Collaborate the Profession
Hope for earthquake survivors fades as Turkey arrests building developers
The terrible tragedy in Turkey is devastating. Here is an article about how the developers built poorly constructed buildings.
We as architects are naïve to think that architecture needs only us to be successful. Architecture has existed before us individually and will continue to after we are gone. Nonetheless, we are still essential to the design process, but we don’t exist in a vacuum. We should not wrestle with the notion of collaboration and contribution. It is not a question of if, but how it should take place. In fact, we should invite in any way possible the users and environments to be part of the process. Not everyone can do architecture, respectfully, but everyone should have a voice about the design decisions being made. Architects have a duty to face. It does not mean that architects are the moral beings telling communities what they need. We have all seen the devastating consequences of this. Instead they are the ones who should listen with a knowledgeable ear to what the communities need. After all, architecture is too important to be left to architects. The question is what is the best method of participation? How can we reach communities best when there might be a disconnect between the client and the surrounding communities that the project affects?
Edgar,
ReplyDeleteIt's been heartbreaking seeing these apartments in Turkey come crumbling down and causing so many deaths. It is not as urgent as say a doctor's practice, but architects do face the reality that our work can be life and death for the construction crew and then the users. Even if it means cutting into the time line or budget, it is the architect's duty to ensure that no corners are cut while designing or construction. That is easier said than done with so much pressure coming from many sides.