By James Dougherty, Managing Principal – Alaska
jdougherty@rimarchitects.com

DATE PUBLISHED: Aug 3, 2021 

When some people think of architects, they think of beautiful public-facing facilities that alter the skyline and aesthetic of cities and universities. Few architects are responsible for these visions that form our society’s collective history. Most architectural firms are busy with smaller, yet important, problem-solving services.

There is a good deal of misinformation, or myths, surrounding what services the architect provides, if not high-profile project design. Our intent is to dispel these myths and help guide potential clients in understanding what services the architect can provide.

Myth #1: Your projects are recognized and award‐winning; you must be very expensive.

While it is true that an architect’s advice is not free, what may not be common knowledge is that architect fee structures are very similar throughout the industry. However, while the hourly billing rate may be similar, what a given architect can do in that hour may vary widely.  

Expertise and ability should be the guiding factors in choosing services. An architect who specializes in a certain building type or process will know countless time-saving details, flattening the learning curve and providing greater efficiencies in problem solving. For this reason, high stakes clients like the federal and state government, universities, and larger entities that spend millions annually on buildings, select their architects on qualifications, rather than price, saving you money in the end.  

Myth #2: My project is too small for you to consider.

What problem is too small to be solved effectively? Problem-solving and expert advice don’t “scale” with a problem’s magnitude. The experience gained from exposure to a variety of complex issues is exactly what makes the architect’s experience relevant. Whether the project is large or small, the knowledge gained can be leveraged every day, with everyday challenges. 

Myth #3: I don’t need a professional for my type of problem. I have a friend.

The title “architect” has spread like wildfire throughout the business world. For example, there are “healthcare plan architects”, “software architects”, and even “solution architects”. The title of “architect” is applied to imply a broad understanding of complex systems. 

A real architect has gone through rigorous training, an internship, and passed a nine-part exam. A registered architect knows much more about how to identify, plan, and solve your issues than a client’s “friend”. 

Myth #4: I prefer the simplicity of a “one stop shop” approach to professional services. RIM just provides architectural services. How can I keep track of all the various disciplines necessary?

We hear this a lot. Well-trained architects are experienced in coordinating information from other professionals engaged in a project. What distinguishes RIM’s approach is that we select project team members based on the unique challenges of the project to ensure the work is suited to the client’s needs. We provide a single point of contact for the client—usually the project manager—to help ensure simplicity. 

Sometimes Less is All You Need

Our goal is to become our client’s trusted design partner, building relationships as well as bricks and mortar. While not every client is in the market for a sparkling new building, we want to surprise our clients with other ways we can add value through partnership and collaboration. 

Some lesser-known services that RIM can offer clients include the following:

• Fixing leaky roofs, windows, and walls
• Addressing mold issues
• Roof/wall, or window replacement
• Re-stacking a business for better efficiency
• Promotional brochures
• Branding
• Energy-efficiency audits
• Noise, vibration troubleshooting
• Custom furnishings
• Building management
• Corrosion control
• Feasibility and environmental impact studies and site selection studies

DATE PUBLISHED: APR 1, 2021 

Regions with Highest and Lowest Number of Registered U.S. Architects

Through its annual Survey of Architectural Registration Boards in June 2020, NCARB found that California leads the country with the highest number of total architects (both resident and reciprocal licensure-holders) with 21,528 people. While the number of architects continues to grow, the smallest number of architects practicing today is in Guam (99) and the Northern Mariana Islands (39).

RIM Architects is fortunate to have registered architects in each of these regions (California, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands) as well as Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

RIM’s Guam Office Is Very Active

In an article written for the Marianas Business Journal, Maureen Maratita, Journal Staff, wrote: “There are not many businesses that prosper in Guam and are then able to export their skills to elsewhere in the U.S. RIM Architects is one of them, with offices in Guam, Hawaii, Alaska and California. CEO David L. McVeigh, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska, was in Guam from 1988 to 2000, and at the forefront of the group’s development.”

McVeigh commented, “We started the company in 1986 and I was one of the original hires. In Guam — where Brent L. Wiese is the managing principal — all staff have been with RIM for more than a decade. Close to 40% of its total staff have been with RIM for more than a decade. “We’ve been really fortunate to have staff that believe in us, that like our culture, our work environment; they stay with us quite a while—particularly in Guam.”

The Guam office has always had a lot of resort work, he added. “We’ve probably touched most of the hotels on Tumon Bay.” Most recently, RIM was the Guam Partner of Record for the Tsubaki Tower and heavily involved. “We worked with the architect [in Japan] to do all the design drawings and the construction administration, and to get it permitted.” McVeigh said. “It’s a beautiful building and a great first-class addition to Guam’s inventory,” he said.

