So, Why be an Architect?

It does seem that as Architects take the blame for any number of factors that are beyond the scope of design, time delays and cost over-runs seem to be the most popular, and are subject to media scrutiny for any number of ‘design problems’ or sometimes merely down to the fact that somebody does not ‘like’ it irrespective of what it is actually achieving for the community. It is easy to criticise somebody else’s work based on personal views of what is deemed good or bad, it is like saying that I prefer Jaguar cars over BMW therefore BMW is not good, which of course is stupid. Then there is the scenario where somebody did not install one of over a thousand components correctly and there is a problem that needs to be rectified, therefore this is a bad car, bad design and so on, which is equally stupid.

As a designer when talking with colleagues there is always scope to be able to say that ‘I would not have designed it that way’ without the knowledge of the challenges that the designer faced, resulting in the project following a certain strategy and having a certain appearance. As a critic it is more difficult to understand a project in terms of what it set out to achieve and be able to make a judgment as to whether the vision is being achieved. It is not always easy to convince clients that there are reasons not to follow practices that were accepted twenty-five years ago, particularly in regions where the perception is that Architecture is just building to make money. It is about educating clients and there is the real skill, it is not about drawing, rendering and fabrication details, specification, project schedules and so on. It is about the sharing of ideas and sharing of knowledge, taking the clients on the journey, from having a vague idea to fully understanding their requirements and the impact that the project will have on their image, and how they are perceived by the local community and in some cases, the global community.

Why be an Architect? This is why, to make a difference! Hopefully to make what will prove to be a lasting and positive contribution to society, the built environment, and the natural environment in which we live and depend on for our very existence.

For the full story:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/DoWeNeedArchitects/AlunDolton/prweb12821028.htm

The first page - Why be an Architect?

It’s a bit like asking an athlete why train so hard to enter an event that you have no guarantee of winning, and in some cases no chance of finishing on the podium. As best summed up by Dr. Jaques Rogge in his speech at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games: ‘it is not about winning, it is about how you compete’.

Sometimes being an Architect feels a bit like competing at the highest level to secure last place. At other times it feels like it is a major achievement qualifying, and it is enough to be content with that. Having been that athlete competing at an amateur level, it is easy to draw comparisons between the motivations for entering a marathon say, or choosing to qualify as an architect, in one sense it is about self realization, the proving to that it is achievable, in another it is competing for a cause, Architecture is the latter.

As a profession we may be accused of fuelling our egos from time to time, being self satisfied, making grand gestures with bigger, better, taller buildings; making the rich even richer and so on. In reality the buildings are the legacy of an intense process of imagination, devotion and tenacity to get the project designed, agreed and delivered in time and on budget; and it is the Architects who are blamed when either of the last two are not met, even though the project is in the control of countless professionals whose sole job it is to control costs and program. Who ever heard of the quantity surveyor being blamed for cost overruns? Who ever heard of the project manager being blamed for late delivery, but in the case of the Millennium Dome and the often misquoted price tag of ‘seven hundred and fifty million pounds’ for a tent and it is the Architects’ practice name that is associated with it and the negative publicity that was generated by the media at the time. It is political and economic forces that dictate if, when or where development takes place, it is the architecture that attracts the attention, it is the lasting legacy of those decisions, and as Architects we become responsible for that legacy. Practices live or die on public opinion, the higher the profile of the project, the greater the risk taken by the Architect.

The truth is little was publicized at the time about the long term strategies for regenerating East London, I seem to remember briefly reading in the architectural press at the time (Building Design in 1997 I think) that the Dome would form part of an future Olympic bid following Birmingham and Manchester’s unsuccessful bids in the 1980’s and 1990’s respectively.

In 2012 and after five years of what seems to be continual negative publicity related to the cost of hosting an Olympic Games, and concerns about the legacy. London hosted the most successful games ever from a Team GB perspective, widely regard as a triumph from an international perspective. The opening ceremony, celebrated those human qualities that our people over generations have exhibited, imagination, tenacity perseverance, and it is widely recognized that the Games could not have been hosted without it.

So what did we do (as a profession)? Some members of the public may associate Architects’ names with the project: EDAW for the master plan of the Olympic park, others for the design of the venues, Populous for the design of the Olympic Stadium, Zaha Hadid: Aquatics Centre, Michael Hopkins: Velodrome, for example. Countless other nameless individuals as part of those teams, would have no doubt put in stupidly long hours, competing to win the project in the first place, then fighting to make the project the best that it can be against cost cutting, time constraints and the harsh reality of project delivery. So why do it? For some it is just a job, for some it is so they can say ‘I worked on that’ even if it was only coordinating the fit out of the toilets, for others it could be for the ‘experience’, whether it is about getting the big name on the CV or having the project in the portfolio.

In terms of the global view of Architecture in 2014 it seems that many feel that Architecture is a profession that is undervalued. It is difficult to secure work when you are in a practice and even more difficult to find work if you are not in practice. When in practice we have to compete for the work, and in many cases it feels like the only criteria is who can do it for the lowest fee. There are continual debates about the ethics of ‘buying work’ and devaluing the profession, there are other debates about the hijacking of the term architecture by IT professionals and the growing sense that people do not know what architects do.

The full story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris - Do We Need ARCHITECTS?

Why write a book?

My life’s journey has taken me to many places after choosing a career in architecture and this is about sharing the experience. I became more interested in the impact that architecture has on the lives of people, than how buildings go together, when studying to become an architect, I was always writing pieces about my impressions of places,  I took this forward in a Master’s degree exploring the impact of architecture on human behaviour, many pieces were not written in an academic style and were not published in the academic work although the process taught me a lot about composition. Since leaving the UK in 2010, new experiences prompted me to start recording my observations once again, and with it the feeling that i should share these impressions, on compiling the individual pieces that were written over the years, some just in note form I discovered that there is a story that spans 25 years,  and that I have travelled from, learning about architecture to practicing architecture, and have experienced architecture through living, working and visiting different cities throughout UK, France, US, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain.

