by Charles Hendricks | May 23, 2012 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Local Leaders, Rotary, team
I was told by another architect recently that my approach to business was “not like his at all.” I will be the first to admit that his basis for measuring business success is certainly in line with the traditional basis. The goal of making as much money as you possibly can make, beating your competition, and getting the highest profile projects is certainly one very easy measure of success. My problem with this attitude is that it leads to what I consider an empty fulfillment of what is possible in an architectural career. I want more out of my career than just buildings, I want to build community.
Of course, I do want to make money designing architectural solutions, at least enough to live comfortably at the level my family and I are used to living. I just believe that I have an ethical obligation to do more. In my opinion, an architect has the best tool available at their disposal to create positive outcomes for their community – DESIGN. Sometimes this comes in the form of a paying client that allows you to design solutions for their buildings and homes. Done right, this will add to the energy-efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and healthy built environments for our community. However, architects should also give their time to worthy organizations that help build positive outcomes in the community. After all architects are trained problem solvers that are able to take complex issues and create solutions.
So while I may not approach business success in the traditional sense, I hope you will agree that I am working hard to build success in and for our community.
by Charles Hendricks | May 22, 2012 | aging in place, Charles Hendricks
The SVBA is hosting a nationally recognized certification program in Harrisonburg this week. The building industry professionals taking this course have come from Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and as far away as Lynchburg and Baltimore. This training will provide the knowledge and training for those attending to better serve the community by offering solutions for people to live more comfortably in their homes with comfort, security, and dignity. Aging in Place is not about designing for a disability, it is about designing solutions that work for all abilities. CAPS certification is a recognized, understood, and respected designation that you can trust when selecting professionals to help you live better.
The Certified Aging-in-place specialist (CAPS) designation was developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelors Council, in collaboration with the AARP, NAHB Research Center, and NAHB Seniors Housing Council.
This program was developed to provide professionals training that would enable them to accommodate the needs of people over the age of 50, as well as the knowledge they would need to modify their homes for aging in place.
The program focuses specifically on the customer service skills, technical information, and business management training needed to properly serve the needs of older adults.
In other words, the CAPS certified professional is trained on the unique needs of the baby boomer generation by modifying homes so someone can live there longer as they age addressing the most common barriers in a home.
by Charles Hendricks | May 15, 2011 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, Harrisonburg Architect
Playhouse Design 2011
Here is the final version of the new playhouse for those interested. There was a LOT of input from my clients…
We got great input from readers of this blog CLICK HERE. I look forward to good weather next weekend and the ground breaking ceremony!
by Charles Hendricks | Apr 30, 2011 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, Harrisonburg Architect
One of the most common comments when I meet someone new and they ask me what I do for a living is “I wanted to be an architect when I was a kid.” I find it very interesting that so many people wanted to be architects and so many took another route for various reasons. One of the big ones I am sure of is that most architectural schools are designed specifically to weed out those that don’t LOVE architecture. It is a tough major and limits your ability to do other things – party, hang out, sleep… Anyway, I also wonder how many people who wanted to be an architect understand what we do. So here is a description of a typical day in the life of an architect – at least as typical as a day can be with so many varied projects.
6:00 am wake up, get ready for work
7:00 am Fix breakfast
7:30 am let the dog out, eat breakfast with dad
8:00 am arrive at the office
8:00 am – 9:00 am catch up on emails from the last two days. Focus on emails from existing clients, then on to potential new clients, take care of bookkeeping.
9:00 am Morning meeting to make sure we have questions answered and clear direction for the day
10:00 am review drawings for staff to make sure all changes were made
11:30 am leave for a client meeting 30 minutes away from the office
1:00 pm Walk through the existing house to review the scope of work, discuss with the contractor and talk about the process with a new client.
2:00 pm leave project site to head to another
3:00 pm walk job site for high-performance home under construction. Answer questions for contractors. Review execution for compliance with the design intent.
3:30 pm leave the job site and head to another
4:00 pm arrive at a job site, look at the progress made over the last few days. Hoping for some dry weather so this job can get going.
