With the advent of the "new normal" beginning to see its effects in the Architecture world, one newly formed industry non-profit is seeking to capitalize on this transition in order to enact a slate of changes it hopes will impact the design community for years to come.
Under the monicker "Architecture is Free" the 40-member group offers a host of initiatives aimed at students and younger professionals it views as part of a growing cadre of people within the industry who have been systemically undercut in their efforts to join ranks with professionals a generation or two their senior whose success and accomplishments, they feel, are unattainable under the current "clubbish" atmosphere that plagues the field.
Many prominent names in the field have spoken out about necessary reforms over the past decade or so, including Denise Scott Brown, who serves as one of AIF's board members.
Featuring an international team of research leaders and instructors, the non-profit is founded on a model that offers one-on-one advising and mentoring to interested young people in exchange for their support of a number of different related causes with a shared worldview. Seizing on the opportunity created by recent breakthroughs in communications and work culture, it has already seen some of the theoretical potential of its platform that it hopes to make real in the near future.
... the non-profit is founded on a model that offers one-on-one advising and mentoring to interested young people in exchange for their support of a number of different related causes...
"We also envision helping young architects develop their own practices in their own communities by helping them develop viable projects that we can fundraise around and support," said Daniel Horowitz, the group's founder and former Venturi Scott Brown designer, who also said he is excited about next steps based on the ideas he has seen spring up amongst collaborators thus far.
"I have already seen that there are sub-groups forming around certain expertise or theory. For example, several faculty members are interested in tropical architecture. I envision them sharing knowledge and collaborating on real projects in the future. We are also developing a discourse that is global in nature and reflects the intention of a school of thought."
Architecture is still struggling to overcome its reputation as a white man's profession, something the foundation is also looking to change via the connections faculty are making with a diverse student body.
"So far we have several student project collaborations involving marginalized communities run by research leaders and supported by our faculty," he said. "We have a student named Ousmane Lah from Mali whose sister has been able to fund a kindergarten and elementary school there. They have funding for an orphanage of 150 children and they are in talks with us about collaborating with our faculty to assist with the design of the building."
Finally, Horowitz envisions the group evolving into an alternative to the rigid and stultifying onus placed on higher education and university preparation. What he sees is a combination of one-on-one remote learning and career mentorship that, he says, will help prospective architects avoid prohibitive costs numbering in the tens and hundreds of thousands through degree programs that can take up to seven years.
When asked what he thought was inherently flawed about approaches to architectural education, Horowitz asserted that many top-tier institutions "tend to focus on the discipline of architecture and have become somewhat separated from the profession as they tend to become more theoretical and begin to define architecture in ways that diverge from the built environment."
"I imagine that we will be able to operate as a school, a school that can guide and mentor students to become architects in a world where knowledge is becoming increasingly decentralized and separated from traditional bricks and mortar institutions of learning," he added. "Only in this way do we believe the profession will be truly inclusive and representative of the real cross-section of the world, not just the elite unencumbered few."
5 Comments
Theory has always been for the elite unencumbered few but then in time it trickles down, through, up, left, right.
One needs to make a living but one should always be open to sharing what one can.
Say what you will about its success but the AIA and other individuals have always been open to mentoring the up-and-coming so its not new...sorry.
Is the purpose of this article to take down the brick and mortar schools...that's radical and perhaps shortsighted as we are building things all over the place with brick and mortar...that's what we do. So why start demolition with the schools?
@kingston, thanks for your comment. I dont think we are trying to demolish existing schools. We simply see an opportunity to reach and include more students in architectural education made possible by new digital technologies. We would like to see hybrid paths to licensure as well that make success possible for a wider swath of people. We see the necessity and place for all kinds of schools and welcome the diversity. To learn more about us take a look at our website architectureisfree.org or follow us on instagram @architectureisfree. We welcome your point of view. -Daniel Horowitz, AIF Founder
This comment says more, and more coherently, than the entire article. Thanks for clarifying.
I would like me some of that free architecture!
I think students and young architects should receive much more exposure to the wider profession of architecture and opportunities within the built environment that extend beyond starchitecture firms and unrealistic expectations. I visit buildings every week throughout the city, and am dumbfounded at how out of step design and use is, especially from an operations & maintenance standpoint. Without proper education and exposure on how regular buildings affect regular people on a daily basis, we will continue to see mediocrity.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.