July 13, 2016

What is architecture, anyway?

We are surrounded by it in the spaces we live, work and play in.  Just as a painting can be lousy, average, or great, so can architecture.  Greatness in architecture should be striven for, because it has the ability to impact life more than any other art-form.

After - Dawkins Builtin

Cost, schedule, and the details of how something is executed are barriers which impede the creative output of an artist. A singer needs to have at least the basic necessities to survive to be able to sing, some time, and a song to sing, right? I consider the architect to be an artist- an artist of the kin that can have a more profound effect on civilization than any other, because  1) one can not avoid architecture and 2) he/she uses it. That being said, there is a barrier to entering the production of this art-form more than any other.  Unlike painting where all you need is a brush, canvas, and paint, or music where an instrument will do, a building requires a bit more resources, time, and cash-money to say the least.  It is my observation that the typical architect of today has not fully realized this.  They are not fully confronting that the end product of their art is a constructed building.  In fact, the current institutions tasked with educating the architect trains this mindset.  The goal of art for an architect should not be a pretty plan, framed and hung up on a wall.

In this way the architect is forgoing the better half of their trade.  Da Vinci could not have painted the Mona Lisa if he did not get the paint, make the time, or hone his brush stroke.  He could have even had the concept and communicated it to another in such a way that it could have been executed. If he did not paint it, would it have been his?  Would it of even been the Mona Lisa?  No, it would have belonged to the guy who painted it and actually got it done.  This is not to say that contractors are the true creators of buildings and architects have been falsely credited with building for decades when they don’t (which is true), but it is to say that the architect of today is not seeing through from creation to fruition.  Due to the challenges in erecting a structure, it is unrealistic to expect the same person to handle each and every aspect of the project, but what about taking ownership for the entire project?

https://unsplash.com/@anthonydelanoix

If the creators of the statue of Liberty had not considered its cost to assemble, or how they would float it across the Atlantic, we would not have this impactful symbol of liberty in the USA.  Painting compared to architecture is like the concept and visualization of the creation as opposed to its execution, but that is not the architecture of its origin.

I am the first to admire such a framed plan on a wall, but to have this as the final creative output of an architect makes it so that buildings do not get built.  It is just a pretty picture on the wall and is a representation that the architect of today is not responsible for the execution of their artistry.  A lack of consideration for cost, schedule, and the details of the thing are the real barriers for an architect.  It is not the cost, time, intricacies itself, nor is it clients, contractors or the economy.  It is the mindset that one is not fully responsible for theses factors.  

The hats or responsibilities the “general” architect has shed that would be in his/her and society’s best interest to re-assume are Cost & Scheduling.

This is not to say that no architect thinks with these or negates them fully but on average they are an afterthought for someone else to figure out.

The challenge of getting a project realized is part of what makes architecture so impactful for its users and rewarding for its executors.  It is why I am so passionate about the model in which we deliver projects to clients.   Cost and execution are at the forefront of our design process.  In this way, projects are realized and we are able to achieve our purpose of “Lifting Spirits with Spaces”.

 


daveDavid Supple is the owner and CEO of New England Design and Construction. He is currently working on writing a book about his experiences and thoughts in the design and construction industry. David is a graduate of Tufts University with a degree in architecture. In California, he trained as an architect for three years, designing, directing, and managing 50- 100,00 square foot renovations. He founded New England Design & Construction in 2005 and became incorporated in 2006, and rapidly expanded the company to servicing the Greater Boston Area.  He is an aspiring comedian but currently he only practices with his wife.

Published July 13, 2016 | By