa with a main facade composed of a central domed bow flanked by overarched tripartite windows. The other, which can be called his 'belvedere house', has a main facade flanked by two domed bows. It was designed to take advantage of the prospect as is particularly obvious at Belmont (Kent) where each bow has a little glazed gazebo on top of the dome. Domed bows are the most distinctive single feature of Wyatt's houses. He was obsessed by then and used them on all possible occasions. The interiors of his houses are distinguished for their refined decoration and their novel plans. His decoration was amongst the most elegant of the period. It was even more attenuated and refined than that of Robert Adam and James Wyatt, although derived from the same sources and executed by the same craftsmen. The most important feature of his houses were their plans. Some of them show a great preoccupation with geometry culminating in that for Sundridge Park (Kent) where rooms of all shapes are packed round a circular staircase hall within a pre-existing shell. His plans also display a trend towards greater freedom and fluidity. This is expressed in asymmetrical office iwings and orangeries and the random siting of bow windows on side elevations. After his country houses the most important of Wyatt's buildings were those he designed for public clients including Trinity House in London and the Commissioner's House in the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth. Another long chapter is therefore devoted to his public employment and works. The ingenious- ness as well as the elegance of his style is particularly apparent in this field, for it includes several of his engineering works suh as the designs for Ramsgate Harbour and for lighthouses. Lighthouses were one of Wyatt's special interests, and he designed four completely new ones, thoroughily remodelled a fifth, and repaired and altered several others. Wyatt was a reliable and competent civil engineer but not a great original like Smeaton or Rennie, his predecessor and successor at Ramsgate. The description of Wyatt's public career also reinforces the picture of an independence from James Wyatt. The latter was surveyor-general, and it might have been expected that his brother's public employment owed something to his influence. This was not the case. All Samuel Wyatt's important public employments were received before James became surveyor-general. Samuel received only one public carpentry contract directly from James Wyatt. An important and unusual aspect of Samuel Wyatt's architectural activity was the designing of subsidiary estate buildings. The design of late eighteenth century farm-buildings has not been explored hitherto. A whole chapter is devoted therefore to this aspect of Wyatt's career. It may be thought eccentric to deal at length with farm-buildings while ignoring Wyatt's London houses. Although he executed much work in London, most of it was not exceptional by contemporary standards. Wyatt made no novel contribution to town house plans. Most of his work in London consisted of alterations to existing buildings and expensive redecoration. Much of it has been destroyed without record. Mention in the appendix together with photographs of the best surviving decoration at Lichfield House seemed to be adequate treatment. On the other hand, his farm-buildings are of considerable architectural and historic interest. He worked for many of the foremost agricultural improvers of the time, including the celebrated 'Coke of Norfolk'. His farms therefore perfectly reflect the great development in agriculture in late eighteenth century England. Some of them are neo-classical designs of considerable originality. They manifest that preoccupation with geometry that is also found in his country house plans. The rise of the Wyatt family in the late eighteenth century is interesting socially and historically. It is symptomatic of the development of agriculture and industry in the north Midlands following the great improvement in communications with London after 1750, particularly the making of canals and turnpike roads. The emergence of Samuel Wyatt as a fashionable architect is part of the same movement in art and science that produced the Lunar Society, Derby Porcelain, Wedgwood's pottery, Boulton's metal ware, and artists like Paul Sandby of Nottingham, Joseph Wright of Derby or the actor David Garrick of Birmingham. This aspect of Wyatt's career is discussed in the preliminary biographical chapter where it is shown how much the success of the Wyatts was due to the encouragement of local landowners and industrialiste such as Lord Scarsdale of Kedleston, the Bagots of Blithfield and Matthew Boulton. A further chapter is devoted entirely to Wyatt's friendship with Boulton and the works that grew out of it.

