It occurred to me that I'm some combination of scatterbrained & aloof, more or less of either depending on the day. How do those traits fare in architecture? I guess the real question is, are there successful architects that are also like that?
This got me thinking...I know there are lots of stereotypes that non-architects have about architects, but what are the stereotypes that architects have about architects?
i find it funny that there are no less than 8 corbu chairs and a corbu sofa in the main lobby of my office building (defense contractor)...and i doubt anyone appreciates them but me.
I think the one word that has been applied to architects by pretty much everyone including other achitects is DIVA.
Wow..I need to get to work., all I really have is the black wardrobe.
3k for the Eames lounge chair, 2k for the Corbu Chaise and 4k for the Barcelona Chair. Throw in another 1000 for an Aeron chair and all the debt I avoided in school is moot. The one piece of symbol furniture I really want is the Noguchi table. I've actually taken a date to DWR...I can't believe I just admitted that.
But, since I am Asian, would my trophy be gaijin? or would I be the trophy?
There was an author that wrote something on the personalities of architects, I used to have the book, but gave it away. There were like 10-15 types he isolated, the Prima Donna, the Artiste... I wish I had the book now. :( It was funny.
broccolijet, most of the lounge and waiting areas in my agency have corbu chairs....upholstered in pleather. Its like using house paint on a Dusenberg.
Strawbeary: I think the name of the book is, So You Want To Be an Architect: A Candid Guide to the Profession. I don't recall the author's name, but I have the book at home and can look it up this evening.
"Yeah, he was wearing one of those glasses... the ones that only architects and gay men wear"
I didn't find it funny and found it quite insulting....for the gay men in this world
As a straight guy with no fashion sense, I guess I don't fit the stereotype of the architect nowadays.
On a side note: Can I ask what the asian girlfriend stereotype is all about? Interestingly, I was the only guy in my last office that has not dated an asian girl. And I was the only asian guy in that office.
funny about the asian girlfriend...the young doctor whose parents and mine are secretly meeting to discuss "arrangement" happens to be ding ding ding, asian. Talk about stereotypes...tsk tsk
The Highborn
The Artiste
The Prima Donna
The Intellectual
The Critic
The Down-to-Earther
The Anal-Compulsive
The Plodder
The Social Worker
The Fantasizer
The Manager
The Entrepreneur
The Hustler
The Joiner
The Poet-Philosopher
The Renaissance Person
my brother used to call me gay because of my fashion sense. (im married now so he shuts up a little). my love/facination for design invokes some kind of metaphor for being gay(?) you know what it is? the media. they associate some sort of feminine mentality with design almost all the time. just look at bravo.
i'm sort of grounded, but not an insider, with everyman john q public.
until i read (jokes?) about the black clothing, and modernist furniture here on archinect, i was ignorant of cliche visualization/concept of architects.
i'd read of Julia Morgan, gaudi, wright, maybeck, and a few others, but i never picked up any stereotypes about them. maybe because they're different from each other?
the most common stereotype of architects is probably blank. nothing. incognito worker bee?
asian girlfriend? only about 2% of the men i know in this business date/marry an asian girl, where are you guys at?
perfectionist, pretend teamwork is okay but really think it's better to do it all yourself, self-centered, low self-esteem, big ego, never "happy" everything is always in progress/never finished, impatient
an easy stereotype that you could make in the midwest is that architects wear dockers and navy blazers. up until recently i owned neither of these, but people keep getting me dockers as presents... oh well. they're fine for construction sites. i just avoid EVER wearing them to meetings. am i the only one who thinks these are not professional attire?
dockers are not only not professional attire, they also should never be worn, period. Unless you like the front-butt, of course. Or you are physically standing on a sailboat at the time.
When I was in 5th grade I used to think Dockers were really cool.
:\
I've met a big variety in personalities among architects, so I won't say I have an idea of a stereotype, other than the eyeglasses thing (I'm guilty myself.)
