"Background Architecture" now at the forefront

I had an internship once where the principal architect told me that the way university sells architecture is an absolute pipedream. He continued on about how dry the profession is in reality and how it’s unlikely to ever do a project similar to the ones you learn about in school. I’m not sure who did this man wrong, but clearly, he had settled… and thus created dry architecture. “Background architecture” is clearly a thing, but I’m not sure if it’s the architects that are not speaking up or the owners being uncompromising, but there must be a way to do background architecture well – or at least better than what we’ve got going on currently. That principal wasn’t entirely wrong about university lacking in relaying the reality of the profession, but we have the rest of our professional careers to deal with reality, where the school is the safe space to learn intangible skills like visualization, empathy, problem-solving, and defending our solutions/ideas. The modernists had good intentions when they were proposing the new everyday architecture, but as times have progressed, it’s time to adapt. We still need spaces to get our groceries and household items, but they don’t have to be enveloped in ugly plaster and littered with artificial lighting. Or a building like an island surrounded by a sea of asphalt neighboring another island fully surrounded by asphalt but the lots don’t connect (major pet peeve). “We come from a tradition of monument builders, but today we are almost entirely immersed in design for everyday life.” How do we approach this shift in our profession? As much as I would hate to add on another class, but maybe a course on background architecture could be helpful. Or a studio class that would allow students a safe environment to push the limitations in those areas to show that doesn’t have to be cookie-cutter and can actually be interesting and enjoyable experiences…. Now I’m just rambling.