This dissertation investigates the early twentieth century work of Irish-born interior designer and architect, Eileen Gray. While the existing literature has tended to read Gray and her work primarily in relation to major male modernist movements and figures, this dissertation contends that considering her engagement with the alternative modernisms developed by other women artists and writers at the time will enrich our understanding of the wider social, cultural and historical implications of her work. In order to make sense of what scholars have long recognised as Gray's critically different architecture and design I analyse her work in relation to three of her female contemporaries: the artist Romaine Brooks, and writers Radclyffe Hall and Djuna Barnes. Such an analysis reveals that Gray's critically different work was importantly related to the critically different aesthetics, genders and sexualities that Gray and many of her female contemporaries cultivated at the time. / The first chapter argues that debates about domestic architecture and design were also importantly debates about modern bodies and subjects and provides the framework for the analyses that follow. Chapter 2 compares Gray's early lacquer works, La Voie Lactee (ca. 1912), Le Magicien de la Nuit (1913) and Le Destin (1914) to Romaine Brooks' two paintings from 1910, White Azaleas and The Screen, focusing on their use of decadent aesthetics. Chapter 3 considers Gray's first intricately designed house, E.1027 (1928), in relation to the content and cultural impact of Radclyffe Hall's 1928 novel, The Well of Loneliness. Chapter 4 examines Gray's extremely private and less known house, Tempe a Pailla (1934), in relation to the obscure and non-communicative narrative strategies of Djuna Barnes' 1936 novel, Nightwood. Overall, the argument that binds my dissertation is that Gray's work both contributed and responded to changing conceptions of gendered and sexual subjects in the first half of the last century.

This study investigates the changing understanding of the role of the ???architect??? in Italy during the sixteenth century by examining frontispieces to published architectural treatises. From analysis of these illustrations four attributes emerge as important to new societal understandings of the role of ???architect.??? The first attribute is the desire to delineate the boundaries of knowledge for architecture as a discipline, relevant to sixteenth-century society. The second is the depiction of the ???architect,??? as an intellectual engaged in the resolution of practical, political, economic and philosophical considerations of his practice. The third represents the ???architect??? having a specific domain of activity in the design of civic spaces of magnificence not only for patrons but also for the city per se. The fourth represents the ???architect??? and society as perceiving a commonality of an architectural role beyond the boundary of individual locations and patrons. Five treatises meet the criteria set for this study: Sebastiano Serlio???s Regole generali di architetura sopra le Cinque maniere de gli edifici cio??, Toscano, Dorico, Ionico, Corinthio, et Composito, con gli essempi dell???antiquita, che, per la magior parte concordano con la dottrina di Vitruvio, 1537, his, Il Terzo libro nel qual si figurano, e descrivono le antichita di Roma, 1540, Cosimo Bartoli???s translation of Alberti???s De re aedificatoria titled L???architettura di Leonbattista Alberti, tradotta in lingua fiorentina da Cossimo Bartoli, Gentilhuomo, & Academico Fiorentino, 1550; Daniele Barbaro???s translation and commentary on Vitruvius??? De???architetura titled, I dieci libri dell???architettura di M. Vitruvio tradutti et commentati da monsignor Barbaro eletto Patriarca d???Aquileggia, 1556; and Andrea Palladio???s I quattro libri dell???architettura, 1570. A second aim for the study was to review the usefulness of frontispieces as an historical archive. It was found that frontispieces visually structure important ideas by providing a narrative with meaning as an integral part of the illustration. In this narrative frontispiece illustrations prioritise concepts found in the accompanying text and impose a hierarchical structure of importance for fundamental ideas.

PhD / In design literature, how designers think and how they design have been identified as a reflection of how they interact with their sketches. Sketching in architectural design is still a central concern which shapes our understanding of the design process and the development of new tools. Sketching not only serves as a visual aid to store and retrieve conceptualisations, but as a medium to facilitate more ideas, and to revise and refine these ideas. This thesis examined how mental imagery and sketching is used in designing by conducting a protocol analysis study with six expert architects. Each architect was required to think aloud and design under two different conditions: one in which s/he had access to sketching and one in which s/he was blindfolded (s/he did not have access to sketching). At the end of the blindfold condition the architects were required to quickly sketch what they held in their minds. The architects were able to come up with satisfying design solutions and some reported that using their imagery could be another way of designing. The resulting sketches were assessed by judges and were found to have no significant differences in overall quality. Expert architects were able to construct and maintain the design of a building without having access to sketching. The analysis of the blindfold and sketching design protocols did not demonstrate any differences in the quantity of cognitive actions in perceptual, conceptual, functional and evaluative categories. Each architect’s cognitive structure and designing behaviour in the blindfold activity mimicked her/his cognitive structure and designing behaviour in the sketching activity. The analysis of links between the design ideas demonstrated that architects’ performance in idea development was higher under the blindfold condition, compared to their sketching condition. It was also found that architects’ blindfold design performance was improved when they were more familiar with the site layout. These results imply that expert designers may not need sketching as a medium for their reflective conversation with the situation. This study indicates that constructing internal representations can be a strong tool for designing. Future studies may show that designers may not need sketching for the generation of certain designs during the early phases of conceptual designing.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland, 1979. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 394-407). Also issued in print.