My PSA won’t be particularly catchy, but it will save you some cash. The power companies like to provide customers with tips on how to save electricity during Air Conditioning season, and one of the easiest is to use fans. Overhead fans are the least conspicuous and may be the most efficient; this is due to the way they can move air all around a room. Keeping the flow fresh breaks up the layer of warm air that builds toward the ceiling, which can make it easier and quicker for your AC to reach its set point. In addition, fans help distribute the cooler air when it leaves the vents; that means you get relief faster. After your AC reaches its set point and shuts off, a fan can keep you comfy if you’re stuck in a part of your building with poor airflow.

This is just to get your attention. If you want one and have $1,000 for a fan, GO HERE.

In situations where you may be the warmest blooded person in your office, a fan can keep you civil while your coworkers reluctantly shed their sweaters at 83 degrees. And in those dire situations when the AC is either broken or absent, moving air feels cooler on your sweaty skin. My last advantage has nothing to do with temperature. Cheap fans are noisy, and sometimes, that kind of white noise is a blessing. In a busy office, it can make a day full of phone calls much more bearable. At home, the noise blanket provided by fans can make your late night neighbors a lot less annoying. So, haul out your fans and crank up part of the soundtrack of summer!

Roles and responsibilities are different for every project. We attempt to define these clearly and definitely at the start of the project. We review them with the client at the start. Yet, given some recent hiccups, even this communication may need to be reiterated throughout the course of the project.

I just got back from AAM and was surprised how many of my counterparts also had stories where what they thought was clearly the client’s responsibilities caused problems in the project. One colleague I talked to about this probably has the most accurate view on this issue. He said, in reality clients expect you to take care of everything inside the box of the exhibit. If this is the case, how do we as planning, design and fabrication firms account for all the potential issues that can arise in a project? Do we set a big chunk of the budget aside as a contingency like the construction industry does? Can we ask the client to set aside a portion of the budget for their own use on things outside of normal exhibit design? How do we convince clients that something in the design will need to be deleted if after the design is completed the safety review calls for more sprinklers needed in the space? Who then pays for the redesign of the exhibits? You see it gets complicated.

We had a recent project where we thought we clearly expressed that permitting, inspection fees and such would be the client’s responsibility (see the contract language below). In the end the client disagreed and we had to go through months of negotiation to come to a solution to a problem that was a bit of a surprise after some HVAC and safety issues arose. The architectural fees to access the problems were going to cost $30,000 alone. Yet, in other projects with similar design elements this had not happened. Every location has different rules and it is hard to predict how local codes are going to affect the project.

Building Modifications & Renovations – All required building modifications and renovations will be designed and documented in the Design Documents. Building modifications and renovations will be the responsibility of both parties as follows:

a. Taylor Studios is responsible for new interior construction including: new partition wall framing, finishing, doors, electrical work, and trim; new exhibit specific lighting system(s); new HVAC supply ducts as needed, and new audiovisual control system

b. Client is responsible for: new HVAC air handling units if needed, permits, inspection fees, relocation of any existing fixtures such as water fountains, changes required to the fire protection system such as new sprinkler heads, fire alarms, emergency lighting, and emergency exit signage, and building shell changes such as reworking exterior doors.

In another project a client demanded that we use a certain vendor to create a water wall. When it came time for fabrication that vendor refused to provide the component. The client demanded a solution that included water against our recommendations. We did what the client asked and it did not work in the end. Then there was much negotiation on who was responsible for the new design and implementation. So, as you can see it can be very difficult to meet client expectations and hold them accountable for their role in the decisions.

Do you think it is fair for clients to have responsibilities in a project? How would you hold them accountable? Clients what do you think is fair? How would you improve the communication?

At one particular museum, I had the privilege of meeting with the head of exhibits.  As we walked around all the galleries, he pointed out barriers which had to be installed because visitors were known to climb on the dinosaurs and other animals!

There was even a buffalo in one exhibit which had an obvious barrier, but visitors would climb up the side then trample over the grasses and smaller animals and insects to take photos on or near the buffalo.

To me conduct such as this is mind boggling, especially when it’s the adults encouraging the behavior.

