Renewal

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that as I am thinking about what to write for this month’s #Architalks post that I have been banished to my bed after a big shot of cough medicine. If I get sick, it is usually at this time of year. For some reason I think my body knows when the jobs have made it out the door in the end of year rush, and you have that brief period of time to breathe before the next deadline rears its ugly head.

This month’s Architalks post is about renewal, suggested by Larry Lucas. Being the first post of the year makes this subject very timely.

Looking forward

I’d like to think that this time of year is when you can reflect on what happened over the previous year and see what you can do to move forward in a more positive direction. I don’t do resolutions, they really just seem like a waste of time to me, they typically don’t last anyway. I would much rather put my energy into just figuring out what modifications I can make to make my life better. Sometimes it’s time, sometimes it’s family, and sometimes it’s work; sometimes it’s all of the above.

I had a quick conversation with someone at work the other day, and he was letting me know where we stood on a project I had worked on. It was by far the biggest project that I was the lead on. At one point I believe there was 6 people in our office working on it, 2 structural engineers, 4 people at the MEP engineers office, and I have no idea how many at the civil/landscape office. Communication was not only required, but essential to the project; it was also definitely the biggest obstacle to get through. Luckily the conversation we were having in the office, consisted pretty much of letting me know that while it was overall a pretty good project, that the next one would be even better because of everything I learned during the process. That’s a lot better than, “It sucked, pack your bags”.

So now it’s on to the new year, and another project to work on while the big one sits in the contractors hands for a while. And while this one is quite a bit smaller then the last one, it’s time to take all of the things I learned on it and try to apply them to this new one.

What about now?

Not everything can be about work though. It seems appropriate that outside right now the sleet is coming down and and we are in for our second really good freeze of the year. We haven’t had that in a couple of years now, and the amount of ant piles I had I my yard this past year showed that. It’s as if nature is finally saying, ok hold on, lets start over here.

I’ve taken the new year to work on a home project that has been kind of dragging over the last few months due to all those deadlines I was talking about. I’ve spent every weekend so far out in the backyard creating a garden bed the entire length of the yard. I’ve had my oldest helping me at it as well. I’m not sure what we are going to plant, but the idea in our heads is that we are creating something for our future. It’s something I have to work on. It’s something that will not only grow fruits, vegetables, flower, and the like; but will grow memories and experiences of the time we get to spend together doing and creating something. One of the best things I can work on. That is until both of them become awesome architects in their own right, and we take the architecture world by storm.

If you are curious about what the rest of the ArchiTalks crew’s take on renewal is, check out the links below.

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Lee Calisti, AIA – Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
get out of town renewal

Lora Teagarden – L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
Goal Renewal

Jeremiah Russell, AIA – ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
renewal: #architalks

Eric T. Faulkner – Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
Renewal – Re-Ranch

Stephen Ramos – BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@BuildingsRCool)
No guts, no glory!

Jeffrey Pelletier – Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
5 Tips for Harnessing Renewal to Advance Your Goals

Samantha R. Markham – The Aspiring Architect (@TheAspiringArch)
reNEWal. new year. new goals

Jim Mehaffey – Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey)
Renewal (at Each Beginning)

Tim Ung – Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
Break Routines

Larry Lucas – Lucas Sustainable, PLLC (@LarryLucasArch)
Renewal is Valuable for Heart and Hometown

Steve Mouzon – The Original Green Blog (@stevemouzon)
The 12 Steps of Sprawl Recovery