“magister operis” is Latin for “master of the works”. magister = master operis = operations |
Traditionally the “magister operis” was the person hired by the king, queen, lord, bishop, or baron to assume the role of master builder for the many palaces, cathedrals, country houses, mansions, chateaux, and monumental buildings that were constructed over hundreds of years in Europe. A magister operis usually had first-hand and intimate knowledge of jobsite workings that he acquired from many years of hands-on site experience (as a master carpenter and/or master mason). Sometimes the magister operis assumed the role of architect, but many times the magister operis worked hand-in-hand with the architect. A magister operis understands that if you can’t build it, then you will surely encounter great difficulty correctly drawing something the more the project increases in complexity and expenditures. And at the same time, if one cannot correctly draw something, correctly how can one have the knowledge to build something without “trial-and-error” techniques? |
Due to the fact that the magister operis was not necessarily a designer, although indeed a master builder, many times it was the magister operis’ job to seek out and hire the architect. A magister operis' experience provides the knowledge and wisdom to size-up and evaluate the person(s) or trade(s) involved with each task and when each should be on-site in an orderly and accurate manner. |
At times, the magister operis hired a general contractor/controller/superintendent to oversee the project in motion while the magister operis kept the architect, general contractor, and the trades synchronized with the owners desires. |
The magister operis’ essential familiarity with the techniques of construction erection (through his experience of on-the-job-training), along with his familiarity with the design itself (being the author or partial author/architect of it), accounts for his ability to work out the most cost efficient and quality effective techniques for each process. What he did, almost instinctively and certainly on the basis of thorough first-hand experience, was to have in the back of his mind the means of execution of his project, at the very time when he was being most freely creative in the evolution of the design. Not that he knew every detail of the erectional or finishing processes in advance. Rather, he was intimately familiar enough with those processes, and at the same time resourceful and inventive enough, so that he could be confident of his ability to modify and apply these general understood the various procedures to the specific requirements encountered in the building he was designing (or assisting in the design of), when the time came for them to be put into operation. This he did, as has been noted, by working through the assured and familiar tradition, not with elevational and plan drawings, but with models of what is actually to be built. These models were not only comprised of the exterior of the structure, but also included most of the interior structural components to assure the project’s total success. This took/takes intimate knowledge of the art of construction itself. |
Today’s typical two-dimensional construction drawings, typically produced by the architects and relied upon by the general contractors, overlook significant details or essential adjustments that can be caught only in intricate and carefully constructed three-dimensional models that reveal not only what takes place in the erectional process but how and in what sequence. |
Today we have the opportunity not only to design/plan with digital 3D (three-dimensional) models hooked up to databases of pricing and process information that are concurrent with all components and assemblies present in the model, but we also have the ability to digitally animate the construction process for even greater conflict and error control. The knowledge, experience, and dedication of those using the technology render the limitations of the potential of today’s technology. Today we also have specialized engineering groups that enable the architect and general contractor to maximize the owners budgeted funds. In addition we have governmental controls over when, where, and how. These engineering and authoritative groups directly affect the processes performed by the trades that actually perform the work to complete the project. Magister Operis™ is a research, development, and synchronization body for a fully integrated real estate control system. Magister Operis™ takes the essence of the mindset of yeasterday's magister operis and highly enhances that mindset with a powerful combination of state-of-the-art technology, in-house industry expertise, and strategic alliances. The Magister OperisTM environment provides a completely integrated digital construction system from design through construction and continuing with the facility's operational management through Magister Operis' proprietary fully integrated real estate control system. Magister Operis™ is a parent company (a magister operis) that provides properly distributed responsibilty and integrated technology to four fully integrated real estate lifecycle subsidiaries:
The Magister Operis™ environment opens the doors |