Architect know-it-all

It’s pretty obvious that architecture as a whole has become infinitely more complex in recent years. Technology and globalization have done much to revolutionize every aspect of our industry. A half century ago everything from the amount of building materials to the amount of building types was much simpler and more straightforward. Consequently, technology and globalization have also greatly changed the role of the architect as well. Today, the modern architect has to be better-rounded, able to think on a global scale, and knowledgeable in a vast quantity of science related fields – some of which weren’t even around 50 years ago.

This shift has taken a visible toll on architectural education as well. An extremely long path to licensure and an inadequate amount of time for to cover relevant topics in a traditional 4 or 5 year educational degree are both symptoms of a field that is becoming too broad and diverse to manage.

It seems to me like architecture is at a turning point. Our field is becoming too technical and too scientific to continue to approach architecture and architectural education in the same way. Today we need individuals who are well immersed in both scientific and architectural knowledge. 

One way to achieve this may be to create educational programs and degrees focused on both fields. Like a hybrid degree almost. Another beneficial modification may be to specialize architectural education much like the professional world. We do that with healthcare. Why not with other sub-genres of architecture? Would a modernized, more nimble system of architectural education benefit us and society as a whole?