Establishing a perfect concrete project, or art piece, starts with understanding the people involved with a project, and what one's part is. Every project has its key players, and those players, as controlling as they might try to be, are dictated to by the progress of the project itself.

     The project always has the shadow of the owner, even though he might not be on hand all the time, he has a vision of the way the project should look at its completion. The General Contractor has the responsibility of completing the project within a time frame and on budget, so his focus is usually in the area of orchestrating all the subcontractors to work together towards that goal. The architects and designers common goal is to create a finished product based on the clients vision. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to design towards the dreams of the client, and to feel confident that an application specialist will go the distance, and have the knowledge to achieve that dream.

     There are two main relationships that are present in any given project - the relationships with both the architect and designer. The architect is more interested in the nuts and bolts, load bearing values, thickness, weights, UV, and ADA issues. They have a tremendous amount of liability on a given project. Designers are interested in creating atmosphere through design. The projects success is in direct relationship with the ability to communicate with both the architect and the designer, knowing their needs may differ, but the common goal remains- achieving complete client satisfaction.

     As an example, imagine a small table at an outdoor caf. The designer can tell you the size and color of the table, the color and texture of the fabric draped over the table. They can describe the floral arrangement, the placement, size and color of the table settings; they will even predict the aroma the coffee that is given off from their specialized containers.

     The architect, on the other hand, will see the table with a structural eye. Items such as how the table is supported, the height of its legs, and the thickness of the table are important to the architect. The architect will describe the size of the dishes, the heights of the glasses, as well as the way that they can be arranged. An architect sees things with a structural concern.

     The table, like in all projects, needs the architect as well as the designer. Its our duty, when working with a designer, to compassionately convey the structural requirements during the design process, while at the same time taking into consideration the design aspects when speaking to the architect regarding structural concepts.

     When we are brought into a project, and we get the general idea of the desired concept, it is our responsibility to assess the variables that may need to be dealt with to conceive a complete correlation between the design and the structural requirements. The method in which we convey this communication to the key players is of the utmost importance. The areas that need to be communicated can be broken down into 5 basic questions:

1. Which products and methods will need to be utilized?
2. Are there any time factors that need to be considered?
3. What are the cost factors and what do they involve?
4. Are there any other issues or concerns?
5. How are the options made available to deal with any or all of these concerns?

     Finding the proper application specialist is the key to unlocking any architectural design. A short checklist might help. This checklist might be:

1. Do you feel that after speaking with the specialist that these people have a similar passion for the project as you do?
2. How does the specialist communicate?
3. Do these specialists have the ability to complete a detailed project, as well as orchestrate a significant labor force to achieve your end concept(s)?
4. How long has this company maintained their current license while maintaining complete customer satisfaction?
5. Does this company have the necessary experience to achieve the end goal? Have they done similar type projects?

     Lets take a hypothetical project, where the client wants a decoratively finished concrete floor. This project consists of a two-story building. The main floor is the existing concrete slab. There is a wood staircase connecting the second floor, which has a movable deck made up of lightweight concrete.

     This finish needs to have a consistent flow from beginning to end. However, each of these pre-existing conditions needs to be assessed on its own merit when considering the type and the method of application to be used to achieve that flow. There is a balance the professional must address in the relationship between the structural integrity and the cosmetic demand. The easiest method to achieve this is to set a standard so all the players can openly communicate regarding all options so as to achieve the best finish with the best budget.

     Instead of the proverbial poker game that takes place at the beginning of this process, wouldnt it more beneficial to all parties involved if the "game" were to be played "open handed"? People dont realize that when dealing with an artist that the "game" should be played differently. Keep in mind, that when a proposal is asked to be lowered, that the profit structure usually stays the same. The product is usually substituted for a lesser grade, or less labor will be used, and either one will inevitably compromise the end product.

     Too many times, a project is left to an applicator that does not have the experience that pertains to one or more products or application methods. This is where experience and the knowledge of both the products and their applications outweigh the manufacturers warranties and exclusions. The owner is on their own when it comes to those warranties especially if they do not have a contractor that will stand behind their work.

     Material suppliers will only tell you the benefits about their products and rarely will they explain the defects. Any and all issues with material defects will be named as an installation error. This way the manufacturer can always find ways to decrease their liability. All of these issues boil down to experience and trustworthiness of the application specialist.

     The last question that needs to be asked is, which products perform better in a given circumstance in relationship to other less proven materials within the same circumstance? Not one manufacturer makes the best product that will work in all cases. It is up to the specialist to bring to the table a diverse knowledge of products and applications along with methods that can be utilized in various scenarios.

     We hope this sums up the relationship that the project has towards its players. It is with subservience and passion that we urge you to consider the way you view these relationships on your next project.