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David: I agree. One disconnect is between training and practice; and thus I'm reposting the comment below. Some institutions seem to prepare students quite well to engage in real world architectural problem solving; others seem to focus on an ethereal plateau so far removed from the messiness of how our built environment gets shaped that the result may most favor further academic discussion or alternative careers.
Architects serving as trusted advisor to those who shape the built environment must have foundational knowledge of costs, codes, construction materials, building systems, history, and other such 'mundane' basics. These 'basics' are at the heart of licensure: protection of the public from harm. In my mind, these basics are the essential 'turf' of the profession, and they can't be avoided or delegated. Design style is important of course - but it can't in reality be properly considered in isolation for structures and spaces used by people. In the end, a single licensed Architect signs and seals a set of construction plans, and that act carries with it huge responsibilities. To me, accepting those responsibilities is a key to what it means to be an architect; and I would hope this would be the core of educational programs that are directed toward architecture as a profession. Design, considered broadly, is another endeavor. An education in architecture may well prepare someone for a wide range of design roles; but a design education does not prepare one to bear the responsibilities of an architect. My 2 cents.
------------------------------------------- Michael Malinowski AIA AIA Director - California Region Applied Architecture, Inc. Sacramento CA -------------------------------------------
Show Original Message
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-04-2012 08:10
From: David Altenhofen
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
In my opinion, trying to convince clients that providing aesthetic opinions carries the same weight as opinions about proper accounting methods or legal issues is simply a non-starter. The AIA's emphasis on design and nothing but design is what has marginalized our profession already. I think what makes architects unique is that we are the ONLY player at the table who thinks about balancing all aspects of the project; owner's program, cost, codes, performance, value, and yes even aesthetics. When we only talk about aesthetics, we get marginalized. Please don't say that "design" includes all of those issues. In a theoretical discussion I will agree with that, but out in the market, when you talk about design you are talking about aesthetics.
Right now as an industry we barely talk about our duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and that is the only thing our licenses cover. We hardly ever talk about how to prepare really strong sets of construction documents that result in few RFIs and change orders. We don't talk much about programming or meeting clients needs. We ran away from cost estimating. We gave away managing the construction administration to the CMs. There is very little talk in our profession about technical issues, materials, detailing, durabiliy and true performance. The CMs are already taking away most of the management activities during the design phases and we let them. We talk about being green and committed to the environment, but then we focus on marginal issues like de-construction and recycled content while virtually ignoring the huge amount of energy our buildings will use over their life span. Just look at how we continue to praise the all-glass buildings with R-3 walls.
If we really want our opinions to be respected then get some serious knowledge behind them. I guarantee you that when a contractor wants to remove sunshades to save money your opinion will count for much more when you can demonstrate that the sunshades are necessary to reduce the cooling loads to comply with the energy code, the size of the AC plant and ductwork goes up when the sunshades are removed, the operating cost goes up every year to run the larger AC unit, you will lose LEED points, and occupants will have glare problems. Compare that to saying the sunshades make the building look more interesting. Of course the architect would have had to actually consider all of those issues when designing the sunshades, but that is a different post.
To get past the hype, stop talking about design.
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David Altenhofen
Principal
The Facade Group
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2012 11:45
From: Eugene Aleci
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
Thanks for making those points, Brenda -- too true.
I think a lot of this lack of communication about what we do is because we're in a field where a great deal of background is needed to begin to understand what we know about. I find many people don't even believe that some of the things we've been trained to know about even exist. For example, many think "design" is just personal opinion about what looks nice; no awareness that design is a disciplined process of seeing and understanding the order of a place, discovering or even inventing options, thinking them through, and then synthesizing (oh,oh, there's a big word !) these into how we should best plan to construct a physical building or space to embody and house these solutions.
I would never tell an attorney, dentist or CPA that his/her recommendation to me is "just his/her opinion" and if I would I'll bet any one of them would be able to cite chapter and verse as to why their recommendation is valid and not just a matter of opinion. But I hear this in community discussions about the design and appearances of architecture quite often, even from professional planners, who should know better. there's an assumption that our knowledge is somehow prejudiced and not objective, based on known rules and procedures, and I think that makes the general public skeptical about our observations. Along with the general mistrust of professionals and experts of any sort today, this makes our public communications challenging.
The public also seems to want to hear just how simple everything is, and can be, and marketing orgs feed them that message all day long, whether it's for phone service, insurance, or legal advice -- it's all quick and easy -- and a lot of it is supposedly "for free" (but not really).
