Contractors, architects and engineers

[Madman]

After reading Steven Large's topic on bridges, I remebered the following. So, instead of hyjacking his post I thought that it should go here.

An architect, it is said, is a man who knows a lot about very little.
An engineer, it is said, is a man who knows alittle about a very lot.
A contractor, on the other hand, is a man who starts out knowing a lot about everything. However, due to his association with architects and engineers, ends up knowing a very little about nothing.

 

[Zerogee]

After reading Steven Large's topic on bridges, I remebered the following. So, instead of hyjacking his post I thought that it should go here.

An architect, it is said, is a man who knows a lot about very little.
An engineer, it is said, is a man who knows alittle about a very lot.
A contractor, on the other hand, is a man who starts out knowing a lot about everything. However, due to his association with architects and engineers, ends up knowing a very little about nothing.

Heheh!
My late father was an architect; a couple of his favourites were:

"Doctors bury their mistakes; architects have to live in theirs."

and the old joke:

One day, God and Satan meet for a chat over the fence that separates Heaven from Hell. God remarks that the fence is getting a bit rickety, and could do with replacing. Satan says "well, I'm not doing it - the posts are on your side, so it's your job!" God thinks for a bit, and then says "well, it'll need an architect to design the new one, a quantity surveyor to work out the materials, and some contractors to build it... so you're going to HAVE to do it, we've not got any of them up here...."

Jon.

 

[beavercreek]

One day, God and Satan meet for a chat over the fence that separates Heaven from Hell. God remarks that the fence is getting a bit rickety, and could do with replacing. Satan says "well, I'm not doing it - the posts are on your side, so it's your job!" God thinks for a bit, and then says "well, it'll need an architect to design the new one, a quantity surveyor to work out the materials, and some contractors to build it... so you're going to HAVE to do it, we've not got any of them up here...."

Jon.

When I was younger I wanted to be an architect but although I do like looking at good architecture, but I am glad that I grew up trying to make peoples lives more liveable, not putting them into little badly designed boxes that I wouldn't live in!

 

[vsmith]

Dan as an member of the architectural community I can tell you you have it backwards

An architect, it is said, is a man who knows almost nothing about everything.
An engineer, it is said, is a man who knows almost everything about nothing.
A contractor, on the other hand, is a man who starts out knowing everything about anything. However, due to his association with architects and engineers, ends up knowing a nothing about everything.
the core of this is that artichokes have to know basicly every other trades job so we can point out where they screwed up during construction
where engineers who only worry about the basic structure and once the basic structure is built dissappear never to be seen on the jobsite until the ribbon cutting and they get free cake.

Nothing to clarify about contractors, that part never changes :wits:

 

[trammayo]

It must be different in the States Vic. In the British Isles, architects are good at drawing but miss out the details and leave it to the builder and engineer to sort out

 

[steven large]

hey up.....im ere!im watching u MADMAN! lol lol lol lol lol....... cant con us from uk..lol..

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Reminds me of a joke about a chemist, an engineer, and mathematician stranded on a desert island. A crate of canned food had washed ashore, and they were trying to decide how to open the cans.

The chemist said, "We can simply place the can in a shallow pool of salt water, and it will rust away."

The engineer said, "That's too slow! We can just drop it from the palm tree onto a rock. I just have to figure out how high it needs to be, and the correct striking angle..."

The mathematician shook his head and said, "I have a MUCH more elegant solution. First, we assume a can opener..."

 

[Madman]

Reminds me of a joke about a chemist, an engineer, and mathematician stranded on a desert island. A crate of canned food had washed ashore, and they were trying to decide how to open the cans.

The chemist said, "We can simply place the can in a shallow pool of salt water, and it will rust away."

The engineer said, "That's too slow! We can just drop it from the palm tree onto a rock. I just have to figure out how high it needs to be, and the correct striking angle..."

The mathematician shook his head and said, "I have a MUCH more elegant solution. First, we assume a can opener..."

That's why I did poorly in high school with math. I could never get the assume part. Too abstract. Then, once I entered the work place as a structural detailer, it came to me like I knew it all of my life. Then as a carpenter, it all came together.

 

[Madman]

It must be different in the States Vic. In the British Isles, architects are good at drawing but miss out the details and leave it to the builder and engineer to sort out

It used to be that architects would make beautifully detailed drawings. Embellished with all sorts of fancy lettering and details. As my career was coming to an end, I was lucky if I could find a dimension. The boiler plate answer, from architects, was "Architects intent". They loved to use that when something didn't look quite like there drawings. Or should I say "Intentions".

 

[KeithT]

After reading Steven Large's topic on bridges, I remebered the following. So, instead of hyjacking his post I thought that it should go here.

An architect, it is said, is a man who knows a lot about very little.
An engineer, it is said, is a man who knows alittle about a very lot.
A contractor, on the other hand, is a man who starts out knowing a lot about everything. However, due to his association with architects and engineers, ends up knowing a very little about nothing.

Heheh!
My late father was an architect; a couple of his favourites were:

"Doctors bury their mistakes; architects have to live in theirs."


Jon.

There is a slight variation on this
"Doctors bury their mistakes but architects and planners build theirs"

I trained as an architect and a planner!!!!!!!!!!!!&:&:&: