THE LEGACY OF BILL CAUDILL AND CRS

Most architects are acutely conscious of the long-term significance of their buildings. Few are as conscious of the long-term significance of their corporate culture. For more than 40 years, Caudill, Rowlett and Scott (CRS) operated as one of the most innovative architectural-engineering firms of its time, developing architecture as a product and, perhaps more importantly, as a process. Recently, the CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry held a conference at Texas A&M University to explore the impact and legacy of CRS. Next week, ArchitectureWeek's assistant editor Katharine Logan will explain some of the secrets of their success.

RICHARD DATTNER: MASTER ARCHITECT

Richard Dattner has spent most of his career swimming upstream, against the tide of architectural fashion. When he opened his New York practice in the 1960s, he designed playgrounds, housing projects, and some light industrial buildings. When federal funding began to dry up and most architects abandoned the public sector, his firm remained committed to public work. Few of those who continued to specialize in public facilities pursued them with the same ambition; hardly any have tackled projects on such a wide variety of scales and types. Next week we'll look at a sample of his work from a new monograph in the Master Architect series.

THE WIZARD'S APPRENTICE

Of the many ways software developers have attempted to harness computing power in the service of facilities management, few functions have been so elusive as tracking internal work orders. No wonder, considering the difficulties of merging the world of dust-sensitive electronics and sophisticated databases with the grimy world of hammers, ladders, and leaking pipes. Now Archibus, one of the world's leading computer-aided facilities management software developers, showcases two approaches to the problem. One of them puts rugged, accessible handheld devices in the hands of the craftsmen, creating the vital link between the actual work and its timely reporting.