What Are We Actually Doing?
“Most obviously, there is the simple fact that one cannot claim at the same time that the entire built environment is to be architecture and that architecture is special and different. How can everything be special? This question by itself should give us pause to ask what we are actually doing.” - Habraken in “Questions that will not go away”
It’s the week of the career expo, and everyone is figuring out how to market themselves and what they want in a design work environment. There are so many firms to choose from, and they all do… architecture. Well to be more specific, one firm does Cultural, Healthcare, Education, Commercial, Government, etc. The next firm, on the other hand, does Cultural, Healthcare, Education, Commercial, Government, etc. And then we have those firms, you know the ones, that do Cultural, Healthcare, Education, Commercial, Government, etc. The choice of which to work for is clear, right?
What are we actually doing? Everything? If that’s true, what’s the point of using typology as a criteria in our job search, if we can do just about anything just about anywhere?
I think what differentiates “good” architecture from otherwise is not what it is, but how it is done. Hospitals, businesses and museums weren’t architecture until we made them architecture, like Habraken suggests in “Questions that will not go away”. The craft, trade, now profession, chose to bestow more aesthetic and spatial quality to these typologies by innovating them. Improving upon existing standards in the built environment can and should be what we’re actually doing in the profession. In researching firms and determining which I'm most interested in, I’ve found it more meaningful to me to stop asking “What do they do?” and start asking “How do they do it?”.
I agree with your closing comment. I have also found myself drawn more to how a firm approaches their design and their studio culture than what they build. I find it interesting that many firms open with explaining what they build, but never talk much about their workflow or culture until they they have been asked.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great point of view that I also share. I am significantly less concerned with the type of work that is done and more concerned with the environment in which it is done, what the process is, and how it relates to my personal interests design wise (such as implementing green space for health benefits and being more sustainable).
ReplyDeleteRelating this weeks topic with what most of us experienced at the career fair is really interesting! Over the past couple days, I got the question a lot about what kind of architecture I was interested in. And to be completely honest, my answer would change a little bit depending on the firm. Not because I wasn't honest, but because each firm did things differently. At one place I may be interested in designing higher education, but this other firm's libraries are really cool.. so yeah I'd be interested in working on libraries there. The question you raised about how a firm designs for different typologies is a really good one to keep in mind.
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