Craftsmanship
Attention to detail, patience, sensitivity to materials, perfectionism. These are all evident in the work of a craftsman, someone highly skilled in his or her trade. An artisan.
We always want our projects to embody high quality craftsmanship. As architects, we have limited control over those who will be building them. They are not working for us, and are not always of our choosing. Our drawings can prescribe certain finish qualities and can even require that the contractor have specific certifications or training, but they can’t require caring & sensitivity – perfectionism.
Our drawings are the medium through which we communicate to others, how a project is to be built. They are created with same level of craftsmanship and care that we expect the builder to employ in his or her work. Every line represents something, is intentional. The drawings are carefully organized for clarity. The lineweight to “make it read”, the arrangement and content of text, the alignment, groupings of information, arrangement of dimensions, leader lines, are all carefully considered to make the drawings more legible and easily understood. However, this is not tedious nor overly time consuming because it is done as a matter of habit.
Craftsmanship is part skill and part attitude. Work can be done haphazardly, or carefully. We can affect the attitude on the job site with our drawings. They set a standard of good work and caring. Once this attitude has been established, those who follow are more likely to follow this lead, not wanting to be the careless one.
So aside from the joy of craftsmanship that we feel when we “draw”, there is another higher purpose: we use our drawings to set the tone for a job, to show clearly that we value craftsmanship, that we too are craftsmen. We use them to convey that craftsmanship is an integral part of the project. We never have to state this. Our drawings by themselves communicate whether or not we care about what we are doing. Also, builders pay more attention to drawings that are prepared craftfully, and when they pay attention, they will build what is drawn.
Just as we notice the care with which a finish carpenter works, the finish carpenter notices the care with which we produce our drawings. The drawings convey that we have a mastery of our craft, as well as a mastery of the project. The builder and architect should work as a team, with mutual respect and professionalism, with concern for project quality.
The manner in which we present our work affects the work of others. The art of craftsmanship embodies all that we do.
(The ideas expressed here are a synopsis of an article, The Art of Craftsmanship, written by Donald Wardlaw AIA, published by The American Institute of Architects. We embraced the ideas put forth in the piece so whole-heartedly that the entire article is required reading for all new employees.)
