Linda Bennett of Archi-ninja interviewed CplusC director Clinton Cole to talk about his experience of working within the dual industries of architecture and the craft of building.
Below is an excerpt from the interview:
“I have no memory of not having the desire to both create and build. Experimenting with materials and tools to design and make things that can be enjoyed by others has always made me happy.
An architect walks away from a project upon completion with hopefully some great photographs and a happy client.
As both architect and builder, we resolve any warranty issues with the building for 6-7 years after it is handed over to the client. This obligation is a critical difference between architects and builders, and whilst I wouldn’t describe it as ‘rewarding’ in the typical sense of the word, the reward at the end of the day is knowledge. The warranty obligation provides invaluable insight into how buildings age, leak, crack, move, wear, etc. It’s like a very long and, from time to time, costly Post-Occupancy evaluation. These days the issues we have are very minor in nature and generally relate to settlement of the building.
Budget and quality control in addition to speed are the primary advantages to both designing and building your own projects. Dealing directly with the client from concept through to the construction phase is also an advantage but requires stringent quality control and communication systems to be adhered to by all staff to ensure expectations are met and promises are delivered in what is typically a highly emotional, fast paced environment for the average residential client. Our practice essentially uses construction as a vehicle to ensure expectations are met, promises are kept and projects are built.”
Click here to read the interview in full.