The Omaha Bugle Tours the World of Architecture With Noted Architectural Designer Richard Forbes

The Omaha Bugle-Global News Network

Adam and Jeff infuse a little culture into the Omaha Bugle by talking with Virginia-based architect Richard Forbes, well-known designer to the stars. In their usual hard-hitting style that has endeared them to millions of listeners, Adam and Jeff ask Richard if he is related to the publisher Steve Forbes. They also talk about the ways in which architects are trained and how they differ from engineers, pointing out that both carry a heavy burden because one miscalculation can mean the difference between a building that stands for hundreds of years and one that collapses the following weekend and results in all of the underlings not related to the CEO being fired. Richard recalls some of his more interesting jobs for his wealthier (and, sometimes, more eccentric) clients. Richard also talks about the clients who ask about restoring colonial-era properties to their original grandeur, unaware of the fact that this means living in candle-lit homes lacking electricity or plumbing which can burn down in a matter of minutes. Richard does provide an update on the Leaning Tower of Pisa which has apparently been stabilized, pointing out that the engineers on that job never intended to straighten the Tower up because that would have ruined the Pisa tourist trade. Richard also offers his views as to why homes are so expensive and possible ways that costs for new home-buyers can be cut--aside from moving back in with Mom and Dad. Finally, Jeff asks Richard to discuss how medieval builders managed to construct the Cathedral of Notre Dame, given the absence of cranes or mechanized equipment of any kind. He also asks Richard's advice as to how best to proceed in building a full-scale replica of the Cathedral of Notre Dame on his front lawn--due to his concerns about the bossy homeowners' association even though there is nothing in the documents that prohibits the construction of a gothic cathedral.