Architect - not the so glamour profession

In 4 days time my building will be inspected by Madam Melati from Design 2000, a register officer / qp to inspect the incomplete Data Centre we are constructing. First time in my life Ive encoutered a building not ready for inspection to go for inspection. With the german company im working for, everyting seems possible. 

The results easily seen for many of us and engineers and site people come back over weekend to turn the impossible date into possible. Ive seen many panda eyes at my engineers, PM and my senior architects. 

Some stay late every weekdays till 9-10pm for couple of weeks checking the drawings, solving the details and joining /connection between different material etc honeycomb cladding and steel gratings, raised floor and stainless caping, aluminium louvre and drywall / brickwalls and etc. 

There is one engineer ive known reach as early as 6am in the morning to work. This is quite good practice since one may reply hundreds email of correspondence from clients, sub-contractor, supplier and bosses in the morning with no one interrupt you in between office hour.

Entering  a contractor's world  is quite different style compare to consultants firm. Our world require us to prepared ourselves to resolve the site problem if the site failed to do so. Everyday is a challenge task to us,  as such attending prompt or schedule meetings,visiting site and  conduct our internal inspection, reply to email correspondence , request for further information and more drawings from consultants, detailing  up the not so detail enuff drawings, checking for specification on building requirement , compliances according to authority regulation and code of singapore practice and preparing presentation to the japanese clients. 

I am telling you people , japanese clients are the fussiest clients I have been working for , whenever  they refuse to accept your  idea,  then adapt their requirement into yours, when they said they want something but you cant deliver, better be prepared with good script excuse if their request is beyond the budget. 

What normally I did, if I failed to say no due to commercial issue, I will drag my PM to explain or let the top manager talking and explain to clients. Few occasion , the clients had lose temper on me but I am getting used  and numb , mcm kate orang masuk telinga kanan keluar telinga kiri. Many of my architects advised me to learn to have thicker skin, otherwise difficult to sustain longer  in this industry .

If you are joining the consultatns firm, things will be quite different but I don't quite prefer to handle too many projects at one go. Contractor in the other hand , one can stay put focus on one particular project and able to see the actual flow on how the building is constructed. You might not experience the design stage as often as consultants firm can offer but your understanding on the details can be sharpen deeper, and you can project  the issue will raise up by others in  future if the drawings are inefficient to build, a good training to look up for better observant and good checker to pick up mistakes.

Here is sneak peek on our project team photo with our proud completed  JDD building as background.

i miss this team - the most cooperative team - best working life experience ever