What we're doing is process-oriented to start with, and that means it's experiential -- a client has to (to some degree) want to go through a process with us, if we're going to do our work well. Much of the public has been trained over the last 30 years by retailers and marketing campaigns that all they should have to do is fill out a short checklist, answer three questions, or hit a button and they'll have exactly what they want and need, and at minimum cost - do it yourself !
Design and decision-making is about thoughtfulness, and making best choices, so it's necessarily going to take some tie and inquiry. In this instant gratification climate, how do we "sell" people on the value of taking some time to think things through to be sure to do what's best ? We even need them to take some time to hear and understand what we know about, and what makes our knowledge valuable to them.
A puzzle !
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Eugene Aleci AIA
Architect / President
Community Heritage Partners
Lancaster PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2012 12:41
From: Brenda Nelson
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
Kevin,
I agree. My family even thinks that I'm a designer who only draws pretty pictures. My initial designs are created with much intuition, but I can only complete a final project using a specific knowledge of systems and their interactions with each other. We need to get the word out to the general public (not just corporations and government agencies) that as architects, we have a comprehensive knowledge of our built environment. From the properties of a single sheet of gypsum board to the master planning principles of a complete neighborhood. We do have a unique knowledge and we have to let people know that.
It seems that as a profession, we don't talk enough about the technical aspects of our jobs. Probably because most of us prefer the creative part of our profession. We seem to be afraid of those conversations both internally and externally because then we'll stop learning about design. Why can't we have both the artistic and technical? And then present that dual image to the general public.
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Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Cedar Rapids IA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2012 16:45
From: Kevin Holm
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
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Kevin Holm
LHB, Inc.
Duluth MN
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This string of conversation peaked my interst because it is directly relative to the perception of Architects. We continue to allow the perception of our profession as the premier knowledge base to erode. Every proposal, every conversation, every piece of advertising from AIA or firms should be directed back to the educated and aquired knowledge base as the Architect as Master Builder. This response is also directly relative to the post about Dr's in that we continue to give up market segments instead of maintaining the original roles and abilities of the Architect. Every owners rep or CM that is not an Architect has just reduced our market segment and reduced our value as a profession. (Kudos to them for finding a market that was weak, shame on us for allowing that weakness to develop.)
The knowledge we possess that should be at the forefront is that no other professional or non professional group possess the base knowledge or ability to take a Client from project inception through occupation other than the Architect.
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-16-2012 10:54
From: Kenneth Underwood
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
The way that the medical profession has gone about raising their monetary value in the marketplace is simple, actually. A hundred years ago, doctors were not the premium earners that they are now. The medical profession has put in place a system that controls the number of physicians graduated into the system each year, thereby limiting the supply. Given equal demand and a smaller supply, the value increases. It is simple economics.
To fulfill the other levels of service to the patient, they introduced a range of technicians and paraprofessionals.
This strategy may well be worth examining for us, as well.
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Kenneth Underwood AIA
Anegram Studio PA
Raleigh NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2012 16:37
From: Donald Conway
Subject: More hype woun't do it.
More hype isn't going to reposition the profession...even if AIA had enough money to put on an advertising blitz - which it doesn't.
Let's ask ourselves why other professions are held in higher esteem by the public than architects. I suggest that the answer is knowledge. Doctors have knowledge about the human body, disease et al. Lawyers have knowledge about the Law. Rocket scientists have knowledge about physics and engineering stuff. It is because these and other professions possess a unique body of knowledge that the public values and esteems these professions.
What is the unique body of knowledge that the Architectural Profession holds? How does the profession get this knowledge? How can we prove to the public that we own a body of knowledge that no other profession has and that is valuable to society?
Unfortunatly the answer to these questions is that we do not, yet, have this knowledge. Look at the history of the profession. Throughout all of our history we have failed to develope a mechanism within our profession to seek out and codify provable and verifiable knowledge. We are, and have been, an intuition based profession. Is it any wonder the public does not understand what we do, why we do it and how we do what we do?
I suggest that if we truly want to reposition our profession then we need a major cultural shift within the profession that changes our orientation from an "intuition based profession" to a "knowledge based profession". In the future when we tell a client that we can design a school that enhances learning or a hospital that promotes healing we need to be able to prove it.
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Donald Conway
West Palm Beach FL
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