Wow! I picked up a copy of Contract Negotiations the other day and despite being in the middle of 5 or 6 other books, it is ythis one I keep returning to. Because of the casual tone and informal style reading it feels as much like a good conversation as a good read. Ive enjoyed her writing in the Handbook in the past, but here she has given ample room to explore the subjects more thoroughly and enjoyably. And Ava is able to sustain a level of high energy and interest throughout. Simply amazing to me, given what is usually treated as such a dry and reserved subject. I have a year old architecture practice in Chicago, teach at U of Illinois Chicago in the Architecture department, and wrestle every day with the issues you describe in the book, whether with owner/clients, my own employees or grad students. If I ever get to reach my dream of teaching professional practice (in addition to the current building science/design) in the coming years, I will certainly make this book required reading. Until then I will set to memory so much of the wisdom therein and spread the word amongst colleagues and clients. What a real joy, to involve myself in the rewarding conversation that is this book.
Wow. I picked up a copy of this book the other day and despite being in the middle of 5 or 6 other books, it is this one I keep returning to. Because of the casual tone and informal style, reading it feels as much like a good conversation as a good read. Ive enjoyed her writing in the Handbook in the past, but here Ava is given ample room to explore the subjects more thoroughly and enjoyably. And she is able to sustain a level of high energy and interest throughout. Simply amazing to me, given what is usually treated as such a dry and reserved subject. I have a year old architecture practice in Chicago, teach at U of Illinois Chicago in the Architecture department, and wrestle every day with the issues she describes in the book, whether with owner/clients, my own employees or grad students. If I ever get to reach my dream of teaching professional practice (in addition to the current building science/design) in the coming years, I will certainly make this book required reading. Until then I will set to memory so much of the wisdom therein and spread the word amongst colleagues and clients. What a real joy, to involve myself in the rewarding conversation that is this book.
I am not an architect, but I loved this book. It clearly laid out steps real people can take to negotiate tough problems -- whether construction-related or not. The chapter on communication skills and the one on dispute resolution alone were worth the price of the book. In fact, I would say, as a senior manager of a growing business, that anyone who seeks to accomplish anything important in any business would benefit from the information this book contains. It should be required reading for all.