Over the time span of the journey things change, from how we practice architecture, how architecture is perceived, to the cities and places that we have an impact on. The story captures the process of continual change and examines some of the forces that bring about change. It is a celebration of the efforts of leading architects, and the legacy of their work and the impact that architecture has on our everyday lives. Today there seems to be a growing notion that many outside of the architectural profession do not know what architects do, although most of us live in the built environment, we live with the legacy of the architectural process, we live with the legacy of shortsighted planning decisions, we live with the legacy of long term planning strategies. This book examines the impact that architecture has on the environment in which we live. This is about sharing knowledge and experience, most of all I want readers to take something away from it, whether is be an appreciation of how the environment that they live has been shaped, or an interest in how ongoing developments will shape their lives, to understanding that there exists a profession with the knowledge, experience and drive to make a positive contribution to their lives, and tackle some of the big problems that society is facing. Climate change. Energy security. Water security. Population growth. Rapid urbanization.

It offers a different way of looking at what most of us take for granted, what we accept as the reality of living in the built environment. This is written as a first hand account, a light hearted look at how architecture is perceived, it is written in real time meaning that some of the places experienced no longer exist, the debates over certain situations have evaporated, it shows the dynamic nature of architecture, master planning and the life of the city.

The full story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris - Do We Need ARCHITECTS?

Reflections on Birmingham

Hi Readers,

From the number of views on this blog over the past few days it looks like there might actually be some of you that are reading it as opposed to just being scanned by robots, and I would welcome any comments about any of the subjects that I am discussing. I have just published my first book that is essentially a journey over 25 years documenting the change that has occurred and is continuing to occur in our cities and the role that architecture has in shaping them and guiding the process of change. 

Birmingham is a city that has become my adopted hometown, as I have studied, lived and worked in the city for 17 years. From arriving as a first year student in 1993 to commence the BA Hons in Architecture, to qualify RIBA part 1, studying elements of the city for the many projects that were set on specific areas that were the result of Herbert Manzoni's plan to modernise the city centre in the 1960s, through Post Graduate Diploma in Architecture that qualifies RIBA Part 2, Diploma in Professional Studies in Architecture that qualifies RIBA Part 3 to completing an MA in Architecture Design and Theory in 2003, which is where the term 'Beneath the Surface of Architecture' derives its name, then continuing to be involved in the educational process as a visiting tutor at the Birmingham School of Architecture. The studies have revealed that the city is a dynamic object, a living organism, always changing, developing, learning. There are elements of the city that are explored in the story that no longer exist, there are elements that were never built although they seemed real at the time that masterplans were being developed.  As architects we are part of the process of bringing about change whether we realise it or not, the legacy of our work is what people will live with, associate with the identity of the city, love or hate and Birmingham has had its fair share of both. 

I have not been to Birmingham for 2 years and am always excited to return whether it is for a specific event, visit friends or just experience the vibe of the constantly changing environment, the journey never ends, the learning never ends and the opportunity to learn something new is fascinating. You can read the full story here: 

Architect’s Journey of Self-Discovery Unfolds in New Memoir http://govoc.us/AAC7xX via @PRWeb

Are architects are failing to tackle climate change?

Is this really a true statement? Or is it Architects being made the scapegoat for problems that we have little influence over? This is in response to leading environmentalist Jonathan Porritt's statement that 'Architects are failing to live up to their professional responsibility to tackle climate change', given at the Bartlett ethics symposium held earlier this week, (AJ 2nd July 2015) "Porritt said no-one in the built environment had ‘immunity’ from engaging with the latest scientific data on carbon emissions and the predicted rises in global temperature and considering what this meant for their work" 

This raises a number of issues, sure there always is a sense that we could do better, and there is always the risk of "relying on out-of-date science less alarming that the most current projections". This is largely due to the global context changing so quickly that what was designed and agreed to a year ago that may not be on site yet, is already out of date and by the time it is built depending on the scale of the project could be anything up to ten years out of date on completion. There will always be a lag between cutting edge science and what is addressed at the design stage, and what is finally delivered. 

As I see it the problem is the application of cutting edge science in the first place, clients are reluctant to invest in something that is not tried and tested, especially if the perception is that it is going to cost more. Porritt refers to "client dependency syndrome. Contractors and architects all suffer from various degrees of this syndrome and it is complicated knowing how to deal with it.‘There are of course brilliant individuals talking about how important it is to engage morally with this question but for the profession in the round, you’d have to ask the question of whether anyone would associate it with tackling climate change in our troubled world." The problem is without clients we would not build anything and educating clients is as important if not more important than the design solution being offered. 

As a profession we know how to design zero carbon buildings, we know how to plan zero carbon cities, as architects we are constantly engaged in the process of trying to influence decision makers, from policy makers who think that sustainability is something they cannot afford, to clients that think that the use of renewables is a nice to have but do not see it as a good investment due to payback periods being too great, and there are often members of the design team, who assume that they have more influence, cost consultants, mechanical engineers who love to say that 'that won't work' because they want to install the same air conditioning system as they have for the past 20 years. 

There is no easy solution, every project has its challenges, and invariably a project is a compromise between competing factors, as architects we need to stand by our convictions, we are influencing change, more clients are beginning to see that negative environmental impact of their project will outweigh short term financial gains, for me I share the frustration that change is happening too slowly, but am encouraged by gaining momentum. It is easy for commentators to claim that we are not doing enough, and not to champion the change that has been made, that would give us more influence and bring about change more effectively.