I stole an olllllld pair of my boyfriend's dockers to wear to work so my nice pants wouldn't get messed up, and yeah, I have a front butt goin' on...
The only architect I've ever known was a professor I had for an intro architecture course. He wore nice suits (one of the few professors I've had that wore professional attire) and looked like a friendly CEO from the 80's. So yeah...that's pretty much what I picture when I think of architects. Plus, for some reason, hard hats.
Reverse stereotype... If I'm in a meeting with contractors and other consultants, every other male will be wearing a pale blue shirt. Honest. I never stick to the one look from day to day, let alone week to week. And I ditched the 'black poloneck' vibe years ago.
Might it be the case that architects stereotype themselves by avoiding any discernible stereotypical behaviour like the plague? Or is that just me?
Mar 5, 07 1:44 am ·
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architect stereotypes?
It occurred to me that I'm some combination of scatterbrained & aloof, more or less of either depending on the day. How do those traits fare in architecture? I guess the real question is, are there successful architects that are also like that?
This got me thinking...I know there are lots of stereotypes that non-architects have about architects, but what are the stereotypes that architects have about architects?
that we all drive porsches and live in crazy modern houses
or at least own Eames chairs and Corbu | Mies chaise
I own neither, yet
dumpster divers
black wardrobe
Asian girlfriend
massive debt
i once told a marine recruiter i was going into architecture.
he responded, "so, like building homes and stuff, right?"
wow, that was intelligent to say the least.
let me go find the keys to my porsche.......
"or at least own Eames chairs and Corbu | Mies chaise"
um, i know someone who owns both, it may be a stereotype but im still seething with jealousy
i find it funny that there are no less than 8 corbu chairs and a corbu sofa in the main lobby of my office building (defense contractor)...and i doubt anyone appreciates them but me.
All architects unfortunately suffer from "passive aggressive" personalities.
The debt, the black wardrobe, the asian trophies, and all the other dysfunctions and fetishes are consequences from it.
I think the one word that has been applied to architects by pretty much everyone including other achitects is DIVA.
Wow..I need to get to work., all I really have is the black wardrobe.
3k for the Eames lounge chair, 2k for the Corbu Chaise and 4k for the Barcelona Chair. Throw in another 1000 for an Aeron chair and all the debt I avoided in school is moot. The one piece of symbol furniture I really want is the Noguchi table. I've actually taken a date to DWR...I can't believe I just admitted that.
But, since I am Asian, would my trophy be gaijin? or would I be the trophy?
-- i think "all" may be something of a huge overstatement.
There was an author that wrote something on the personalities of architects, I used to have the book, but gave it away. There were like 10-15 types he isolated, the Prima Donna, the Artiste... I wish I had the book now. :( It was funny.
endangered
may I bring your attention to 'Designis Personae' http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2282
broccolijet, most of the lounge and waiting areas in my agency have corbu chairs....upholstered in pleather. Its like using house paint on a Dusenberg.
according to Myers Brigg, architects often are INTPs
Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
based on much of what i read here, this feels about right to me
Strawbeary: I think the name of the book is, So You Want To Be an Architect: A Candid Guide to the Profession. I don't recall the author's name, but I have the book at home and can look it up this evening.
that's it Gin. I think it was a whole chapter, too much to type up, but you could scan them, maybe?
that's a superb book
where did you find that picture of me?
minus the spoon because we don't have time to eat.
I read that book too GinBeary... I read it too late!
Roger K. Lewis is the author
conversation with our accountant...
me - "what did you think architects were like before you came here"
accountant - "stuck up prima donna's with lots of money"
me - "and now?"
accountant - "stuck up social retards with no money"
: god, that's funny !
I overheard the other day between engineers
"Yeah, he was wearing one of those glasses... the ones that only architects and gay men wear"
I didn't find it funny and found it quite insulting....for the gay men in this world
As a straight guy with no fashion sense, I guess I don't fit the stereotype of the architect nowadays.