4:15 pm leave the job site
4:45 pm get to the office, return phone calls and answer questions
5:00 pm arrive at home after a long day
5:15 pm make dinner for the family, eat dinner, and talk about favorite parts of our day.
6:30 pm open computer and start answering emails that were not responded to all day
7:30 pm review marketing to make sure comments get responses, the scheduled posts are ready, and maybe generate new content
8:00 pm Review drawings done through the day by others, check status of progress
10:00 pm go to bed, tomorrow is a long day!
by Charles Hendricks | Mar 30, 2011 | Charles Hendricks, community, Empathy, family, Harrisonburg Architect, Local Leaders, Office Culture, team
My six-year-old was asking me about Earth Day. I explained that it is a day to remind us of the power of mother nature, a day to remember that we have to take care of our natural resources, and a day to think about our actions as they impact others and future generations. She then told me that she knows the solution to the problem. “You just have to stop being lazy and fix things.”
It does seem that simple on paper to me as well. If we just quit fighting over who caused it, or who should pay for it, or how to fix it, and we all just try to be better, a little better, then we will all be a lot better off. If we all reduced our energy use by 30% annually, what would happen to the amount of foreign oil we have to import each year. What would that do to the mercury levels in the air from burning coal? What would that do to the increasing rate of illness we find in certain sectors of society? What would that do for mountain tops in West Virginia? What would that do to the quality of drinking water available to all of us?
I know, I have already heard the argument that you cannot afford all those expensive upgrades. BUT, What if we all cut our water usage by installing a $3 aerator on our sinks? Would that reduce our water bills, water consumption, our environmental impact across the country. If ALL of us make a small change, wouldn’t it make a huge impact?
If we look past the expensive solutions and every household changed one light bulb, or even just turned off the lights in rooms that they are not using all the time. Or if car lots turned off their lights after 2 am each night. Or if you cut one car trip out of your weekly schedule each week. What if we each just did one thing, would you see the difference?
I am ready for Change. Real Change. Change that makes the world a better place for my children and your children. I am ready to make a difference. Will you just stop being lazy with me and fix things?
by Charles Hendricks | Mar 26, 2011 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, Empathy, family, Harrisonburg Architect, Local Leaders, Office Culture, team
Balancing life: being Dad
I have been accused many times of not sleeping in order to do the amount of work that I accomplish each week. I promise you that while I am involved in many activities, events, and efforts, I do get plenty of sleep. I do worry though that I am sacrificing things in my life that I will regret later. I worry about the little things that I don’t spend time doing, like attending social events to better get to know people in the community. Anyone that has seen me knows that I have not given proper attention to being healthy. While I don’t have many of the vices that one may suffer with in modern society, I do have a lack of desire for exercise and eating healthy and I worry what this will result in over the coming years. However, My biggest fear is that I am not spending enough time with my family. I struggle with balancing life: being Dad.
Over the past several weeks there has been a change in the normal pattern that I hope to continue. I have worked hard to get the garden set up. The girls have helped me with the process, sometimes actively, sometimes taking breaks, sometimes forgetting completely about the garden and just running around the yard. We have also enjoyed several family outings these last several weeks that were focused on my daughters. Last Saturday, the girls dressed up like Thing 1 and Thing 2 and we drove 1 1/2 hours to Hooville (Charlottesville) to meet the Cat in the Hat and watch a 30 minute cartoon on the big screen at the Paramount Theater. A couple of weeks ago we attended Annie at Four County Players, staying up very late for the girls and also me, but I will never forget the way they both had their eyes glued to the stage the entire time. Even better, thanks to our friend, Tracie Skipper, the girls got to meet the amazing actress that played Annie after the play. (by the way, I highly recommend making a trip to Barboursville to see a play at Four County Players, they do an incredible job). It is hard to find balance in life to be the best dad, best architect, best husband, best committee member, but that is my goal. While I know something always has to give, I can assure you that I will never give up trying to be the best.
