architect - a manifesto

The Lateral Thinker

You do not solve a problem like that of an engineer.  The engineer moves from A to B in the most logical and efficient manner as possible.  This is not belittling to the engineer as this is often a desired attribute in the creation of many things.  What this does however, is eliminate the human element.  You should solve the problem as a person and not as a machine.  Mathematics, physics, music, and astronomy are all tools for your disposal.  They are not to dictate your design, but rather you should orchestrate these tools to inform what your product will become.  By doing this, you may find that there is not one clear solution to a problem.  A simple object can be used as an example.  Mathematics may tell you to make a sphere, while physics tells you to make a heavy sphere, and all the while astronomy is informing you of the sphere’s orientation.  As it may seem, this can lead to an exact answer.  Now introduce the human element and you will begin to have questions.  What emotion does my sphere evoke?  How does my sphere effect what it surrounds or are the surroundings effecting the sphere?  These questions should lead to a humanization of the design and it will set your design apart from the engineered product.  You should also ask in the end, does this product solve the problem?  Maybe it does, but it is not necessarily directed toward Point B from Point A.  It may be found that you have diverted from the path slightly to make the product more meaningful.  It may also be the case that you have questioned the meaning of the solution and found that the solution itself is not appropriate, and in turn created Point C in which better responds to humanity.

Experience in Arriving to a Solution

It is impossible in the time and space we occupy to not engage any one of our senses when experiencing an object or space.  You may walk blind, but your feet will hear for you.  You may not eat, but your nose will taste for you.  When you are creating, it should be for the intention that it will in one way or another be experienced by people.  The products which are not intended for people can be the engineered products as I mentioned before.  Keep in mind the experience of a solution.  These are things that if ignored, fail to effectively engage the user.   

Multiple Paths for a Solution

There will always be new ways of exploring an idea.  You may find that your design is excellent in every way possible.  You have explored every aspect of the experience of your design and followed through accordingly.  Your follow up may find that your design satisfies every need of the user.  The fact is, however, that your flawless design is not the ONLY flawless design.  Your emotions, life experiences, attitudes, and ideals were all mixed into the design whether you were conscience of this or not.  Therefore a person of opposite ideals and comparatively radical lifestyles may find a solution equally effective in every way possible and yet have no feasible similarity to your design.

What Does an Architect Create?

To effectively answer this question I have laid out before me, I shall say “an architect should” instead of “an architect does.”  The following will be what I believe a true architect should be creating, because there are many architects in the profession who do not trend in the manor of my following statements. 

To put it in the broadest of terms, an architect should create everything.  Now, I am not saying that an architect should be standing next to a car designer critiquing on his every stroke, nor am I saying that he should be there to suggest design to any other creation made.  The architect should design what is around him in a way that expresses who he/she is as a person. 

The first thing that you might go to in your mind is the clothing an architect wears.  Too often I see architects wearing typical office attire, the suit and tie.  This either suggests conformity to a social norm or the lack of real design integrity by the architect.  I will not make a suggestion of a certain style, but I would say an architect needs to compose himself like a building.  Each piece needs to work in harmony with each other while making a statement or having purpose. 

Take an example of an article of my daily attire, a black metal watch.  The watch itself is a statement on its own because we have become too connected to the cellular devices that are supposed to make our lives simpler.  It is a statement to a time that was in fact simpler.  The black metal has a lower wealth appearance than silver or especially gold which relates to my situation as a student of architecture.  The idea is that I have not designed the watch, instead allowed the watch to speak to others about my inner self. 

Now imagine a broader view of what surrounds an architect…his desk, pen, paper, daily schedule even.  These are all opportunities for creation and design.  Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for constructing complete works of art.  He would physically design the silverware for some of his residential designs.  This method is often too laborious and cost intensive, but it serves as an idea to remind us that we are a composition as a person and everything around us will reflect what is kept inside.  

Who Does an Architect Design For?

I want to answer this one quickly because I believe that in this manor is will be most received. 

Design for People

Well what about nature and the environment?  If nature did not directly affect humanity then we would not be concerned with it.  Since nature and the environment are symbiotic with people, then we design for both.  It is very simple, but when contemplated, very deep.

Why Does an Architect Design?

Passion.  There should be no other reason.  You may say that you want to design to better people’s lives or save the world.  That is a splendid idea and I encourage you fully.  But without passion, you will fail.  Passion must be the driving force behind every idea and every concept that comes from your mind.  Passion is what will make your design believable to people.  It is what will make people truly feel what you have created and they will experience your design the way it was intended.  We have all seen works that were pushed by deadlines, half-hearted by the ill-interested, or stamped out by the one who does not carry design in his heart.  These works fall short of their potential.

Where Does Design Take Place?

Where does it all happen?  Does it occur at a desk in an office from the hours of 8am – 5pm? Does it occur in a board room with clients and consultants?  Well, yes actually, it does occur in those places.  Collaboration is a great producer of design and innovation.  But it is not where ALL design takes places.  The car ride from the office to your home, on the couch while watching television commercial, or in bed right before you fall asleep can all be places of design.  In essence, design occurs in your mind.  And if you are a true architect or a true designer, your mind never shuts off.  It is always thinking of ways to improve, change, or adapt one thing or another.  You should allow your mind to always be open to new ideas, because then you will start making connections to things you never thought possible.  All of a sudden a woven basket informs you on the structure of a building, or the smell of coffee in your kitchen brings to life how you are designing a café.  Allow the process to continually flow, but more importantly…keep a pen and paper close near at hand.

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I want to thank you, the reader, for your time and patience with this writing.  It was a small step into my mind, and I was able to finally unleash some of the thoughts which have been swirling around.  If anything is gained, I hope you take away the meaning of the word architect, because it is not just a creator of buildings.  He is rather a creator of environments by manipulating the existent into an experience.  So go out into the world and be an architect.