The Tools of an Architect

lifeofanarchitect.com/the-tools-of-an-architect/

Bob Borson

2/8/2016

Architects are lucky. Once you get past the few architects that complain disproportionately loud for the entire
profession, you will discover that just about anyone can be an architect and have a role to play in the design and
building process. Not everyone will be a designer, and not everyone will be a project manager. Some architects will
stand in front of clients and communicate a vision, and other architects will stay in the office and make sure the
details are watertight. The roles and responsibilities are so varied that if you want to be an architect but think you
have some glaring shortcoming Im here to tell you that you are wrong.
Todays post is the 17th entry in the #ArchiTalks series, a monthly writing event that I created back in July of 2014.
The idea behind this series is to take a singular word of phrase and distribute it to a group of architectural bloggers,
and let them take it in whatever direction they interpret. The intent is to highlight diversity within the profession, and
to highlight that point, I have pasted a section from the email I send every month to the people who make up the
#Architalk participants. It reads:

I want to encourage everyone to invite other architects who maintain blogs to participate in the
#ArchiTalks series. If you know of someone, please invite them, or if you want, tell me about them
and I will do the ask. We (I) really want to take advantage of the fact that we are a diverse group of
architectural practitioners, and highlight the fact that despite the fact that we all have similar
educations, there are many beliefs and directions our profession allows us to travel. Diversity
is so important so lets actively try to demonstrate that fact by increasing our circle of participants.

Since so much of what I do as an architect is already on display, I thought I would really take a bit and think about
the things that I really use as a part of doing my job. I did not include some of the obvious things like my desk phone
every job has those things and I dont use mine any differently than any other person. The items on this list are
notall-inclusive, but these are the most important items day in and day out.
In no particular order, my list of must have architectural tools include:

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Sketch Pens and Trace Paper

I dont spend much any time drafting on the computer any more outside of the times I prepare the construction
drawings for my own playhouse or when Im preparing documents for my own house. As a result, I sketch a lot.
Sometimes the sketches represent design studies, sometimes they are teaching sketches to help illustrate a
concept or explain how a construction assembly comes together. Either way, I would be lost without my trace paper
and sketch pens.

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Outlook
I know what youre thinking You left your desk phone off your list because everybody uses it, so why is Outlook
on here? I would be lost without my calendar. I use it to keep track of my time and my obligations. It used to be
pretty easy to know what I was supposed to be doing and where I was supposed to be that has changed in the
last few years. Between all the work obligations, meetings with clients, weekly job site visits, committees and
advisory boards I volunteer on I cant mentally keep all these things in place so I need a little help (other than my
wife reminding me where Im supposed to be and when).

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Reference Books
It is a fundamental truth that Architects have an unhealthy attraction to books. I think I fall somewhere on the barely
unhealthy end of that scale and even at that, I have dedicated bookcases both in my house AND at the office for my
books. How I decided to break them in to these two groups is this if Ive read them cover to cover and they are
NOT a reference manual they get to stay at my house. The rest come with me up to the office so that everyone
can have access to them.

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So this is My bookcase at the office. There are a lot of really good books and manuals in there ( click picture to
enlarge). I am that guy who writes his names in the books because Ive had several walk off over the years.

Big Ass Desk (Take 2)

Its no secret that I think having a Big Ass Desk is an important tool. While my current desk isnt as big as my last
one (which I still miss almost every day) its still pretty big. It is a double work station and I literally use almost every
square inch of it every day. This is another image that needs to be enlarged to truly appreciate because my desk is
typically a disaster, even though I know where everything is. Its only when I clean things up do I lose track of them. I
think I work better when everything is all in front of me and only when I am done with it does it get put away.
1. MeasureMaster Calculator after more than 10 years, mine is starting to die on me and I have to be careful
that the buttons I push actually get registered but I still love it. I have the MeasureMaster app on my phone
(which is great when Im out in the field) but when Im in the office, I like the actual calculator.

