Don't forget your 'why'
“…concentrating on the problems of
‘how,’ they played into the hands of
the power structure. In neglecting the problems of ‘why’
they lost track of the most important reasons for their cultural commitment.”
-Giancarlo de Carlo
To me, this idea of the ‘how’
and ‘why’ in the context of architectural
practice is interesting. If the ‘how’
is design strategies/solutions and the ‘why’
is social context, then we must ask ourselves if the ‘hows’
of our architecture really respond to the ‘why’?
Additionally, there is the question, is this even possible when an architect
works for a client that disregards social concerns? While that particular
situation may cause conflicts between the ideals of the architect, I believe
that it is still possible to design to please a client in a socially
responsible way. I don’t think it is easy; it would
definitely take careful juggling between all drivers of the ‘how,’
but I think it can be done. I feel like the architect has a certain level of
license to instill his or her design ideals into any project, so it is only a
matter of an architect defining his or her reason or ‘why’
for designing, and then trying to find a way to instill that into each project,
in however small a way.
**The images above are just for comic relief :)
I agree with you. I am also an optimist that think that we can still work with a client and be socially responsible. It is our duty to educate the client... in a nice matter. I think the "why" is even more important that the "how" and that reiterating that throughout the how should be fundamental.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I do think it is the role of the architect to educate the client on the hows and whys for designing and how both of these things are equally important to continue to think about and design for throughout the process.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. I thinking asking "why" and justifying the "how" is a crucial part of the success of a design. Architects are responsible for determining the best answer to both of these questions.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think architects are responsible to guide or influence their clients through the design process. With joint effort from architects and clients can they give a better answer to the design issues.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to remember the why in all projects, but the connection between the why and the how is vital. If you have a why but don't know how... if you have design idea, but don't have the technical knowledge or skill to build it, what is it worth?
ReplyDelete