On a side note: Can I ask what the asian girlfriend stereotype is all about? Interestingly, I was the only guy in my last office that has not dated an asian girl. And I was the only asian guy in that office.
orenstein...that's too good. at least it wasn't patent leather (which might be venturi's interpretation on the corbu design).
that lewis book is actually quite good...the first two chapter titles:
1) why be an architect?
2) why not be an architect
speaks for itself, no?
I think alot of architects personalities swing between bouts of thoughtfulness and desperation.
funny about the asian girlfriend...the young doctor whose parents and mine are secretly meeting to discuss "arrangement" happens to be ding ding ding, asian. Talk about stereotypes...tsk tsk
The Highborn
The Artiste
The Prima Donna
The Intellectual
The Critic
The Down-to-Earther
The Anal-Compulsive
The Plodder
The Social Worker
The Fantasizer
The Manager
The Entrepreneur
The Hustler
The Joiner
The Poet-Philosopher
The Renaissance Person
dammit jim im an architect not an anal comulsive
my brother used to call me gay because of my fashion sense. (im married now so he shuts up a little). my love/facination for design invokes some kind of metaphor for being gay(?) you know what it is? the media. they associate some sort of feminine mentality with design almost all the time. just look at bravo.
i'm sort of grounded, but not an insider, with everyman john q public.
until i read (jokes?) about the black clothing, and modernist furniture here on archinect, i was ignorant of cliche visualization/concept of architects.
i'd read of Julia Morgan, gaudi, wright, maybeck, and a few others, but i never picked up any stereotypes about them. maybe because they're different from each other?
the most common stereotype of architects is probably blank. nothing. incognito worker bee?
I'd like the "Asian" girlfriend, but she doesn't need to be asian.
Architects read Archinect too much....
stuck-up asshole.
wait, i thought you just asked about one of my firm's partners. my bad.
asian girlfriend? only about 2% of the men i know in this business date/marry an asian girl, where are you guys at?
perfectionist, pretend teamwork is okay but really think it's better to do it all yourself, self-centered, low self-esteem, big ego, never "happy" everything is always in progress/never finished, impatient
an easy stereotype that you could make in the midwest is that architects wear dockers and navy blazers. up until recently i owned neither of these, but people keep getting me dockers as presents... oh well. they're fine for construction sites. i just avoid EVER wearing them to meetings. am i the only one who thinks these are not professional attire?
dockers are not only not professional attire, they also should never be worn, period. Unless you like the front-butt, of course. Or you are physically standing on a sailboat at the time.
oh no, no front butt. flat fronts only, if they must be worn. pleats go immediately back for exchange or to goodwill.
When I was in 5th grade I used to think Dockers were really cool.
:\
I've met a big variety in personalities among architects, so I won't say I have an idea of a stereotype, other than the eyeglasses thing (I'm guilty myself.)
I stole an olllllld pair of my boyfriend's dockers to wear to work so my nice pants wouldn't get messed up, and yeah, I have a front butt goin' on...
The only architect I've ever known was a professor I had for an intro architecture course. He wore nice suits (one of the few professors I've had that wore professional attire) and looked like a friendly CEO from the 80's. So yeah...that's pretty much what I picture when I think of architects. Plus, for some reason, hard hats.
I wear dockers - but granted they are fitted without the front butt as you say. I don't sail, much but I wear them with sandals mostly
owning at least 100 black ink pens of various make, model, thickness - guilty!!
Funny, Old Fogey. Damn that Mike Brady! I might have made something of my life if it weren't for him.
the closeted gay male architect
Reverse stereotype... If I'm in a meeting with contractors and other consultants, every other male will be wearing a pale blue shirt. Honest. I never stick to the one look from day to day, let alone week to week. And I ditched the 'black poloneck' vibe years ago.
Might it be the case that architects stereotype themselves by avoiding any discernible stereotypical behaviour like the plague? Or is that just me?
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