'Think before you build'. (Profile of the Week: Stephen N. Carter, AIA/NY, Founder the Carman Group LLC).When Stephen Carter founded The Carman Car´man n. 1. A man whose employment is to drive, or to convey goods in, a car or car. Group in 1992, he combined three key services into one package, i.e., project development, design and construction management. He brought skills routinely found in large commercial projects to the small business and residential markets. His credo, "Think Before You Build," emphasizes that every detail is addressed and reviewed. It is a singular approach to planning, design and construction that focuses on protecting and enhancing a client's assets. A skilled architect with 25 years of experience, Carter has worked for some of the country's most renowned firms, including I.M. Pei & Partners and Swanke, Hayden, Connell. But unlike so many of his architectural colleagues, he has always been fascinated by the actual construction process, and in 1988 he addressed this interest by accepting a position with Shears on Lehman/Herbert Construction as a Facility & Construction Manager. At the construction firm, he was responsible for pre-construction, estimating, scheduling, procurement, fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. , installation and tenant construction for such projects as Shearson Lehman Plaza and the High School for Performing Arts. "I thrive on the synergy of the design and construction processes," says Carter. "As an architect, I am always interested in the mechanics of construction and how my designs are being executed. As a project manager, I have a special insight into the intent of the design, and am able to communicate it to the construction team. "For example, some years ago I worked as the architect's representative for the Arthur As the Stadium. It was an amazing experience on how everything that could go wrong can be made right." "Most commercial and residential projects traditionally use a project manager or construction consultant to coordinate the work between architects, engineers, construction managers and subcontractors," he continues. "They are responsible for everything from cost management and RFP's through relocation. However, smaller projects are most often run by a hapless layperson lay·per·son n. A layman or a laywoman. Noun 1. layperson - someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person layman, secular . It somehow becomes responsibility of the office manager, homeowner, co-op shareholder, etc., to coordinate the efforts between the architect and the contractor -- which is a daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task even under the best circumstances." The Carman Group's role is to develop a "master plan" for its clients that determines a thorough scope of the work, creates effective design solutions relative to the client's needs and establishes budget and scheduling guidelines. By combining innovative planning, design and construction expertise, the firm builds its own designs and the designs of other professionals with whom it consults. It integrates both processes and can direct a project's progress from start to finish, while protecting the real estate investments of its clients. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , The Carman Group takes the heat. And that's okay, because the group's principal has quite a pedigree when it comes to both design and construction. Over the years, his projects have included Gilda's Club Gilda's Club, named in tribute to the late comic actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989, is a community meeting place for people living with cancer, their families and friends. There are 22 open clubhouses and nine in development in North America. , Yale University Yale University, at New Haven, Conn.; coeducational. Chartered as a collegiate school for men in 1701 largely as a result of the efforts of James Pierpont, it opened at Killingworth (now Clinton) in 1702, moved (1707) to Saybrook (now Old Saybrook), and in 1716 was School of Management, Smithsonian Institute's Dibner Library and Arthur Ashe Stadium Arthur Ashe Stadium, located in Flushing Meadows Park, is the main tennis stadium of the U.S. Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments. The stadium is also where the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day takes place. . His interior design work encompasses American Express American Express (NYSE: AXP), sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler's cheque businesses. Tower, Mobil Oil R&D Center and NBC Studios. He has also been involved with the restoration efforts at The Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty great symbolic structure in New York harbor. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : America Statue of Liberty perhaps the most famous monument to independence. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : Freedom and High School for Performing Arts. His work in the public sector includes Gracie Mansion Conservancy, New York Botanical Gardens and NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City School Construction Authority. More recently, Carter has been responsible for the design and construction management of new single-family houses in Litchfield, Conn., as well as offices and co-ops in Manhattan. A quiet man, he initially impresses you as a gentle scholar, yet his ability to communicate with construction workers at the end of a hard day is unmistakable. The breadth and scope of Carter 's expertise is unparalleled and so is ability to project the requirements of the building process. He understands the participants, he knows the codes and rules and, most importantly, he listens to his clients. The father of twins, he and his wife Connie, a stock analyst, reside in Manhattan. |
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