Most eyes are on the glamour and the celebrities at the biannual "New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week." Indeed, 7th on Sixth Inc., the nonprofit organization created to organize and produce these fashion shows, works hard to point the spotlights on the fashion models and designers.
But in the world of architecture, engineering, and construction, 7th on Sixth offers equally interesting lessons in logistics, organization, and sheer tenacity.
AGENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL CHANGE
Architecture students are told to consider issues of energy, environment, and occupant health as they learn to design. Yet the profession lacks a widespread tradition of evaluating buildings. Students rarely investigate actual buildings, conduct post-occupancy surveys, or evaluate the successes or failures of design ideas.
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD BUILDINGS
Most people in the construction industry have had this experience: Someone (a client, a guy at a cocktail party, your Aunt Ethel) asks, "Why can't you people build things the way you used to? Why do new buildings fall apart?"