The following is an interview I conducted on tour with Tile of Spain‘s Reign in Spain design competition. This FCNews blog post is a first-hand look at what is important to today’s designers and architects.
Bob Borson is an AIA, LEED AP and NCARB certified architect, as well as the 2009 Dallas AIA Young Architect of the Year. He also authors the highly trafficked blog LifeOfAnArchitect.com, that gets more than 60,000 visitors per month from over 180 countries.
Like other winners, Bob learned about the Reign in Spain competition in the social networking sphere. “Once I learned of the opportunity I thought I should submit my qualifications,” he said. “I was hoping to learn something, see new things, meet interesting people and come back with unique perspectives that would be of benefit to my clients.”
As an architect specializing in residential and light commercial work, he spends a considerable amount time with his clients getting to know them as individuals as well. “They know they can call me on Saturdays and that I will meet them after work. Working with their schedule makes designing a home an enjoyable experience for everyone. In addition to designing, I view my role in the creative process as a custodian of my client’s budget. I spend a lot of time listening because I need to understand and articulate what they want but don’t know how to communicate. Most people don’t spend a lot of time trying to understand why they like certain things and that’s what I spend most of my time on. He may like what she hates, but both people are my clients. Trying to find a way to bridge that gap is an important skill set that an architect needs to have.
“Attending Cevisama let me know that certain things exist. It’s not really my job to tell people what to do but I should know which options are available and present them with the facts. Slim tile was a product that I hadn’t seen before but I can imagine many applications that are beautiful, durable and cost effective. These are important considerations to all my clients.
“Part of the appeal of slim tile is the perceived value and potential uses. For example, tile could be used many ways in a firehouse, a commercial building that has a residential appearance on the inside and several similar programming needs; a kitchen, living room, bathrooms and bedrooms. We’ve used a [resilient] commercial roll product that was meant for the floor as a wainscoting previously and it held up really well. Because slim tile is so big and so thin it’s a cost effective option and I can use it in a non-traditional method. Additionally, you can install it over the existing materials so you don’t have to pay for demolition and tear down existing walls or new construction by installing a new substrate. I’m really excited to see the development of these large format tiles; the possibilities seem endless.”
-Emily (and Bob)