Architectural Services

George Kelso AIA Experience on a wide range of projects proves that many ingredients are required to make a building alive and real: an understanding of space and peoples' response to it, appropriate technology and materials, constructing from the outset, with and for the people who will use the space as their own . . and on some projects, this means even arranging for the way that money flows for initial construction, later repairs, adaptation and growth. That's it in a nutshell. During the last thirty years of my practice I have frequently made innovations in construction technology and innovations in the design process itself to create a solution that is both cost effective and has real social value for users.

DESIGN PROCESS INNOVATIONS:

• Analysis of a design task in terms of its functional roots
• Negotiation and conflict resolution of construction, code and zoning disputes ·
• Fixed-fee, non-profit management of construction
• New forms of construction contract
• Changes in the flow of money
• Inventions in construction technique designed to create physical processes that could allow formation of well-adapted , low-cost buildings
• Empirical site analysis for an environmentally responsive layout and siting of buildings in urban design and the construction of city centers
• On site experiments to improve building layout and interiors
• Innovations in the relative order of items in a construction procedure
• Innovations in the manufacturing process for residential and office furniture designed to make the furniture better adapted to individual needs
• Innovations in the maintenance of buildings, and the maintenance budget and its distribution over the lifetime of the building
• Innovations in public diagnosis of community centers and building complexes leading to the transformation of negatives into positives

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS:

• Low cost form work
• New types of masonry walls
• New types of vaults and ceilings
• New types of studwork and wood structure
• Plywood box beams and columns
• Gunite
• New types of cabinet and furniture
• New lights
• Built in furniture
• Dry stacked blocks
• Two stage black plate solar collector panels

Experience has taught me that these innovations lead to architectural and urban design solutions that support the dignity of the daily users of the spaces and at the same time saves the Owners time, energy and money, far beyond the costs of architectural and engineering services. In many projects I collaborate with engineering professionals of other disciplines to provide a wholly innovative and integrated architectural design and construction service, which also frequently engages with other architectural offices, city planners and civic leaders.