By Jean Dufresne
Most of us know that a big part of our time is spent educating our clients about architecture, construction, government processes and the like. It is our way of showcasing our value to the project, illustrating our passion for the art of architecture, as well as valuable time spent establishing a deeper trusting relationship with the client. We all have developed, over time, an ability to translate the complicated and at times perplexing into the understandable and clear, through a better knowledge of our client’s language and vernacular. I often find that a great source of clarity and simplicity are children’s books. Besides how much I love them for myself, I find that they inspire ideas and provide basic and universal terminology (as well as presentation) of sometimes fairly complex conditions.
If you can explain it to a child, you can explain it to anyone. My current favorites are Sky High, written by Germano Zullo and illustrated by Albertine (Chronicle Books) and Iggy Peck, Architect, by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. They are often more fun than educational, but always beautifully illustrated.
Do you have a favorite book you would recommend?
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