So, in an effort to possibly curtail bad behavior at museums, nature centers, etc., here are some things not to do in an exhibit gallery (or anywhere else for that matter):

• Don’t climb on the exhibits! Just because there’s not a sign telling you not to do something, does not make it OK to do it.  Most institutions make it pretty obvious what is touchable and what is not.
• Don’t pick at the graphics! Not all facilities are financially able to replace their graphics or other exhibits routinely.  A peeling label or lettering is not an invitation for you or your children to pick at it.  My one year old is an expert label peeler.  I’m not sure what is so fascinating about peeling something, but he is instantly drawn to those opportunities.  I know this, so I proactively watch him and divert his attention elsewhere if there is a peeling opportunity.
• Don’t intentionally try to break an interactive. We have a client in CA who said one of their volunteers witnessed kids hanging on hydraulic flip doors and broke each and every one of them.   In this situation, you would have thought the volunteer would have spoken up, but no, he just sat by and watched the damage be done.

I’m sure there are many more stories to be told.  What have you witnessed people do in a museum or nature center that you couldn’t believe they did?

When Does the Client Want it Done
We just got a request to produce a Bluefin Tuna photo-op model and they needed it installed in New Orleans within 30 days. This is no problem. We can do it. However, we would need to charge more than if we had more time. We are already booked and therefore would have to produce it with over time pay. A rushed project often costs more.

Generally, any project’s schedule can be negotiated to be mutually agreeable.

The Size of The Project
Obviously, a million dollar project takes more resources than a $1,000 project. The larger the project the more time.

How Fast Can The Client get Their Part Done
Client involvement starts right away with getting the contract signed. A few weeks ago we met with a client on a Tuesday and we had a contract signed by Friday. It was a rush project. Design, build and install a donor wall in 60 days. In order to move fast a client must move fast too. Most clients take 30 to 90 days to sign a contract once a project is awarded. This can delay the start of a project.

Often clients underestimate the amount of time they will spend on a project. Clients have to approve many things from design progress, copy, photographs, budgets and fabrication progress. Often clients have committees. Imagine having eight people approve a 200 page design booklet. Most clients commit to a two week review period, yet often struggle to meet these dates. Clients also have to provide details on their resources like their artifacts, collections, building specifications and visitor demographics. If these are not provided on their due dates it can cause large delays in the project. You might consider your own staffing and resources when considering how quickly you would like to produce a project.

If payments, building construction or renovation is behind schedule this can also delay the project.

Most of our projects have these kinds of delays.

What Type of Project
Planning and design generally take longer than fabrication. More decisions and involvement of people takes time. If details are completed in the design phase then production can go quickly. A workshop can be done quickly.

General Project Time Frames
A planning/design/build/install project of $250,000 or more takes an average of 18 months to complete.

A fabrication project of $250,000 or more takes an average of six months to complete.

A planning project takes an average of eight months to complete.

Everything is negotiable, these are some generalizations you can consider.

Price, Quality, Speed – pick two
This is an old saying. It isn’t quite relevant these days as companies can meet all three. However, there is logic in considering these variables and how they are combined.

Before you try to wrap your head around how we get massive ground forms into a semi, let me reveal a little of the magic behind the curtain. Each structure is built knowing that we will be cutting it into chunks. Chunks that can fit through a double door, ideally. The exhibit is a 3D puzzle that comes together amazingly well. So, we know how to fit an exhibit into limited shipping spaces. Packing a shipping container for an ocean transit isn’t too different from packing a short semi-trailer. You don’t want to waste any space, and you want the weight to be well distributed, since the entire container will be moved by some sort of suspension system in the port.

If you don’t live near a port, you might not know that the vast majority of ocean freight is carried within shipping containers. They show up a lot in thrillers on TV whenever there are dark deeds happening in a port, often stacked three to four high. These corrugated steel boxes come in several sizes, but the most common are the 20’ and 40’ lengths. Most of them are made in China, which makes sense, considering how huge the Chinese export market is. The economics of international freight often makes it more expensive to ship an empty container back to China to reuse it than it is to buy a new container in China. This leads to massive numbers of empty shipping containers accumulating in ports where freight came ashore.

More than ten years ago, architects began using empty shipping containers as building elements, since they have standard dimensions and construction. They have been turned into houses, hotels, emergency housing, exhibition spaces, stores, and buildings on military bases. A secondary market has appeared that pre-fits the new containers as various building elements, which avoids some troubling challenges with using old containers. Since the real containers have to be resistant to the elements (including salt water) and insect attack, they are manufactured with tough coatings on the steel and powerful pesticides in the wooden interior floors. No one wants these chemicals in their work or living spaces, so the containers need a bit of work to make them safe to use.

An art center in Seoul, South Korea.

A store in Zurich, Switzerland, for Freitag, a company that makes bags from old truck tarps.

The ‘greenness’ of using shipping containers, either new or old, in architecture will be debated as the trend grows. Keep your eyes open when in cities with major ports and you might spot one of these boxy creations. Have you been inside a shipping container building?

