• Peanut butter & jelly…
• Sticks & stones…
• Laurel & hardy…

The preceding pairs are natural complements that just make sense. Few people challenge the ideal combination of well-balanced food, materials and comedy. But I’m here to reveal an equally powerful but lesser known pair that every architect and every person should know. <drumroll> My timeless pairing is architecture & m&ms.<cymbal clash>

I love architecture but any profession with this many players (design professionals, clients, lenders, realtors, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers) and this many moving parts (property, weather, fixtures, materials, selections) is sTrEsSfUl!

A design and construction champion learns to deal with stress. For some it’s a hot bath, a long walk, a massage, a good book or a favorite libation but my chosen stress-reliever is the healing power of melt-in-your-mouth, not-in-your-hand m&ms. [Mars owes me a stipend for the mention. 10 bags should do it]

One handful of these colorful crunchy candies absorbs stress so convincingly and completely that m&ms are #3 on my project supply list and a measurable performance metric.

Architecture Supply List:

1. Sketch marker
2. computer
3. m&ms

Every project employs metrics to evaluate design and construction performance:

Project Performance Metrics:

• –scope resolution: actual v. changes
• –budget compliance: budget v. final
• –schedule completion: proposed v. finished
• –m&ms consumed: completed bag count (also known as a “bagger“)

Here’s a few architecture and m&m case studies to illustrate my point.

Case Study 1: Flowers Anyone?

I distinctly remember the large landscape project where the struggling contractor pledged his devotion on Tuesday and subsequently removed all construction equipment on Wednesday never to be seen again. Despite a quick re-hire of a replacement contractor, that was a two-bagger.

Case Study 2: Blow Me Down

I shudder when I think about a set back two days before closing. The site work subcontractor rammed the back hoe through the new carport and flattened it. Double-shifts and a four-day delay prompted an m&m three-bagger.

Case Study 3: Push It!

Late in the construction document phase the client made a significant floor plan revision that affected slab, walls, roof and other major building systems. The extensive change delayed design completion 4-months creating a studio traffic jam. That was a 4-bagger supplemented with red wine because sometimes dark chocolate is not enough. If I experience many more of these, I’ll consider adding the bottler metric to my business plan next year.

M&ms helped me through those and other project hiccups. During my sugar bliss, I crafted a few m&m-inspired cliches.

“when the going gets tough, the tough gorge on m&ms”

“an m&m in the hand is worth two in the bag”

“it’s all fun and games until someone loses an m&m”

It’s all in a days work, but no matter the situation I survive as long as I have my friends:

architecture and m&ms.