Let us mull over the extravagance in large-scale buildings; admittingly, overinvesting in monumental buildings has persisted throughout the ages and continues to proliferate even today at every corner of the globe as long as the world's economy grows manifolds daily. We regard these buildings as monuments of cultural significance; however, we celebrate them with little understanding or questioning of the impetuses that bring them into existence. Consequently, it affects how we perceive them and the meaning we attribute to them. While the contemporary architecture of large-scale buildings claims to celebrate exuberance, most of the public's mind is stuck with an image of this type of architecture as a celebration of opulence, far from the fact. Architecture is a form of thinking. It applies to any domain that can take advantage of a holistic approach to understanding, synthesizing, and representing any situation that poses an issue to solve. Historical evidence points to the prevalent perception of architecture as an expensive enterprise, elitist, and distant from the average populace. I can think of two probable reasons for this phenomenon that have to do with how architecture is perceived in the public discourse. First, large-scale buildings have been funded mainly by the wealthy and the powerful. Secondly, until more recently, large-scale structures have tended to last longer in their construction, thus limiting the ability for architecture to permeate the immediate conscience of the public as a form of pop culture like music and literature tend to impact the public conscience and effectively positioning itself as a distant memory. Thus, the public seldom views architecture as an immediate force in daily affairs. For these reasons, the cumulative effect of the work produced in architecture is often taken for granted, yet it affects everyone in their everyday life once realized.  

How we practice and understand architecture today dates back to the Italian Renaissance. The architect worked under the Pope's patronage (the most powerful man of the time) to conceive and build his vision. Popes' vision usually included building churches, tombs, and public spaces. The architect-patron relationship later evolved to include wealthy merchants and bankers like the Medici family. Their motives often involved projecting their power and wealth through a display of opulence in their buildings and commissioned artwork. In the 19th century, bankers' taste and style in architecture, like the Rothschilds', who were influenced by the work of industry titans in this arena, like The Vanderbilt, notably the John D. Rockerfeller Jr. family, and Andrew Carnegie, who began to channel their charity initiatives through funding the construction of civic buildings through their philanthropic endeavors. Again, we see the architect acting as an agent who transmits his master's vision as a gift to the public.   During the 20th century, architects saw most of their work in government-run civic buildings and began to see themselves as agents for the public good. The 21st century marked the ascent of corporate dominance and rapid technological advancements. The latter ended the architect-patron relationship as the primary source of commission for the architect.   In the free-market economy, the field of architecture was further fragmented as it opened up more to entrepreneurship. In today's market landscape, the architect can engage with different areas of interest, inspire and sell an idea, rally the support he needs to realize it and engage with stakeholders at multiple stages and levels of the project.

Furthermore, the architect's responsibility to the public has grown to include assuming more technical liability and ensuring a rigorous study of the public's needs before contributing their ideas and solutions. The powerful and the wealthy, which now comprise private entities, continue to sponsor architecture with more diverse agendas than their 19th and 20th centuries counterparts. In modern times, endeavors in architecture, when pursued, are meant to commit to the greater good, often through philanthropic foundations. Examples include the Gates Foundation's sponsorship of the Seatle Public Library, designed by OMA, Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation's funding of architecture in New Orleans' community projects, and Elon Musk and Virgin Hyperloop One that are sponsoring streams of innovation in transportation infrastructure with the hyperloop project.  

Exhuberance, opulence, utilitarianism, responsible design, or combined design agendas are all but different architecture with their respective priorities; in either case, the impetus projects the zeitgeist and remains an essential aspect that shapes the cultural significance of its time. Today, architects have more access to enabling agencies to impact the world around them positively.

We live in unprecedented times of challenges; however, more often than not, with each challenge comes an opportunity. This goes to say that the field of architecture abounds with untapped opportunities. Our area of expertise has the potential to engage with the world’s most pressing issues. Our... View full entry