HOURS = DOLLARS

For some reason, this seems to be a hard concept for people to grasp.  Yet, if staff are traveling, on the phone, writing, designing or building something those hours have to be paid for.  Much of this time seems to confuse people on why it costs money.  Yet a project manager is spending hours when they are budgeting, getting quotes for materials or spending time with a client trying to find a photo.  These seem to be difficult things for people to pay for and it is necessary for a successful project.  Unfortunately, some hours do not always seem tangible even though they add value to the project.  You can logically think about these hours when trying to think about how much something would cost.  The hourly rates of most firms also include a portion to cover overhead expenses like computers, a building, a desk, phone equipment, accountants (yes, doing tax work adds a lot of expense that is frustrating), and human resources.

MATERIALS = DOLLARS

All projects include some material costs, even design and planning.  Most of the time, things like paper and ink are built into the hourly rate.  Yet, that material is necessary to complete a project.  For fabrication there are many potential materials.  The prices of materials fluctuate with the market, like wood and steel.

SHIPPING = DOLLARS

Whether we are FedExing a document or filling a semi with exhibits, this will cost some dollars.

TRAVEL = DOLLARS

There is travel time which has to be paid for as staff does not work for free.  And there are hotels, dining, mileage, flights and rental cars, too.

DELAYS often = MORE DOLLARS

If a project is delayed months or years, prices tend to go up.  We recently budgeted for purchasing many different props for a project.  We created the budget over six months ago and the fabrication portion of the project was delayed.  Props that were priced at $100 over six months ago are now coming in at $115 or more.  Additionally, if subcontractors give quotes to help you create a budget for a client their pricing is often only good for 30 days.  If their capacity books up and the schedule is not lengthened, there is a cost for a rush on the job.  Maybe they have to pay overtime to get it done within schedule.  Sometimes they just can’t fit it in at a later date at all and then you have to get new quotes.  If a project is delayed it messes with a company’s staff availability and planning.  It can cause overtime and much more.  Inflation, changes in material prices and the cost of labor fluctuate and this can cause prices to change as quickly as 30 days.

Industry Pricing Guidelines^[1]

Listed below are general industry pricing guidelines for interpretive exhibit design and fabrication projects. Certain projects are composed of simple exhibit units at a relatively low cost (price/sq. ft.) and other projects are composed of complex multi-media exhibit units at a higher cost. The majority of projects are a mix of both types. The following cost breakdowns serve simply as range indicators:

$200 – $300 Per Square Foot – Conventional cases, pedestals, panels with printed graphics and copy, mounted photographs, and some artifacts. Simple audiovisuals, in the form of slides and auto-repeaters. Simple dioramas and custom artwork.

$300 – $500 Per Square Foot – Walk-in dioramas or replicated environments. May include some electronic exhibits and/or computer interactives, such as games and/or short films. May include creative artwork and custom background murals. Audiovisual is more complex in this price range with custom photography, and special effects. Controlled climate artifact preservation.

$500+ Per Square Foot – Above, plus highly interactive exhibits and complex audiovisual, multimedia presentations, animated figures, and full sensory immersion exhibits.

Brochu, Lisa. Interpretive Planning. Fort Collins: Interpress, 2003.

Then there is the myriad of people I’ve attempted to hire at my farm who don’t show up, who take lots of phone calls to get the work done, who break things and don’t claim it, who throw trash in my woods, etc.  It can be very frustrating to find the right people to work with.  Do you have any of these stories?  Is price more important to you or would you rather have a reputable partner that will probably cost you less in the long run?

Here are the traits we look for when hiring subcontractors or partners.

1. Integrity
2. Quality reputation and portfolio of work – will the company back their work?
3. Experience
4. Good financial practices, including having the proper insurance and accounting practices.
5. Excellent project management practices. Will they be on time?  Do they have good communication practices?  Will they fill out the proper paperwork?
6. It’s an added plus if they are passionate about what they do.
7. And are they fun?  Not a requirement, but sure makes it more pleasurable.

We prequalify all our subcontractors before considering bringing them onto our team.  This is one form we use to decide whether they qualify as someone we would hire.  We now have an excellent group of partners to bring on the team who have these traits.

We also practice what we preach and offer all these things to our clients.  Plus we back our reputation with a five year warranty.  We build unique stuff that often has cranky dos (what I call our mechanical interactives) that will have lots of public interaction.  We don’t have centuries of testing opportunities like your car company.  Therefore, occasionally we have to fix something that didn’t work as planned.  We do this on our dime.  Imagine how much it would cost you if your company charged you to fly across the country to fix what they built?  This could be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars.

