the sensitive architect

“The dilemma for every architect is how to advance our profession and our community with our talents rather than our talents being used to compromise them.” -Samuel Mockbee

This excerpt has two important implications: first that architects are acting in their community and secondly that our talents are not the impetus for our work.  Both of these implications indicate that Mockbee’s ideal architect is the sensitive architect.  Not sensitive in emotional terms, but acutely aware of their environment and continual assessment of their understanding.

The sensitive architect understands architecture as a social art.  And they are most in tune with the social environment of their own communities.  They should be aware of the current context, future trends and the imposing forces (politics, infrastructure, planning, economics etc.) at play.  This is the only way “hacking the software” as Soja calls it will be able to happen.  As leaders with a spatial understanding and hopefully a social understanding we can find the opportunities to implement change in the socio-spatial loop.  

It is also important that as leaders we do not become dictator architects; which negates the benefits of any social understanding we may possess.  This links back to our talents being the driver or the vehicle for making a better world.  By letting our talents drive us, we are focused on self and our vision regardless of design principles.  By viewing talents as vehicle architects are able to sensitively design for our places and their people.