Why?
This class, and particularly this week, has opened my eyes to a number of opinions that I didn't even know I had. It seems that this year of school might be our hardest one yet, solely because we're being asked why we think the way we do, and who we are as architects before we enter the professional world. These are difficult questions to answer, because we've never been asked them before! It seems ridiculous, but true. We've learned how to do a million different architectural technicalities, but our education never focused on the why.
Why do we spend mounds of money on "artificial needs" but try to make housing as inexpensive as possible, even though shelter is as important as food and water? (de Carlo, 9)
Why does the quality of wealthy housing differ from low-income housing when the human needs for both are the same? (de Carlo, 19)
Yes, we can design a kit of parts so that an unskilled family may construct their own home. But why? Why would we want to take that work away from professional builders? Who are we to cut their role out of the building process entirely? No wonder there's a rift between our worlds!
In school we're taught to be a sponge; to soak it all in and then regurgitate it to show that we've "learned it". But we're never taught to ask why? Without asking why, how can we believe that there will ever be change or a better way to do things? I think this is the real reason that architecture is amorphous (de Carlo, 4); the ones who are entering the world are only taught how and not why.
Why do we spend mounds of money on "artificial needs" but try to make housing as inexpensive as possible, even though shelter is as important as food and water? (de Carlo, 9)
Why does the quality of wealthy housing differ from low-income housing when the human needs for both are the same? (de Carlo, 19)
Yes, we can design a kit of parts so that an unskilled family may construct their own home. But why? Why would we want to take that work away from professional builders? Who are we to cut their role out of the building process entirely? No wonder there's a rift between our worlds!
In school we're taught to be a sponge; to soak it all in and then regurgitate it to show that we've "learned it". But we're never taught to ask why? Without asking why, how can we believe that there will ever be change or a better way to do things? I think this is the real reason that architecture is amorphous (de Carlo, 4); the ones who are entering the world are only taught how and not why.
I completely agree with you Ally. We don't ask the why's enough at School, and that has a direct effect on the work of professionals.
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