Friday, July 3, 2009

Magellan had it wrong... the world IS flat

...at least in the eyes of developers.

Have you ever noticed the extent to which they will go to get a flat site? They'll often blast and chip and clear-cut sites and destroy any natural character so that they can pull a plan out of a tired, dog-earred book and plunk it on a site. Residential, commercial, or industrial development; it doesn't matter.

All in the name of making a quick buck.





Not only is this irresponsible and incredibly damaging to the environment but, ironically, its a colossal waste of money. Think of how much it must cost to use dynamite to blow up rock, excavate it, then truck it off or to hire a person to run an excavator and annoy neighbours with incessant pounding for two straight months. Wouldn't the developer be better off to invest that money into architectural and engineering fees and use the natural features of the site to their advantage? A well-designed building on an attractive site can easily warrant a higher resale value; isn't this what the developers are after? More profits?

If you don't believe me, listen to Bob Vila, the so-called "construction guru" and the person most apt to relate with developers. This article discusses all the benefits of investing in the right designers.

And who wants a site that is bland, boring, and devoid of trees and natural features anyway? Sure, developers will say that "this is what the market demands because this is what the market buys," but I'm of the opinion that there are few other developers offering anything else. We have few other choices!

Maybe developers prefer talking to excavators rather that architects? Or maybe they're afraid of losing control to the architect? I can't answer those questions but I am certain that their decision is costing them money because, given the choice, I am certain most people would chose the more interesting, natural site no matter who came to the decision, the architect or the developer.





Will developers ever learn? You know, to give people the choice they want while still making money? I'm doubtful; they've found a formula that has worked for the last fifty years and I'm not convinced they will change willingly. But as this world changes faster and moves toward a more sustainable future, developers will be forced to realize that the formulas must change, or that no one formula fits all circumstances. Better yet, if developers can't provide you want you want, become your own developer, hire your own architects and engineers, and show them how its done.


The concept is so simple that it almost sounds stupid, kind of like when Magellan proved that the world is round.

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