ZULUETA ARCHITECTURE

I went for a completion field review for an A & W Restaurant project and I thought that this project did quite well, despite the usual hair pulling and teeth gnashing that go with any construction project. I faced some comments with the City – there is one whole side that is fire rated. Not that anyone would notice it. A & W updated their look – white exterior metal cladding, a darker aluminum panel, glass tiles on the washrooms, the bright interiors  and nuances on the colors. It looks fresh and I believe it serves the purpose of bringing people in. Aside from the juicy burger I suppose. I gently asked from the client if there was any more work coming- and the reply I got is that fast food places like these rely on the drive-thru to generate revenue. Apparently it’s difficult to get the drive thru approved. These fast foods places rely heavily on the drive thru for revenue.  If I remember correctly, 60% of the revenue comes from the drive thru.  If the drive thrus do not g

I went for a  site review for a Building improvement project to check on its compliance and completion. The story behind this project was the  client went ahead on improvements without having the proper permits. At the end of the day, all the improvements that were done to this building were removed. It was too costly to bring the building up to Code to justify and  retain those improvements. Needless to say, it was a long and difficult process for everyone.  My advice to anyone who is thinking of constructing without permits-   Do not even think about it . It is a very painful journey that is not going to be worth it in the end. ******************************************************************************* www.zuluetaarchitecture.com

I took my girls to the neighborhood playground and I noticed the play “tree”.   It’s a play equipment that takes after a tree and it rotates thru pushing it on its side. I saw a few kids on the tree playing, 4 or 5 older kids, a smaller child wearing Spiderman and a young girl. They were all laughing and playing unabashedly with each other.   At that moment, they were connecting with each other so freely. No concept of color, gender or age, just play. I myself have been to the playground a couple of times and never talked to any of the parents, never made an attempt to relate to anyone else.         I thought the image of the Play Tree was such a beautiful sight. To realize that it works, is even more amazing. ********************************************************** www.zuluetaarchitecture.com