All that Glitters is Architecture
“The architect has become a King Midas. Everything he touches
becomes architecture. Everything he touches becomes something special.” – John Habraken
There are two directions that I want to take this blog post in
relation to the quote above. First, there’s the “studio culture” we all
experience in architecture school, which will surely take a similar form once
we all get out into the real world in a few months. This is where everything revolves
around architecture, and if you do anything other than stay in studio 24/7, you
are looked down upon by fellow students, professors, coworkers, and bosses
alike. Why is it that architecture takes such control of our lives? Is it
simply because it is drilled into us at the start of our education? Is it
because of the urge to feed our egos and make pretty buildings? Is it because of
the desire to create impactful spaces to benefit others? Or is it due to the looming
deadlines and the immense amount of pressure that we experience? Probably all
of the above.
Second, there’s the fact that architects are in fact
special. Due to our extensive training, architects have an eye for things other
than just making pretty buildings. We can’t help but see something while out
and about and force our architectural will or opinion upon it. We can’t help
but talk about it nonstop while hanging out with classmates or civilian friends.
We possess a very applicable knowledge that everyone is thirsty for, which is
why your friend from high school wants you to help pick out paint colors for
their new house or why your mom wants you to help her re-do her kitchen.
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI'd argue that it also likely has to do with the fact that in Architecture there is never just one solution to a problem and we all get caught in the thick of trying out all possible solutions in combination with the multitude of solutions to the rest of the design problems and thus it ends up taking up our lives inside and out. Architecture is also not like most other professions in that we can't just leave it at work. It is constantly looming in the back of our minds waiting for inspiration to strike. This is how everything else ends up becoming architecture to us. When we're out to dinner with friends and catch a small design detail of the restaurant, when we're woken up in the middle of the night by our pets and see the way the moonlight hits the curtain through the window, or when we're in the shower and end up lost in thought contemplating just what it is about bathroom acoustics that makes us sound so damn good in there. It consumes our lives and thus architecture becomes more of a vocation than simply a job. This is how "everything we touch" ends up as architecture. What goes unnoticed by most is gold to us, and it's not just because we're inherently special but because we make it that way.
Great post Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI would say studio culture has a way to push us all to decide what we care about and be decisive about it. There are some that step into it and accept the long days, late nights and lack of socializing and there are others who find ways to be as efficient as possible, get the tasks done and close there fucking laptop without second guessing color choices or render realism. Not to be black and white about it, I'm sure we've all jumped around caring about one project and not another but the trials and tribulations of our degree in a way helps everyone decide who they are and what they care about. And of course we all think we're special, if we didn't gain some sort of confidence in our own opinions, abilities and choice to study architecture none of us would survive.
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI believe that those of us who have endured this many years of architectural education have a deep appreciation for the role of the architect and the contributions they make to our society. It is interesting to think that we may have innate creativity – or as you put it, “an eye for things”. Perhaps we’re born with it, or maybe it has been taught to us by our professors and mentors. It makes me wonder how much of our obsession with our own profession is due to our own curiosity and passion, and how much of it is learned in our oftentimes toxic studio culture.