Archinect - News

How to paint an architect

2016-09-28T17:32:00-04:00

[Ralph Simons'] portrait is the earliest known example of what became the conventional manner of depicting an architect by having him holding one of these instruments of his profession. [...] Needless to say, this tradition is dying – and not just because architects don’t use compasses, or draw, any more (how do you represent computer-aided design software in a painting?).

“sensitive, but not girly” – pinning down the typical Hollywood architect

2016-09-07T14:09:00-04:00

Many films ― even great ones ― have used occupations as shorthand for personalities or ‘types.’ [...] male movie-architects are assumed to personify the perfect romantic lead: they are “creative, but not as grubby as musicians; fiscally sturdy, but not as stodgy as bankers; dreamers with briefcases; visionaries of the tangible.” [...] Narrative tensions emerge in the perceived misfit between the image — or stereotype — of a profession and the celluloid figure who embodies it.

This hearty round-up sifts through the stereotypes and expectations of how Hollywood portrays our on-screen architects, against the backdrop of #OscarsSoWhite and a male (overwhelming) majority. Less about professional accuracy and more about personality types, the piece focuses on how these filmic architects characterize the people within the profession, if not the profession itself.

Want more film studies?

Architecture Lobby survey takes a hard look at the state of the profession

2013-12-06T13:46:00-05:00

The Architecture Lobby is an organization of architectural workers advocating for the value of architecture in the general public and for architectural work within the discipline. […] The Architecture Lobby survey that is being distributed here gathers information that provides evidence for ourselves and for the public about the nature of our work and where we do and do not place value; where we could and should demand respect.

UPDATE: Please take the Archinect/Architecture Lobby survey on job satisfaction here.

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Frustrated by a lack of professional agency and fair compensation, an organization of architectural workers known as the Architecture Lobby are vying for a renewed critical appreciation of the architecture profession, from both the architectural community and the general public. To make their appeal, the Lobby is gathering data from architectural workers (architects, designers, administrators) and their firms through a 70 question survey.

In a similar effort to increase transparency and accountability within the profession, Archinect launched the Architecture Salary Poll in April of 2013. You can anonymously submit your employment information in an ongoing effort to generate real data on the profession over time.

Contribute to the Architecture Salary Poll.