Open-Minded Leaders
This is going to be super short and to the point.
Clemson University President Emeritus James Barker once said
in a lecture that architects are trained to impact society through more ways
than just architecture. Barker was referring to architects’ capacity to lead
outside of the architectural realm, but I think he was touching on our role
within the profession as well. We lead the development of much of the built
environment. Well, it’s us along with the economy, greedy developers, and a
bunch of other variables, but we play a major role obviously. What kind of
leaders do not seriously consider the opinions of those they are leading? We
shouldn’t be dictating the needs of users. We should hear their needs from
them. It’s easier said, than done, obviously. It takes a lot of patience from
both sides, and it requires us, the architects to humble ourselves and really
listen to nonprofessionals. I don’t think our job is to determine whether or
not whatever the user wants is right or wrong or whether or not it should be
incorporated. We should be taking lead and guiding them into turning their needs into reality, but that includes hearing what they have to say.
You make an interesting point, and it is definitely easier said than done, but I think that a really good architect can truly listen to the non-professionals or non-architects around them, decipher and interpret what they're saying and create something that incorporates the needs for the majority as well as their own goals. This is the problem I see in "starchitecture"- it seems like they don't even care what critics say about their work because they've been hired for their name. At what point does this happen in their careers?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lillian. All of this sound great but how do we actually make it happen? How do the needs of the majority overcome the voices of the few that hold a larger (usually financial) stake in the project?
ReplyDeleteI think that our job as architects is to help meet people's needs, but sometimes it is to help clients realize what their needs actually are. We listen, we understand, and sometimes we create solutions that are not what the client thought they wanted. Hopefully though the solution is better than they imagined.
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