I really enjoyed last week's "Integrative Solutions Jam - Getting Better Materials Into Projects". Thanks BuildingGreen for setting that up. One of the great parts were the break out groups, where 4 of us could dig into various topics more deeply.
We got into a conversation about circularity and material re-use and Laura Soma with Gly Construction had some really great info and tips. Contractors have a totally different view of the building process obviously, we know that, but if we can tap into that knowledge, can we all be better Architects, create better document sets and end up with better buildings? And can contractors learn something by talking to all of us, or are we just too totally annoying?
This all made me think that maybe we need to set up some meet ups where we can ask contractors questions, bounce ideas off, and get a better understanding of how to meet ALL of our end goals. We could struture them around some basic topics - circularity - what works, what doesn't work, would be a great place to start.
Maybe we could set up some "spend some time with (fill in the blank)". Three contractors, or Mechanical engineers, or structural engineers, or spec writers (HA-what fun!) could do a quick intro and then we could start asking questions, discussing back and forth.
Maybe we would all learn a little something.
Anybody in?