THE FUTURE OF OUR PROFESSION

[angelslondon]

I am an student of the part 3 in Architecture and to be able to finish one of my essays I would like to trough that question into the air and ask of you what do you think that the future of the profession of architecture await us.
Thanks

[RWL]

I sincerely feel that your question would take hours to discuss and explain-- and there is a need to address quite varied opinions from many soruces.
I feel the profession overall, in a few words, needs to get its act together. It needs to take control from larger, non-representative groups that currently run the whole of the profession. NO ONE speaks for the complete profession-- not even the AIA [which is a big offender when it comes to the "whole" of the profession].
The profession is not,and is not about the guys who publish coninutally; nor those who talk good projects, and produce a small number of outlandish projects. There is a steady, quiet, very competent, talented profession out there which practices with good ethics, and excellent results. This is the every day architects who receive no PR, but simply please their clients and contribute in numerous was to the community.
The profession has given up too much; allowed others to take over; and just kept working along. So now, from education to the last day of practice, we need to review, re-align, and regjenerate-- and re-establish-- the true profession of architecture.
What lies ahead?-- a lot of hard work; much to do!!!!

[angelslondon]

Thanks for your comments..
I guess it sumarises on ARCHITECTURE IS GETTING TOO COMERCIAL...
I will work on some comments and I will introduce them in the forum ... let's see if I get more replies...

[chewich]

architecture day after day is getting to a place where it shall be called the design of buildings.

some find it cool "the design of buildings" but the problen is that this has nothing to do with true architecture.
architecture used to be much more significant than it is now , an architect used to be a painter , a sculpter , a philosopher , an engineer , a designer , a decorator , merged all together.

year after year we can see this architect falling into the simple trap of design leaving behind all the things listed above.

architecture used to be a very honorfull way of living but today it is turning to be a stupid job or bisiness

[RWL]

I BEG YOUR PARDON!!!!
Architecture remains a most honorable profession, and while, yes, it has and is changing, it is still viable, and important. Architecture is still an intricate combination of art and engineering, and in addition is a collaborative effort between client and architect-- i.e., what does the client need, want, desire, and is willing to pay for. Long gone are the days when patrons paid for architectural services, and project cost was of no consequence. Sorry, sir or ma'am, but architecture is still very important and effecting each and every life, every day, in one way or another

[chewich]

i think rwl rou have miss understood me quite well ,

I sincerely feel that your question would take hours to discuss and explain-- and there is a need to address quite varied opinions from many soruces.
I feel the profession overall, in a few words, needs to get its act together. It needs to take control from larger, non-representative groups that currently run the whole of the profession. NO ONE speaks for the complete profession-- not even the AIA [which is a big offender when it comes to the "whole" of the profession].
The profession is not,and is not about the guys who publish coninutally; nor those who talk good projects, and produce a small number of outlandish projects. There is a steady, quiet, very competent, talented profession out there which practices with good ethics, and excellent results. This is the every day architects who receive no PR, but simply please their clients and contribute in numerous was to the community.
The profession has given up too much; allowed others to take over; and just kept working along. So now, from education to the last day of practice, we need to review, re-align, and regjenerate-- and re-establish-- the true profession of architecture.
What lies ahead?-- a lot of hard work; much to do!!!!

what i wrote in my previous note is to accentuate what u have said because i agree with u , but the problem i really wanted to show , is that architects are disgracing architecture and not time ,
there are many architects from around the world who have studied archtecture for a reason i don't know what and even they don't know why
and are still working architecture not knowing why.

i am an architecture student , so don't think i am someone who is just trying to teese u for no reason .

[RWL]

My comment was in direct response to your portrayal of the profession as "stupid", and less than honorable. Although my earlier comments are valid, in my view, your words are both inaccurate and rather scathing for no good reason. Why does one become an architect? Why are you studying architecture? But then there must be a million or more reasons, mainly I would say, because the individual wants to be active in the field, and desires to produce good work.
Remember every day there are thousands of projects, by architects, that are completed in good form, with good design, and full satisfacotion of the client-- only a small fragment of these are ever published or made known to the world. There is, my friend, a tremendous amount of very fine architectural work be done, and accomplished by highly talented, very intelligent, and creative people.
IF the profession ever is able to get its whole act together, the impact will be even more formidable. Look around-- you are impacted, and influenced at every turn in your life-- every day-- by architects and architecture-- and I must assume you are a half-way decent person. So something good, architecturally, is about!

[c.s.thorngate]

umm back to angels question (eh hem)
i think architecture is one of those proffesions that has the inate ability to 'evolve' , if you will, to conform to all of the possibilities that technology offers our changing world. i find that its very helpful to look to the past and study its paterns to determine which way the future will turn, just as we are able to forecast, quite accurately, the weather. so when metal was made avaliable by technology... it was used, as was glass, for certain designe advantages.
the next steps in technology are undoubtedly very applicable to future architecture (e.g. nanotechnology, zero gravity material). when this happens, architects will be much more than architects. they will also have to be experts in a vast array of fields which are way to many to go into detail. you might know all this but thats as far as i make it through the thought process. it would be of great interest to me to find out how you do and to see what all you uncover!

good luck!