Archi-speak

Deciphering the prattle the comes from many bosses in general is an art. Architects are no different if not worse in this case (although I am probably being overly sympathetic to my own cause here) where drivel is ceremoniously siphoned onto the masses/colleagues/living things in general, expected to be raised up on podiums and worshippd by the masses.

For instance:

Your Boss: I want you to design something ICONIC.
You: (thinking) cool. Iconic= something edgy, something with a statement. Rah rah rah.
Man on the street: Eiffel tower?

What boss really means: I want you to copy and paste some existing stuff we did 5 years ago and add 'feature wall' yes yes, a 'feature wall' which will 'feature' a..a.. coat of red paint.
You: uh huh...
He/she says: Oh and a giant sony/JVC/Panasonic billboard to top it off. Yup.
You: (thinking) Riighhtt so not ICONIC, but totem pole brandishing all that you are against to shaft the city in its bottom. Why didn't you say so? I'll go and scratch my eyes out now.

Boss: I want something to give the building place.
You think: Oh man loads of research to do now.. must understand place+people.
Man on Orchard Road: Oh like a mosque/temple/church? Something colonial??
What boss means: Yank some details off some local 'traditional'architecture and use this gaffa tape to strap it together saturate the area with Disney-esque colours and lights and bobs your uncle.
You think: Lord help me.

Am off to find glass eye replacement now. xxw