The Depravity of an Architect

    


Image of Liz Ogbu, a multidisciplinary designer who seeks to improve communities in need through her work in urban and social justice. She actively gives Ted Talks and other conference presentations to explain the role an architect has at impacting future generations.


    Giancarlo De Carlo's introduction of the role of an architect in the modern context poses the question of what/who gains the greatest fulfillment of the completed project or theory. The answer rests in the ambiguous region between oneself and the betterment of the public/client. The goals of my role as an architect may be vastly different than who is sitting next to me. While many seek to have it be an improvement for a specific client or overarching goals that will not be fulfilled until years after they retire, others, myself included, seek to impact the next generation of students. My ego drives the act of being recognized for a positive influence on students. It is an act of self-preservation and self-gratification. And yet, the notion that others may one day see my work, whether good or bad, drives me forward to look at what is best for the client and how to fit their needs while integrating personal theologies of architecture into the project.

    The prompts that Carlo has throughout his text of the driving factors of architecture will remain for the foreseeable future as there is no simple or correct answer. But at one point, the business of fulfillment for architecture may find itself bleeding very quickly and quietly from the architect's vision and into the true puppeteer of the public. The blurring of motives is not a bad thing. Often, what leads to successful architecture is recognizing one's desires and inserting yourself in a space and what you seek the most from it. 

Comments

  1. In a perfect world, I would hope that architects wouldn't need fees to do work. We could shape the public spaces and the built environment driven solely by the desire to serve our communities as best as possible. Unfortunately, we do not exist in that utopia. The depravity of the architect may be two fold: ego and the fact we need money to survive.

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  2. Sarah,

    Sidenote: at an internship I met Liz Ogbu! But I really like what you said about this balance of ego/ personal interests and more altruistic goals that we all have in design. If we weren't getting something out of our work, we wouldn't be here. This fact isn't disappearing, but we don't have to let it overtake the work that we do.

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