What do you look for when hiring a service provider, contractor or designer?

Our IT support company, MCS, has organized an e-waste collection event, and I’m hopeful we can clear out a lot of old gear. We are lucky in that we only have computer monitors that are the old tube type. Televisions with cathode ray tubes are flooding recycling centers as consumers upgrade to flatscreens, and the recycling industry can no longer make money on taking them. Big box retailers charge at least $10 to take old CRT TVs, and if you have one, I would strongly suggest getting rid of it now before the disposal cost increases.

I think it is wonderful that manufacturers are coming up with ways to save energy with electronics. Flatscreens save money, no question. Digital video players use less energy than DVD players. However, the constant stream of new products forces those who buy them to dispose of the old equipment. Unfortunately, it is not in the manufacturer’s best interests (right now) to make their products in such a way that the products can be easily broken down into reusable components. For the longest time, the tech industry has been dependent on China for crucial heavy metals. By keeping the cost of heavy metals low, China drove any competitors out of business. But where are those heavy metals now? In the very e-waste we are disposing of. Reclaiming heavy metals from e-waste should be a priority, but it may not be cost-effective. I hope that such technology makes it to the market soon, because the more heavy metals that are reclaimed, the less that can get into our food and water.

If you have a closet full of e-waste, I urge you to call around your area to see what disposal events are planned. Responsible disposal is part of being a good consumer. Do you have any tips on disposing of e-waste?

With spring supposedly here and summer quickly approaching most outdoor sites, such as refuges and parks, are preparing for their ‘busy season’ while indoor museums may be beginning to feel the lull as the end of the school year approaches, meaning less visiting school groups, teacher led tours etc. So—how can you keep your site relevant year round? By cueing in to the things people desire as the seasons change.

During the spring, people are always geared up to get outside. Use the weather as a springboard to bring people to your site. When possible, bring discussions and debriefings outdoors or integrate special elements into your surrounding space. Consider hosting an outdoor community event such as a scavenger hunt, a cookout, or a potluck.

As the heat of summer sets in, opportunities to cool off are welcomed as well. How about hosting an evening ‘wine and design’ talk, where you can showcase your galleries to adults? Or on a crisp summer evening, maybe the side of your building could become a projection space for an outdoor movie that relates to your site?

And even though school may not be in session, opportunities for learning are always beneficial. Consider connecting up with local camps or putting information about tours or exhibits in a community flyer. Parents are always looking for opportunities to entertain and keep their kids engaged during the summer months.

Maybe traffic slows down at your nature preserve in the winter, how about a scavenger hunt for animal tracks in the snow? A winter walk warmed by hot cocoa and conversation? Or maybe a woodland creature-themed snow sculpture day?

There are many opportunities just waiting to be discovered and adapted to your site. Rather than just accepting your slow season, find a way to embrace the change!

How do you hope to keep your site relevant during the coming seasons?

In many creative industries clients often buy the name of the owner or artist. Today many people buy the name of Frank Gehry to put on their building. Wow, they are amazing buildings. However, if you take Millennium Park in Chicago as an example of buying names, did you know the original budget was $150 million and the final cost was $475 million? This was a cost to the Chicago taxpayers and some private donors. The cost overruns are attributed to construction delays, poor planning, many design changes and cronyism.

If you follow my blog posts, you see that I often write about leadership, communication, management and the like. I often wonder if our readers find this of interest or want to know more about how we plan, design and build?

At Taylor Studios Inc. we focus on process in order to offer the most creative planning/design/build experience as easy as possible. It is my job as a leader to run a well-oiled machine so our clients don’t have to worry about whether we will be on time and budget while offering great customer service. The way a leader does this is to mobilize people towards a vision and focus on strategic issues, while making sure clients are happy, marketing and sales are tip top, finances are under control, staff is happy (human resources) and operations is clicking along. With all of this constant improving our clients have a team, not just an individual that has their back.

I hone my leadership skills by constant learning. Much of this learning is about improving your life and others and can be applied by anyone to improve. Wouldn’t you want to hire an organization that:

• Knows how to handle a mistake.
• Offers good team work and unity.
• Doesn’t micromanage and offer’s staff autonomy.
• Communicates well.
• Has fun at work.  (We love what we do!)

What would you like us to blog about? Would you rather work for an organization where the leader is a figurehead or a team builder?

“To lead is to mobilize and guide the energy and talent of others in pursuit of a common result.” Pat Murray