Did You Know that Doodles are a Sign of Intelligence?

One of the brightest people that I have ever met was John Morrison. John was an architect and a professional engineer. He was a chain smoking Camel (non-filtered), down to earth, practical, Texan to the core, and brilliant man.

He was my 2nd boss out of college.

If you are also named "John", on my LinkedIn list, an architect, and past partner of this truly unique person, then you know who I am writing about.

I don't know if John Morrison is still alive. I hope so. But, it is possible that the Camels finally stampeded over his ability to dodge the inevitable. Like John, I also have double who has my name and is a professional wrestler. But I digress...

John was always doodling. He would doodle when he was listening intently to a conversation in person or on the phone. Sheets and sheets of paper were filled with his doodles. I only wish that I pocketed at least one to show you. Each on looked similar to the other. They all had thin lines drawn in curves that radiated out from themselves in various concentric fashion. I often wished to know what was going on in his mind while his hand was steadily etching out the next episode of his concurrent swivels.

No surprise to me, there now has been proof that doodling is a sign of higher intelligence. Check out this video to learn more about how you might also be a genius like my early mentor and doodler was.



Just click here to get your copy of My Designed Home


Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.




Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment

Why Architects are Unemployed

I have recently needed to update my architectural license in NY State. This is a very straight forward thing to do and it requires me to prove to the state board that I have attended at least 36 hours of continued education during the past 36 months.

Today, I received an email from the state board that affirms that I am in good standing. It also reminds me that I have to obtain 36 more continued education credits before the next 36 months come around.

Then, it paraphrases what type of continued education would NOT be acceptable in their eyes. They include:

Risk management, limiting the design professional’s liability, project management related to profitability and maximizing fees, marketing and public relations, insurance, laws related to arbitration, mediation, liens (unless they relate to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public), real estate, real estate development, expanding a design professional’s business, basic AutoCAD, personal development, general office management, accounting/financial planning, succession planning, zoning as it relates to increasing a developer or architect’s profitability, design build (unless 75% of the course content relates to the laws related to design build in New York State) are not acceptable subjects.

So, generally speaking, I cannot get any continued education credits if I want to learn better ways to make a profit and to protect my income as an architect. Hmmm, perhaps that is why we have so much unemployment in the architectural profession today. It is expected that unemployment of architects is at least 30%. Since the survival of the architectural profession as a business is not a priority, its own "club" (the American Institute of Architects, AIA for short)does not have an accurate count of how many architects are unemployed. Here is an article that discusses this further, http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/10/101025real_employment.asp

Perhaps that is why, even in a good economy, architects continue to view themselves as crusaders of good design with great goals of creating a better world but with no earthly idea how they are going to support themselves and their families while exposing themselves to frivolous lawsuits with low compensation.

In spite of the architectural board's point of view of our profession's priorities, I wrote a book that is for not only architects but for everyone that has a business and wants it to prosper. The book shares ways we can use our own offices as an additional marketing tool. It is titled, "The Designed Office." Heck, I might not get any continued education credit for writing this book, but you can get the benefit from the gems shared in the book. Oh well, my loss is your gain (sorry, that's my architect training talking, not my business mind). Never the less, go get your copy at...

Click Here to get your copy at Amazon.com.

Click Here to get your copy at Barnes and Noble.com.

Or, just click on this link and get a lot of cool free gifts at My Designed Office website


Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.

How Architects Help Realtors Close Deals Faster

Our office has developed a presentation that we give to only the top leading Realtors in the NY and NJ areas. In this program, we share how architects can:

1. Close Their Residential Deals Faster

2. Add to Their Credibility

3. Get More Quality Referrals

And

4. Get More Repeat Clients.

You might ask, what does an architect know about closing real estate deals? Get a glimps of what you would learn if you booked Larry Lane to speak at your Real Estate conference and sales seminars.

Email your request for a free copy of our presentation outline at info@LaneArchitecture.net

Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.

Home Owner Protection Strategies

Click on this link ----->Home Owner Protection Strategies

If you are a home owner, then you really need to hear this important podcast!

Find out in just a few short minutes the right and wrong way to enter a contract with contractors. Click on iTunes icon and "Follow" while at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lanearchitecture/2010/12/13/home-owner-protection-strategies

Click on this link ----->Home Owner Protection Strategies


Find out what your "Living Blueprint" is with the "Experience Architecture Journal."

Did you get your journal yet? If not, go get it now at "The Designed Home website"

Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.

How to Create the Blueprint of Your Life

You may have read an earlier blog post of mine where I described how to design a windowless house. This post is a follow up to that one.

Since the writing of that post, my clients decided that they would compromise and have only a few windows added to their home. You might recall, that the three reasons my clients did not want any windows on three of the four sides are because:

1. They are in the aviation biz and work in all hours of the day and night. So, having no windows would help them control the sunlight that would be getting into their home while they are sleeping between shifts.

2. They collect very rare antique maps and books. Having sun light could cause them to fad and deteriorate faster.

3. This house is being built in the "Hill Country" of Texas. While it is a beautiful place to live, it can get very hot during the summers - especially from the South and Southwest. They wanted to minimize the heat gain from the sun along the walls facing the sun.

Before, I introduced a ribbon of windows that was only for aesthetics and not for viewing through. Now, the house will have real vision windows in strategic locations.



The view towards the east is breath-taking. I designed a sweeping deck that spans the full width of the house so one can go out on it from the ground floor bedrooms and living areas. From the deck, one can watch the rising sun and also see the brilliant rays of the sun paint the sky at the end of the day. There is a lake that is 30 miles away and still in view from this deck.



During yukky weather days, there is a wall of windows that allows my clients to still enjoy this view.



Another major design feature is the introduction of outside design elements to the indoors. Besides the view of the outdoors, I also have a stone wall that penetrates the house from front to back. This wall also serves as the main wall of the kitchen and then of the dining area, and then out to the deck where it anchors itself below the deck onto the rocky cliff that the house is built along. Even the wooden trusses that support the roof over the deck repeat along the ceiling of the great room.

There are many adjectives that played an important part of the design of this house. Some were:

"Soaring, Freedom, Uplifting, Security, Well-Grounded, Anchored, Certainty, Strength."

These adjectives are a big part of the "Living Blueprint" that my clients enjoy in their day to day lives.



What is your "Living Blueprint?"

If we were designing a house for you and your family, what adjectives would describe the feelings and emotions you and your family would want to enjoy? This is one of the 7 simple steps that you will learn about after grabbing your free e-book, "Experience Architecture Journal". Just go to this website and get your right now at "The Designed Home website"

Here are some quick design sketches that allowed us to develop a home that would fulfill my client's "Living Blueprint."



Once the concrete slab is poured, the walls are framed a lightening speed!







Find out what your "Living Blueprint" is with the "Experience Architecture Journal."

Did you get your journal yet? If not, go get it now at "The Designed Home website"


Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.