“Top Guam projects include the $44-million design-build MACC task order awarded in early August to the Black Construction Corp.-Tutor Perini joint venture for ordnance facilities at Naval Base Guam; the $180-million Tsubaki Tower in Tumon in Guam, for which RIM was the Architect of Record; and Isa Villas affordable housing on Capitol Hill in Saipan.

Other work in the Mariana Islands includes school retrofits and additions in Saipan and two projects in Guam and one in Saipan for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints.

McVeigh said he is proud of his time in Guam. “I feel it had a lot to do with where I am today.”

To read the full article, please click here: https://www.mbjguam.com/2020/09/07/architectural-firm-draws-on-skills-to-develop-broad-business/

DATE PUBLISHED: APR 1, 2021 

Architectural Preservation on the Big Island in Hawaii

Paula de la Cruz interviews Eric Nelson of RIM Architects in her recent podcast. In it, she explores the significance and challenges of renovating Hawaii’s Big Island projects including the Mauna Lani Resort and the historic Volcano House (shown here).

Note: Paula de la Cruz is a botanical artist and writer based in New York. A link to her entire podcast episode follows: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paloola/id1539854570#episodeGuid=1b442423-aa5f-4adb-b2f5-b078580194aa

When Should I Remove Snow from My Roof?

by Scott Bohne, AIA, NCARB, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP

DATE PUBLISHED: APR 1, 2021 

Occasionally, we are asked “When is the right time to remove snow from my roof?” Unfortunately, this is a difficult question to answer. It depends on the amount of snow and the amount of snow drifting your roof is experiencing. It also depends greatly on the water content of the snow. New snow may be very dry, light, and fluffy. Old snow may begin to break down and consolidate. Think of the snow like a sponge. If the weather warms and we get rain, the snow absorbs that water.

How much does snow weigh?

The weight of snow may vary between 5 and 20 pounds per cubic foot depending on the density and water content. You must also consider the depth of the snow drift that may occur on your roof. Winds may deposit large quantities of snow around changes in roof elevation.  The total weight being applied to your roof is not only determined by the amount of snow that falls, but also the snow that drifts on the roof.

Another factor may be whether your roof has been holding or shedding the accumulated snow. Snow accumulation on a metal roof with good slope may be minimal. An asphalt shingle roof with minimal slope, or a low slope roof, may hold all the snow that falls and drifts on it. Ice is very heavy. An ice dam forming at your roof eave weighs 57 pounds per cubic foot, (4.75 pounds per inch of thickness). The water forming behind the ice dam may weigh 5.2 pounds per inch of thickness. Ice dams may not only exceed the load capacity of your roof, they may also lead to rotted plywood. Those pretty icicles are an indicator that your roof has an ice damming problem.

Scott Bohne, a Principal in the Anchorage office, brings 40 years of architectural experience. He has taught roofing on the university level and heads RIM’s Specifications Department and Exterior Thermal Envelope Studio, which emphasizes roofing repairs and replacements.

DATE PUBLISHED: APR 1, 2021 

Mauna Lani Receives Multiple Industry Awards

The Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection is the recipient of the best Hotel Renovation and Restoration project by AHEAD, the Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design. The AHEAD Awards (www.aheadawards.com) recognizes exceptional design in all forms and the guest experiences created in hospitality projects worldwide. RIM Architects served as Architect of Record, Hart Howerton served as Design Architect, and Meyer Davis provided Interior Design for this award-winning renovation project.

DATE PUBLISHED: APR 1, 2021 

Sustainability and the Impact of COVID 19

While the challenges presented by COVID 19 have been unprecedented, RIM’s Sustainability Group would like to highlight some of the positive sustainable outcomes we have witnessed within our firm. While it’s easy to understand how RIM’s carbon footprint has drastically decreased with less commutes to the office, less business travel, and a hunker down lifestyle, we were surprised to learn how our office supply use changed.

A few data estimates from each of our locations are described below. 

• Alaska’s office ordered 75% less supplies than budgeted for in 2020.
• Hawaii’s office ordered 65% less supplies than 2019.
• Guam’s office supply purchases were down 50% compared to 2019.
• Tustin’s office supply usage is at 10% of their normal consumption.
• San Francisco’s paper printing has gone down 95% on documents due to use of Bluebeam Revu.
• Travel expenses for the Results Group saw a 69% decrease in 2020.

As we slowly return to the office and into the new normal or continue to work from home, how do we plan to improve our sustainable practices? Our accounting department in Hawaii has made an effort to go paperless with the majority of their files. Working from home without a printer has forced many of our staff to learn to use technology for redlines and other day-to-day office tasks. RIM intends to continue the trend of reducing our footprint in 2021 and beyond.