The week that was Sept 28 – Oct 2
Singapore, weekend 3 -4th October 2015
Monday 28th September, Singapore – A week to “breathe”…
There is a play of words here…as while yes I have a week of unexpected non-travel ahead due to project coordination meeting being pushed back to a later date giving me a week to breathe and get my teeth in some outstanding project design work, it is also a week in Singapore where breathing has become a real challenge with the haze reaching hazardous levels. While the air pollution standard index (PSI) is supposed to be less than 50 to be considered healthy, we have seen the PSI levels reach over the 300! It is a problem that has been plaguing Singapore ever since I have been here now well over 25 years and every year the government acts and reports as if it is something new. The truth is that the land burnings by multi-national companies in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, have so much commercial implications involving both governments that somehow over the last 40 years it has remained just verbal sparring rather than real action. In my memory I cannot remember any of those land owners in Indonesia ever been fined or their licence suspended for failing to stop the burning…Of course in Singapore protesting is not allowed other than somewhere on a field in a remote park (for which a licence needs to be obtained first!) so expressing anger to the government does not really happen…and so life of passive acceptance just goes on…
In the meantime I have dug myself into one of my “off road” projects, the stage lighting of a multi plenary theatre hall in Jakarta. Together with my specialist team we have developed the design of stage lighting to a high level of detailing providing the client (experienced mainly in TV Studio’s) with the information required to complete the architectural infra-structure of the performance venue. With a limited weight load available for truss suspension to the ceiling and a client insisting that they want air-conditioning systems in place over the stage area, we have a real challenge on our hands to distribute suspension and hoisting points over the ceiling. An interesting learning curve for all involved!
Tuesday 29th September, Singapore – Blossoming the design
One of my most challenging projects at the moment must be the preparation of a master lighting plan for a resort island (reminiscent of Dubai’s Palm Island) of the coast of Hainan in China. However this island has everything imaginable thrown on it; hotels, 7-star resorts, shopping malls conference centres, observation towers, spa’s, Disneyesque theme parks, water worlds, marina’s (did I miss anything?), oh yes and TV studio’s…I am in a joint venture with a Chinese design team for which communication seems to be the most challenging part. But scarier of all it now appears that the island itself has no real master concept itself other than that is has the shape of a flower. Yet we are required to develop a lighting master plan to fit in…how is that going to work? Anyhow never shy of a challenge we decided analysing what they have done and developed so far and work our way back ward to a master plan (reversed engineeringJ). We submitted a plan today but then found that the team thought it was too Chinese! They wanted a more international world approach….there was I thinking they wanted something to represent the Chinese culture…no of course not…it should be an internationally acclaimed Chinese Disney World of sorts…we went back to the drawing board and basically changed the narrative and a bit of the imagery while actually keeping the same storyline as the basics within this project remain the same…we are now on the same page! Xie-xie…
Wednesday 30th September, Singapore – When termination is good
We all end up in projects at times where regardless your skills or expertise it somehow does not click with your client. It is hard to know at the beginning when you start a project with a new client whether you are on a rosy or rocky path. Sometimes it can turn sour on small little details, miscommunication, misunderstanding or being on completely different wavelengths. As it happens this week we are signing out of 2 projects prematurely simply because we have not manage to come to a reconciliation with the clients desires or expectations in relation to our proposed deliverables both in time and service. We always set out to give our clients the best possible service, hopefully beyond their expectations, but unfortunately sometimes it does not work. I share this because no one is perfect and we have failures besides our successes. It is not always easy to decide to quit, as proud as we are, but sometimes it is better for the good of the project (and your own sanity!) to call it quits and accept that it does not work.
In the first case the client’s budget and their demands were nor compatible and trying to make it work only created more frustration on both sides, leading to the client withholding payments and subsequently us withholding our submissions and service…it died a natural dead culminating in an agreement to terminate our services. At least a proper settlement on the outstanding payments was reached.
In the other case, we should have seen it coming as it was not the first time we had worked with this organisation. The lure of high profile reference projects (as the previous one) made us decide to go for it again and initially it all started well. However along the way when we came to actual implementation suppliers and contractors started to fail us in a big way, but their combined political power pushed the blame time and again to us and with the project manager clearly under their “influence” it gradually became a losing battle. We have kept our professional attitude all along the way facing up to each challenge and issue, providing professional support as needed until completion of this stage. On the start of the second phase of our contract we mutually agreed to terminate our services and again were duly paid any balance outstanding.
For both projects we were sad to see it end, but on hindsight we are relieved and feel good. It has released us of a lot of negative energy, which we now focus on positive and stimulating projects!
Thursday 1st October, Singapore – Deal brokers
There are times when you wonder why you did not get a project when all communication and discussions pointed you to a positive outcome. Today I was reminded of how we lost some projects in a neighbouring country last year. We had met with the big boss, had made our presentations, had already been introduced to the architects, the interior designer and all seem to be set for an appointment only to suddenly die down with complete drying up of communication. Now the point I need to mention here is that we were introduced to this client by a supplier who told us they had very close relationships with the owner…we found out how close…
In our discussion with the supplier in question we had been made clear that it was a quid pro quo deal, we were being recommended under the understanding that we were to specify their products. I of course could not make such commitment but told them that of course if their products were suitable I would consider it. Anyhow we got to the owner made our presentation and reached an understanding on our fees. Where it went wrong is when the owner asked my expert opinion on a box full of light fittings that had been submitted for tender; innocently I obliged to show off my expertise. Little did I know however that all these fittings were actually from this same supplier and my harsh (but in my opinion truthful) comments ultimately did not help my cause.
As in so many projects in this region it turns out that there is a deal broker behind the consultant’s appointments that is driven by money…
Friday 2nd October, Singapore – Staying put
We often reach a stand-off situation in a project where we have our requirements for the lighting but the architect or the interior designer does not want to budge on their concept and riding their high horse to forcing you to adapt. While I am all for a coordinated and integrated approach and open to look for alternatives or acceptable compromises there are times where you have to stand put. Today I went to meet the Singapore based lead architects on one of our overseas projects to discuss a stand-off situation where the local architect was forcing our team into a lighting design direction that I felt would do little to achieve the desired lighting result shown on our approved renderings.
The main issue at hand was the location of the flood lights for the façade. To obtain the desired lighting effects the light fittings need to be located in the proper locations and on one side of the building this meant on top of the canopy. The architect and façade consultant kept saying that our floodlights were too bulky and also that it was not possible to mount them on to the façade or on top of the canopy. Away from the local team I met with the lead architect’s boss in Singapore today to discuss this. He quickly understood and agreed that either we do it right or we don’t do it at all and not soon thereafter had found a solution to integrate the floodlights into the canopy and façade. A potential stand-off was resolved in the shortest of time and he will take it upon him to inform the client of the decision…
The morale…yes we are team players, but draw the line and stay put when the quality of your design is in danger of being compromised…
Have a great weekend ahead, the week that was
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