Welcome to my TEDTalk
After watching Alejandro Aravena’s TED Talk “My
architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process”, it was clear
the importance of the user and their role in architecture. Aravena explained
the challenge he faced when designing social housing in Chile for 100 families.
Asking for their input and incorporating them in the design process lend Aravena
to the concept of “half of a good house”. Designing the frame and constructing half
of the home, while leaving the other half expandable for the families after
moving in and on their own time. The end user was also in mind when Aravena
mentioned office buildings but regarded an additional layer of sustainability.
While I believe the success of these projects were due to
the contribution of the user, I still think it is an ideal. As designers we
should have the knowledge to create successful projects even if a group of
users is not able to be present for input. I think this process can get messy
and too much input could leave the project without progression. I think we need
to earn the respect and trust of those who we are designing for and then take on
the project itself.
I agree completely! Designing with the knowledge of the community you are building for is paramount, but allowing the input get to a point to where it places vice grips on the design is deadly.
ReplyDeleteI think that user input will always be necessary in architecture. I feel that the architect's job is to decipher what needs are the most critical and address them. The knowledge the architect has should be the funnel that narrows down the opinions of the users to the most significant ones. Easier said than done.
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