Lessons Learned in Architectural Mishaps

An initiative developed by PAYETTE’s Jim Collins, Jr., the second annual Jim’s Challenge event tested our office to go out and find examples of architectural mishaps and the lessons learned. Architectural mishaps can be caused by wide range of circumstances from poor architectural design decisions to constructability issues.

“Over my long career, I have sadly been able to photograph endless numbers of these unfortunate events as it is extremely difficult to do a perfect building,” said Jim Collins. “What is particularly interesting is there are certain unfortunate events that reoccur through the generations, because most young architects seem to miss the same things their first time through the process. I hope the examples I show will provide an opportunity for you, in your long careers, to make a few less mistakes than I have made in mine.”

The rules were simple. We needed to go out and document architectural mistakes found in our surroundings. The entries were then presented to the office where our esteemed jury went through the submissions and awarded prizes to the top three entries.

Third Place: “Luxury” Condos

Submitted by Elizabeth Cox, the lesson learned for this image is to elevate every façade and measure from grade.

Second Place: Ice Ice Baby

Submitted by Justin Miller, the photo shows a newly renovated kitchen area which designed space for an under-counter ice machine. However, the specifications had the wrong machine and an on-counter model was installed. Now the ice is bagged from the machine and placed in the pull out freezer next to the machine for those who cannot bend over or sit down to get ice from the machine.

First Place: Sink vs. Faucet Alignment

Submitted by Christian Blomquist, the alignment issue of the sink and faucet, shown in the photo above, occurred on every floor the luxury residential building located in Washington DC. The sink issue has since been fixed by the contractor, but this could have been easily prevented and a lesson learned for how small details can affect the overall project.

The second annual Jim’s Challenge was a successful and educational event, and we will continue to challenge ourselves to identify and prevent architectural mishaps.