Myth Busted: Documents from Architect are not Direct Contractor Instructions

The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice explicitly addresses the limited content of the architect’s drawings this way: “It is important that all parties understand that construction documents are not intended to be a complete set of instructions on how to construct a building. Construction means, methods, techniques, sequences, procedures, and site safety precautions are customarily assigned as responsibilities of the contractor to give the contractor full latitude in preparing bids and carry out the construction phase.”

2019 Posts: A Year in Review

As we begin a new year, it is important to take a retrospective look at the previous one. We celebrate the high points and learn from the low. Happy New Year to our readers. We thank you for your continued support and can’t wait to read what 2020 has in store for Blueprint South Dakota and the architecture community. So, in case you missed it, here are the highlights from 2019.

Avera Addiction Care Center – Architect as Owner Representative

Within the last two weeks, Avera has started receiving patients at the newly constructed 32-bed inpatient addiction care facility located near the Avera Specialty Hospital on 69th St. and Louise Ave. in Sioux Falls. This 2-building facility has been completed in a time of need as our communities start to more openly discuss and address…

A Debt to LEGO

When CNN (or any other mainstream news agency) shares something about architecture, I’m always interested. This was an nice “fluffy” find this weekend: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/lego-architecture-design/index.html I’m one of those architects who owe a debt to LEGO for sparking and fostering a curiosity about the built environment from an early age. This sentiment is fairly pervasive in…

2019 AIA SD Merit Award – Farmhouse Bistro – JLG Architects

For decades, a series of dilapidated farm structures on a rolling farmstead along Spearfish Creek defined quintessential rural Americana. When the original owner demolished the buildings and listed the property for sale, the new owner, Merideth Pangburn-Walker, decided to use the opportunity to create a restaurant that reflected the fondly-remembered old farmstead in both structure…