The Challenge

 The topic of “architecture for whom” has been very intriguing to me.  A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog on designing for verses designing with the consumer and/or clients.  I explained my stance on why architects should be designing with clients/users, and not just for them.  This means considering and applying clients’/consumers’ needs/wants and developing a project with them that will ultimately work best.     

But sometimes, being an architect is complicated!  I ultimately want to design what I think looks best and if not, I don’t want my name on it.  Is this right?  I’m really not sure if anyone else agrees with me, but (at the risk of sounding crude) I want my name on projects that I am proud of and that reflect my ideas.  I want my clients to need my expertise and trust my design, even if it means putting their wishes to the side.  After all, I will soon have an education in architecture, along with eventually having years of experience, so is this so wrong to think?    

Switching gears a bit, the debate team did an excellent job on posing questions that led to great discussions regarding architecture for whom on Thursday.  I have really found (both) debates to be interesting, as they have asked “would you rather” questions, where I always seem to think I know what my thoughts are on the respective topic, until the discussion begins.  One of the questions in particular was (not verbatim) – would you rather design an unappealing design for your client and be compensated, or design something appealing to you and not be compensated.  It took me a while to choose a side, as compensation adds a whole new factor in, but I thought the question was so valid and a point I haven’t really considered without much experience in “the real world.”    

Relating to my previous stance on designing and showcasing designs that I was proud of, and that were more “my style”, the assumable answer is to forfeit the compensation.  After thinking and listening to the different thoughts and arguments, I changed my thought process.  Compensation aside, I am going to be an architect.  People are going to trust me to articulate an idea they have into a phenomenal piece of architecture.  This is what I should take pride in.  Just because it isn’t necessarily my personal liking, I think that the end goal should be to design something that makes the user/client happy and implementing my design expertise to make it even better than they imagined.  After all, I love the challenge!     

Image Sources:

- Collaboration: https://www.apexarchitecture.com/blog/design-meeting