Bang fist on table, look em' straight in the eye, stand your ground...be prepared to be shown the door? This will be the article that most architects will sympathize with and most clients will stand firm against, I'm guessing. In any case, it starts with that deflating client presentation moment (see video above) when an architect through hard work, years of experience and rational thought presents what he or she believes to be a sound design, one would hope to make the cover of Architectural Digest, only to be met with the sound of silence followed by the dreaded "instead, how about this____" (client insert magazine cut out, Internet image etc.) What, no slap on the back, you nailed it boy, or wow that is truly amazing? So there it is, reality vs the idealist. At that very moment we are made aware by the client, we are not building our dreams but their dreams. This is not true as we know, the architects work is to manifest the clients dreams, wishes and needs through the architects learned use of architectural theory, principles, engineering, aesthetics and a myriad of other technical requirements to accomplish the task. Does the client have the right to skip the architects astute input and interpretation, especially when comes to aesthetics and simply go straight to demands? I'm paying for this aren't I? You must do what I say! If you accept that line, the architect no longer exists, and becomes the dreaded draftsman (nothing against draftsman, I'm referring to change of job role) It's a hard position to be in and no one wants to be the architect that is simply a draftsman for the ideas of others but unfortunately many must settle for exactly that: take a look around the next time you drive anywhere and gaze upon the less than inspiring architecture of most of our towns, villages and cities chock full of an architecture with no spirit or style....it's everywhere.
Gary Cooper as Howard Roark in the, Fountainhead.
This article is unusual in that I'm providing more observation than answers (wait that's what I usually do...) Usually I try to provide insight and understanding to common problems we face in architecture but coming to terms with the "everyday" architectural practice is a real punch in the gut. For those of you who have read or watched the Fountainhead, that punch in the gut came when Howard Roark's mentor, Henry
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Cameron warns him about the perilous journey he is about to embark on; practicing progressive architecture. Cameron tells him it's no use and he is better off killing himself or something or another, I forget. Roark finds by sticking to his ideals of architecture he has zero clients, plenty of opposition and life looks pretty bleak for a while. This is a fictional account but not too much of the mark in reality. This is not true for the celebrity architect who seems to be reaping the efforts of the Howard Roark's of the world (wait, that's a fictional character isn't it?) producing architecture that even in our wildest dreams seems outlandish. I posted that celebrity architecture was out of control (topic for another discussion) but that kind of architecture is very rare. So this article, as I usually preface in all my articles, will concentrate on the architecture the rest of the 99% of architects across the country practice. Don't get me wrong, most architects want to break out of that 99% commonality and do architecture that is bold and note worthy. Some architects, like our fictional Howard Roark struggle between what professionals believe should be built versus what the client wants, personal fantasy and commercial viability, in other words I don't care how tacky it looks and how cheap can we make it for the most profit possible. It is our job as architects to educate the client, collaborate with the client, respect the client but not to be the servant of the client. Some take a stronger stand than others and some take a weaker stand but really architects must stand up for what is right.... What is right? Every architect should be able to answer that without hesitation...Can you?
Let's start at the beginning. I just received my architectural diploma and I'm ready to take on the world. OK instant smack down; welcome to the 91' RECESSION, building industry in the dumps, no jobs. Unfortunately, I had no fallback or safety net to catch me, no architect, engineer, surveyor or any other professional in the family to roll out the red carpet for me. I had no long lost uncle with connections or anyone else to point me in the right direction. Unlike other students who had internships during their summer breaks and found jobs after graduation I made no such connections and had to work throughout my school years to pay for college. Although I had many family members in the construction industry none offered to help then or now, either through introductions or commissions, (boo hoo, poor fellow you are thinking. Hey, I don't hold it against them! Yea right!) OK back to the story. I graduated into a fierce recession and couldn't find a job right away forcing me to work elsewhere putting my architectural career on hold. I found a job a few years later in Southampton and what a good fortune it turned out to be finding my life long mentor. Yes, I too had a Henry Cameron in the form of Mr. Richard Lear, a most talented designer and gifted person. I got lucky with this my first job in the field of architecture and found myself sitting in a chair at a drafting table facing a large plate glass window overlooking Main Street Southampton working on million dollar Hampton homes, Ahhhhh, life was good. After leaving that job, things went a bit down hill. I would also make a few missteps, coming under the wrath of some pretty unhappy people. I guess that is part of growing and learning your lessons, the hard way. I had, as I mentioned no one to help point me in the right direction or even a neat little blog like this to warn me of the wolves. Now thankfully I can pass on lessons to those who want some guidance (the very few I'm sure) May I be the first to extend a hand and say, "there are a few things you should know..." You may say to me, you were unfortunate, I will do fine, that won't happen to me, besides I don't need anyone's help, thank you. OK, I get it but if someone from the future, a time traveler, boasts of knowing what will happen to you in your future you may do well to listen...or maybe not.
So in your future and my past I have faced your future struggles. Now some may say, "your no time traveler, your just a true idealist at heart, writing a blog telling others how it will be or how things should be". Good point. I suppose there is a little truth in that. However I believe that my idealism is altruistic and not self serving. You're breaking my heart; tear drop rolling down cheek, aw, how sentimental! OK I deserved that. The line between ultra idealistic and ultra ego can be a fine one. Our most famous and notorious architect of the past, your friend and mine Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright walked that line, then spit on it, kicked it around, then insulted it a number of times. Although I don't think he was much a friend to anyone, unless you were a client with a fat commission or paying to be in his fellowship (which I would have gladly done) Wright is one of my favorite architects so no disrespect to him or his legacy. I mention Wright because as many of you know, architects like Mr. Wright had an ego bigger than the Berj Khalifa. Mr. Wright paid not a single compliment of respect to any one or work outside of his own; he was the Alpha and the Omega in his mind when it came to architecture. Now any one who thinks that way would be classified today as an ass, a few notable New Yorker's come to mind, but was he a super ego or a super idealist? My guess is that Wright was certainly aware of the work being built in Europe and secretly admired and borrowed much to enhance his own work and never gave credit to anyone. No doubt he was an exceptional actor and showman at heart and had to keep the act going which may explain his cantankerous, arrogant, insulting, oppressive, domineering, spit in your eye attitude. So how did Frank Lloyd Wright deal with the realist's in his life?
Video I shot at Frank Lloyd Wright's Studio in Chicago
Well he showed them the door more often than not is my guess. Did he pay the price for his beloved attitude? Yes, at least initially he did. We know he was in constant debt, went years without a single commission and his personal life for the most part was a train wreck. However his attitude did help him stand true to himself and his ideals concerning architecture. The commissions started rolling in and his name takes a tall place in the history of architecture.
It's tougher saying no to bad architecture than it is creating great architecture. It's tough saying no to most things people ask for, try it... it's just human behavior to want to help. Don't get me wrong, creating world class architecture is no small feat but saying no to bad work or that is in no way special, (another warehouse, strip mall, chain store) when it's a pay check and that work needs to get done is a tough spot for an idealistic architect to be in. Now I may be complicating things more than I should and many an architect will defend their position whatever it may be, anything these days can be rationlized. In the end they will tell you we do not live in a perfect world. To that I say you choose the world you want to live in and you choose the world you want to create in and that will be your legacy. Choose your world wisely.
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