Work?

[dellzeqq]

you could possibly work for one of several architect practices we regularly suffer have to deal with

we could talk about this. In the after-interview I ran through the DZ Strategy For Making M+E Designers Miserable, which is to say, basically, 'see that empty space above the ceiling? Nobody buys that bit. See the cupboard the size of Texas that contains the cylinder you specified, the one with the connections at the back? Nobody buys that bit either. When you started off this was a £300,000 flat and you've turned it in to a £280,000 flat - do you think your fee can cover the difference?' (That's usually when they start crying). Anyroadup the developing client is well across this, and they want living rooms and bedrooms that are 2500 clear out of 2775 floor to floor, which is, even by my reckoning, a tough target, given that there's a CHP plant and mechanical heat recovery. Cue saddle clips rather than those dopey hanger jobbys, and cables to the very small number of ceiling lights covered in metal top hat sections.

 

[simon.r]

Please assume that all services can be magically piped into the building, leaving no external trace, and that they will never need to be worked on in the future, so it's absolutely fine to put then in places that are totally inaccessible. Oh, and don't consider lightning protection until three-quarters of the way through the build, then complain bitterly that some rufty-tufty engineer type has ruined the exterior of your building by bolting strips of aluminium to it.

Thanks.

 

[subaqua]

we could talk about this. In the after-interview I ran through the DZ Strategy For Making M+E Designers Miserable, which is to say, basically, 'see that empty space above the ceiling? Nobody buys that bit. See the cupboard the size of Texas that contains the cylinder you specified, the one with the connections at the back? Nobody buys that bit either. When you started off this was a £300,000 flat and you've turned it in to a £280,000 flat - do you think your fee can cover the difference?' (That's usually when they start crying). Anyroadup the developing client is well across this, and they want living rooms and bedrooms that are 2500 clear out of 2775 floor to floor, which is, even by my reckoning, a tough target, given that there's a CHP plant and mechanical heat recovery. Cue saddle clips rather than those dopey hanger jobbys, and cables to the very small number of ceiling lights covered in metal top hat sections.

its even better in existing buildings where the actual dimensions on site can be checked before things can be squeezed into a space approximately a thrid of the size it needs to function in accordance with manufacturers instructions. and they still balls it up by specifying a light thats 10mm bigger than the void it needs to just fit never mind have adequte ventilation.

some architects are great. some are Ok and some shouldn't even be let near crayons .

 

[Archie_tect]

Dell, your clients employ M+E Designers? Wow!

Mind you if you're starting off with CHP and MHRV then you are already 2 steps ahead of developers up here. Sigh.

 

[dellzeqq]

Please assume that all services can be magically piped into the building, leaving no external trace, and that they will never need to be worked on in the future, so it's absolutely fine to put then in places that are totally inaccessible. Oh, and don't consider lightning protection until three-quarters of the way through the build, then complain bitterly that some rufty-tufty engineer type has ruined the exterior of your building by bolting strips of aluminium to it.

Thanks.

nobody's suggesting that. I'm suggesting that crossovers happen in hallways and bathrooms, that lightning protection doesn't crop up after we've put the piles in ('oh, we need conductive concrete going down ten metres, didn't I say that'), and that cables aren't looped across ceilings in big bunches above living rooms and dining rooms, but go around the partition walls, and that there is some kind of assessment that tells us that, actually, putting in an ugly suspended ceiling below cables and pipes that have no connections is probably a waste of money. And I'm prepared to set out my comments on the M+E design over 72 pages.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My currently employer took two years to convince me to work here.

 

[Trickedem]

Del, congratulations, I think. Coming across this discussion was a little bit like bumping into a group of people talking Swahili. Fascinating, because I've never heard it spoken before, but ultimately frustrating because I didn't understand any of it.

 

[asterix]

dp any firms allow unlimited interent access for personal use !

Most of 'em as far as I can see!

 

[ttcycle]

Good stuff Dell- heard your good news on Friday but didn't get to chat to you or Agent Hilda properly at all.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Work???? Isn't that the Opium pof the masses ... or did I hear that wrong .....
God I'm tired of work, in fact utterly utterly exhausted by it.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've been pondering this for a few months now. The company for which I work is breaking export records almost monthly and building a massive new automated factory here in Manchester. Other exporters who I know say they are desperately busy and my travel agent says you can't get seats on flights to business destinations. At the same time internet sales are booming and you're a fool if you walk into a shop and pay the full retail price for anything. My belief is that whoever gathers figures for the government is actually ignorant of the "informal" internet sector and the export sector and just goes around the High Street counting empty shops..

Yes its strange, we sell bathroom stuff, not something people buy as Xmas gifts, yet we are that busy they are hinting that I might loose the two days holiday I have booked for later this week. Something's not right somewhere.