The User is the Building Block of Architecture
Giancarlo De Carlo’s essay encapsulates so many of the problems that continue to persist in architecture from display and presentation, to practice and education. The worst thing in regards to the essay is the fact that it still reads like present day despite being published in 1969.
Education still lacks in understanding the user. His “how” and “why” discussion, while discussing the professional realm, also applies to the current educational realm. Since the “pinnacle” of the professional field markets itself through over the top projects and hyper realistic renders, the same rule applies to to education. So it leaves us, the students, to answer the “how” as in, “How can I make something look that way?”; and most of the time the thought of the theoretical user that will inhabit the space is cast aside. How would somebody not expect this to poison the professional environment? In this cyclical pattern of feeding into creating objects for the sake of a portfolio in school and public spectacle in the profession we’ve become detached from the individual, the user.
Alex, I agree with everything you've said. Scholarly projects are judged exclusively on how complex/thoughtful a concept is, and on things such as graphics and diagrams. I'll admit the graphics and diagrams are useful tools for teaching us client communication (not that we were ever taught how to create them) but the true driving force behind a project should be the user, an element consistently overlooked during architectural education.
ReplyDelete