Beyond architecture

"Critical thought requires looking beyond architecture towards an enhanced understanding of the whole to which it belongs." Mockbee - Rural Studio.

This brings up some good points:
1. architecture is contextual
2. good design is not just for the wealthy
3. architecture is a service to a community (not an individual)

As we are all nearing the end of our formal architectural education, I think these are the most important things to carry with us into practice (or wherever our careers take us).

Simon Sinek (Ted Talk attached) talks about how to be a strong leader through your chosen medium. He points out that the strongest companies happen to sell a product (like Apple computers) but they are really in the business of simplifying people's lives.
So it is up to us to figure out why we do what we do, how we are going to do it, and what we are going to produce.
In Mockbee's case, his reason for doing what he does is to enrich the community and provide good design to those around him, his moral sense of service to the community. He does this by starting conversations between community members and students, allowing them to see needs and fill them. He happens to fill the need by producing architecture.

What we have been taught about design thinking and the built environment in the past 3-6 years of our education is something that we can carry with us. How are we going to use our unique skill sets to change the community for the better?

Simon Sinek : How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TED Talk)

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