Rather than Data and Coding, which are both important, I think the schools should be educating for some more fundamental thinking skills. There should be a deeper investigation into creating meaningful architecture where the form and function of the architecture expresses the cultural value for the community it serves. It should go beyond trite symbolism and support the organizational and social patterns and values inherent to the client community. It should move beyond appearance and style and capture the hearts of the client's community as well as the client. It should establish beacons of hope to strive for better design which is more than pleasing proportions but leans heavily on creating something that persists in the mind of the visitor and occupant long after they have departed the structure.
There are many ways to accomplish this through site integration, detailing and thoughtful use of materials. Yet the most fundamental skill is not examined: understanding culture. Any group of more than two has a culture and cultural preferences, ways of being and ways of advancing toward their life goals. Do architects even know how to formulate the questions for this? Where is the cultural issues portion of the program? Where is the poetry that expresses the spirit of that culture?
The second area is the flip side of the first. Not coding but code and the creative and accurate interpretation of it. Not simply the building code but code thinking as a process including energy, accessibility and zoning. Of what use is it to create meaningful designs if they must be bastardized before they can be built? Architects must be taught to understand the codes well enough not only to abide by them but to recognize when the beauty being created does not fit the limited scope of the code in questions. Then creativity must be applied to a applying a new paradigm of safety or risk management. Architects must be able to collaboratively write new codes, zoning ordinances, and energy compliance models that allow for the development of the art and heart of new (renewed) cities. Whether prescriptive or performance based a good design emphasizes health, safety and welfare. Welfare should include nourishing the spirit as well as the bank account and seeing to the well being of the surrounding community as well as the client.
Where are the architects whose ideas began to reform cities in new ways? We still need them.
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Louis Smith
Microtecture of North Carolina, PLLC
Charlotte NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-13-2021 10:18 PM
From: Joel Martineau
Subject: How should schools prepare students for future software use?
I recently received a call from a local university that is trying to determine whether they are adequately preparing their students for the future, with respect to the different software platforms they teach. They questioned whether their current curriculum needs to be updated, and which programs would be best to focus on, acknowledging that small firms may utilize different software than larger firms.
I think this dilemma not only occurs within universities, but within many of our practices. It seems everyday a new tool is launched, and there is more overlap between tools competing in multiple spaces. It's impossible to keep up. Rather than concentrate on the tools, I wonder whether the answer should be to focus on equipping our future practitioners with the requisite skills to master subjects that have emerged over the past few years, which have radically changed our industry. Two include:
- Data – Be able to understand basic taxonomy of structured information, and manipulate it in a program such as Microsoft Excel. Having structured data allows for a more seamless transfer of information to a host of other programs, whether for further manipulation, visualization or the creation of 3D content.
- Coding – Be proficient in basic coding; from Python to JavaScript, there are several languages out there for you to choose.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I'd be curious to hear what you think. Should schools teach specific software platforms to students, or is there a better way to prepare them for the future? And if you had to choose a top 5 programs for the future, what would they be?
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Joel Martineau Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, NOMA
Senior Associate / Project Manager, Digital Practice
Stantec
Washington, D.C.
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