Remuneration

Remuneration can come in many shapes and forms. First impressions imply that one is being paid, and in general this is true. In the workplace of an architect for example, any services or goods, be they design drawings, council approvals or mere opinions, there is a dollar amount required to entitle the client to this.

Remuneration comes from the Latin word remunerationem which means “a repaying, recompense” and repayment can often be in the form of funds. “Recompense” leads us on to another form of remuneration, a form of remuneration more applicable to our course, and in the context of design collaboration studio. It is said that one good deed deserves another. It is ironic that as a student, our deed as that we pay the university. The resultant remuneration from the university is that it provides is with a learning environment and an education. As Confucius said, “Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness”.

Most of the time remuneration is earned, often with the performance directly affecting the amount of remuneration. A solid effort from our group in producing a model that is superior to the Falling Water model will be amply remunerated with an HD+, provided those providing the remuneration are happy. A poor effort remunerated with an F. This is not always the case, and the act of remuneration is a common place for conflict to arise, due to differing views in the appropriate amount of remuneration for a given piece of work. Records, in the form of contracts, are a good way of settling the remuneration process well before conflict arises.

In some way or another, all actions we take return some form of remuneration, if not in the form of physical remuneration of money or other tangible rewards, then at the very least in experience and knowledge gained. This is the most significant remuneration of participating in this collaborative project.