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2. Schedules and Paperwork boring and more boring

3. Binders I actually have them in two areas but this particular grouping are for 3 particular active jobs that I
need to share with the guy who site in the next bay over. For the record, I prefer D-ring 3 binders in black.
NOT 4 D-ring binders which suck.
4. Trace Paper love me some white trace paper. I used to use yellow because it seemed more architectural
but the white allows me to scan my sketches and manipulate them further should the need arise.
5. Sketch pens (If I dont have, like, 30 ready to go at any moment I start to get worried). I think I will always
consider myself a Sharpie man, I have started to use Flair pens a bit more often these days.
6. Awards and Recognition sometimes its nice to be reminded that what you do is appreciated by your peers.
I dont feel bad for having a glory wall
7. Desktop Phone its a phone who cares?
8. Laptop I have a client who likes to text, and I hate to text. So now, I keep my laptop open and next to me
while Im working so I can respond to text messages on my computer rather than my phone.
9. Computer sadly, I have become the guy who was the poorest performing computer in the office. Everyone
else has mega-horsepower machines, the kind needed for running Revit. I dont have the same needs so
now I look forward to receiving other peoples hand-me-down systems.
10. Sketchbook Ive literally got hundreds of these things; so many in fact, that I dont have buy any for years.
11. Frosty Beverage by beverage I mean water. To be honest, I wish it was a slurpee, but Im not 11 years old
anymore.
12. Periodicals most of which I havent read
13. Headphones two pairs because I tend to damage them while Im traveling.
14. Pictures of my Daughter Kate
15. Samples typically kept under my desk but on occasion, I need to take advantage of the white surface on my
desk so that I can evaluate the colors a bit more clearly.
16. Shoulder Bag same one Ive had for years. Im amazed at how well it has held up over the years. Upon
inspection, you would be hard pressed to prove that it isnt brand new which is shocking because I use it
every day. This bag has also traveled with me every time Ive gotten on a plane for the last 10 years and
that includes vacations.

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Collaborator (MMBA Staff member Ryan Thomason)

I wrote a post almost 4 years ago titled An Architects tool bag and in it I listed the tools I thought I needed in order
to most effectively do my job. There are some similarities between those two lists but there is one glaring item I left
off that list.Maybe its a sign of my evolving maturity, but I certainly recognize that I wouldnt be where I am if it were
not for the people I have had the fortune to have around me. For the last three years, the person I have relied on the
most is Ryan Thomason. He has been the guy behind all the drawings and I rely on him in a very substantial way.
Ive been on the road a lot the last few years and I would bet that 90% of my calls in to our office are to Ryan. I text
him on the weekends, I ask him to track down emails for me, I ask him to to organize our project data so that I can
stand in front of the clients and present it. Theres no way to sufficiently convey just how often Ryan makes me look
good.
If you working an office where there is a team atmosphere and like me, fail to acknowledge and recognize all the
people that make our projects a reality, I think you are doing a great disservice to your team.

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There are a bunch of other architects participating in todays topic of Tools and to reiterate my sentiments from the
beginning of todays article, the intent of #Architalks is to highlight diversity within the profession so if you dont see
something here that you recognize, just click any of the links below to read another perspective.
Michael LaValley Evolving Architect (@archivalley)
Why An Architects Voice Is Their Most Important Tool
Marica McKeel Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)
3 Tools to Get Our Clients Engaged and Involved
Jeff Echols Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
The Best Tool In Your Toolbox
Lee Calisti, AIA Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
tool
Lora Teagarden L Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
The Tools That Help Make #AREsketches
Jeremiah Russell, AIA ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
tools #architalks
Jes Stafford MODwelling (@modarchitect)
One Essential Tool
Eric T. Faulkner Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
Architools Mind Over Matter
Rosa Sheng Equity by Design (@EquityxDesign)
10 Power Tools to Kickstart Equity
Michele Grace Hottel Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
#ArchiTalks 17 Tool
Meghana Joshi IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)
Tools of an Architect #Architalks 17
Amy Kalar ArchiMom (@AmyKalar)
ArchiTalks #17: Three Tools for Change
Brian Paletz The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
Can we talk?
Eric Wittman intern[life] (@rico_w)
its ok, i have a [pen]
Brinn Miracle Architangent (@simplybrinn)
Synergy: The Value of Architects

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Emily Grandstaff-Rice Emily Grandstaff-Rice FAIA (@egrfaia)

Tools for Learning
Jarod Hall divelept (@divelept)
Something Old and Something New
Greg Croft Sage Leaf Group (@croft_gregory)
Tools
Jeffrey A Pelletier Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
Helpful tools found within an Architecture blog
Aaron Bowman Product & Process (@PP_Podcast)
Sharpen Your Tools
Kyu Young Kim Palo Alto Design Studio (@sokokyu)
Super Tool
Jared W. Smith Architect OWL (@ArchitectOWL)
Construction: An Architects Learning Tool
Keith Palma Architects Trace (@cogitatedesign)
(CTRL A) (Command-A)- Edit

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