Expert meets Novice

 

Being an expert in a particular subject or better yet anything at all has pros and cons. Often when you are considered to be an expert at something you sometimes tend to get a bit of ego because there aren’t many people who are as knowledgeable about the subject as you are. And architects are no different in that matter. There are plenty of architects who go into a setting with someone with a holier-than-thou complex that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of said person. While being an expert at something can be a good thing, the more specialized the knowledge gets the more separated from the clients/users you can be. Now, this disconnect isn’t a one-way street. Part of the disconnect between the “expert” and the “novice” is that the non-expert doesn’t fully understand what an architect is or does. A lot of times when you ask someone who isn’t knowledgeable about architecture or architects they might say that we make fancy drawings and that’s mainly the extent of it. While we all know we do way more than just “make fancy drawings” being able to pull back the curtains a bit would probably help soften the blow of that disconnect. If the non-experts were able to see/learn more of what we do without it being overwhelming or feeling like we need to gate keep our knowledge, I think it would start to give way to a more cohesive collaboration. I think if and when your everyday person knows more about what an architect does, and the architect thinks more about the user and the actual context the disconnect or gap between the expert and the novice becomes a lot smaller.