I posted the following comment in response, which hasn't shown up on the site yet so I'll just copy it...
I had to laugh a little bit at this line:
"A lot of the architects who come into the business want to build monuments; they want to become star architects or rich planners."
As an aspiring architect, I just don't think this is true among the majority of the people I've met within the field, particularly the ones just starting out. I've encountered an extraordinarly large number of young architects who have a strong interest in non-profit, socially responsible design work.
Unfortunately, there are virtually no paying, full-time jobs out there doing this crucial work. The author makes it sound like the jobs exist but are going unfilled due to greed and egoism, but nothing could be further from the truth. If the jobs existed, I know that many people, myself included, would jump at the opportunity.
It's not architects who don't understand the importance of good design in poor and developing areas, it's the people with the power and funds - the governments, NGO's, corporations, UN, etc. Until they start to understand the value of good design, there won't be the infrastructure or funding to support more than the handful of these jobs that exist today.
i think it's a poorly titled article... unless they are lumping architects & developers in the same boat?
"Buildings last a long time; training architects takes years. Only a small proportion of buildings are designed to be green, and when it comes to urban planning, developers tell the planners and the politicians what to do. And that is in North America;"
...and i would have to agree with you bryan. i know plenty of both types. there are many architects out there who just want to hold onto their jobs and could give a shit about there impact. i doubt many of those types roam archinect or are friends of 'necters (did we ever decide?) but i would agree that, given the time and opportunity i would be out of my hum-drum corporate chair in a jiffy. and am thinkin about making the move right now anyway...
..personally, starchitecture is repulsive... it's polarizing the profession. architecture will cease to exist or be accessible/desired by the common man. it will serve only as symbol.
...perhaps i should read the original article this post was ripped from
Architects Aren't Ready for an Urbanized Planet???
I came across the following post on treehugger and it made me kinda angry!
Architects Aren't Ready for an Urbanized Planet
I posted the following comment in response, which hasn't shown up on the site yet so I'll just copy it...
I had to laugh a little bit at this line:
"A lot of the architects who come into the business want to build monuments; they want to become star architects or rich planners."
As an aspiring architect, I just don't think this is true among the majority of the people I've met within the field, particularly the ones just starting out. I've encountered an extraordinarly large number of young architects who have a strong interest in non-profit, socially responsible design work.
Unfortunately, there are virtually no paying, full-time jobs out there doing this crucial work. The author makes it sound like the jobs exist but are going unfilled due to greed and egoism, but nothing could be further from the truth. If the jobs existed, I know that many people, myself included, would jump at the opportunity.
It's not architects who don't understand the importance of good design in poor and developing areas, it's the people with the power and funds - the governments, NGO's, corporations, UN, etc. Until they start to understand the value of good design, there won't be the infrastructure or funding to support more than the handful of these jobs that exist today.
i think it's a poorly titled article... unless they are lumping architects & developers in the same boat?
"Buildings last a long time; training architects takes years. Only a small proportion of buildings are designed to be green, and when it comes to urban planning, developers tell the planners and the politicians what to do. And that is in North America;"
...and i would have to agree with you bryan. i know plenty of both types. there are many architects out there who just want to hold onto their jobs and could give a shit about there impact. i doubt many of those types roam archinect or are friends of 'necters (did we ever decide?) but i would agree that, given the time and opportunity i would be out of my hum-drum corporate chair in a jiffy. and am thinkin about making the move right now anyway...
..personally, starchitecture is repulsive... it's polarizing the profession. architecture will cease to exist or be accessible/desired by the common man. it will serve only as symbol.
...perhaps i should read the original article this post was ripped from
This was also posted to the news yesterday, with some discussion following...
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