Getting Our Values Straight...All of Us!
As we’re discussing architecture and participation I find it
really important to discuss and negotiate the role of the architect and the
user (not to mention the “decorator”, “designer”, “builder”…but for the
simplicity of this post let’s just focus on the architect and the user). The
architect, long exposed to the world view of those in power, has taken on this
authoritative, or elite role in the amount of control they possess over the
built environment. Although a broad generalization, I think it’s fair to say
that many architects pride themselves in this power they’ve adapted and believe
their elite status allows them to make the best decisions in response to the
public need. Because of this we’ve found ourselves in this state of ambiguity
within the profession but I don’t think we can put all the blame on us as the
architects. This ambiguity comes from the user as well. I think this ignorance
that we as architects know best comes from the passivity of the user. It brings
up an interesting discussion of whether the user or the public have the ability
to distinguish their needs from their desires. After discussing Junkspace the
past few weeks I think most of these consumer driven designs have created us as
the architecture to lose trust in the values of the user, pushing them out of
their creative and interactive role. In the “process planning” perspective on
design we’re called as architects to discover the needs of the user. But what I
find even harder is trusting that those needs are fundamental, as opposed to
trend related, over fantasized desires, or intercepted by the journalism and therefore
distanced from the realities of today. My
proposal is to challenge both the architect and the user to get our values straight.
I’m not quite sure the way in which this is achieved but I think that through allowing
the architect to be more open and trusting with the genuine nature of the fundamental
desires of the user we could make progress towards a more participatory, design
process which still feels overly idealized for our culture.
I think you're right - trust is fundamental in this process. The users must trust that the architect is working in their best interest and the architect must trust that the user is giving them a full picture of what they need. This sort of interaction reminds me of the keynote speaker from the building for adaptability series last week. The thought that children were allowed and encouraged to speak up and let everyone know that they didn't want their school to be rebuilt on the edge of town is amazing. I would never have thought to include children in the conversation but I guess that's the problem. As architects, we can't go in with preconceived notions of what we want to happen, we have to be open to everyone's voice to ensure their trust in us.
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