Professionals, Cheats and Mercenaries 4

One of the growing fields of engineering is architecture. This branch of knowledge has created engineering marvels in building design and construction to benefit man and society. It has imparted aesthetic features much to the appreciation and admiration by all. Many architects have enhanced the utility of the product of their creation. They have incorporated the best features and advantages of the environment in which such construction takes place.These structures provide ventilation and lighting facilitating free flow of light and air to the benefit of all occupants.

However, partial quackery infiltrates into the profession and gains ascendancy. With its entry the profession becomes too commercial and the needs of the client are given a wrong twist and often partly ignored.

Sometimes remodeling of existing structures is suggested. Location of toilet and kitchen is interchanged much against the wishes of the client. What the architect says is the dictum. The client is helpless. He has fallen into the architect's clutches and sunk substantial money.

Unnecessary frills are suggested in the name of symmetry and architectural beauty. Thus cost becomes high. The fee of the architect is not based on time but on the size of the outlay. So there is built in design and need to raise the outlay. Some adventurous architects even seek the services of associates, often pseudo with doctorate in quackery, and engage them. They openly ask whether they would be willing to compromise with viability of the project and certify its viability even if it is not really viable. They welcome a study report even if a project is not viable for there is lot of money. Financial requirements are inflated and a cushion is made available for siphoning.

These costs are high and are affordable only for the rich. The latter don't mind paying them heavily because violations of norms of statutory agencies will be ably circumvented by the special capabilities of the architects to which the ordinary client has no access or expertise. They do the work on turn key basis thus saving all headaches for the client. They engage specialists in kickbacks and cuts who charge big money for big projects. Of course they get things done expeditiously. Violations of building rules are no problem with such architects. The heaviness of the dollar bundle over weighs everything. Delayed delivery of client building is always met with excuses and the agreements are always in their favor.

Cost escalation is carefully covered under some pretext.Defrauding by disappearance from the scene when loss begins to stare at them, is not rare. . To re-do the work it costs double the original amount. Litigation follows and the court takes another decade to establish rightful ownership. A new architect enters the field and he finds that lot of space has been wasted.

There is distortion of priorities. To illustrate, during serious discussion of a dairy project for setting up 300000 liters milk processing capacity, engineers and architects are engaged in a discussion. The question of completing the project in time and creating a good image before the public is examined. The architect harps on setting up of a lily pond but the management is not sure about its relevance and utility. Finally finding the discussion going off the track, one of the sane members emphatically says that to attract the public they should be convinced that here is a plant that can supply uninterruptedly good milk at low cost. The wisdom of the sensible man prevails and the idea of wasting space on a lily pond is dropped.

In another case a client places full faith in the architect for designing and execution of a tourist resort project costing five million dollars. He incurs 20% of the project cost only to find that half the structures are badly damaged and partly washed away during monsoon by the invading sea. The location is such that it is susceptible to sea invasion during monsoon though the sea line recedes 800 meters during summer. This fact is not highlighted in the discussion with the client before purchase of the land .The client loses whereas the architect gains from the commission on land purchase and profits on wasted design and construction. The project is abandoned as sunk cost. The land is unsuitable. The land and structures are eaten away by the waves. It it too late when the client realizes that he has been trapped by a sophisticated quack posing as an architect. He abandons the project in disgust.(To be continued)