#ILookUp for Architecture Week

Hey there, folks.  Its #ArchitectureWeek, and its Friday, so I wanted to share some of my recent thoughts on architecture. It is spring, and flowers are out, trees are blooming, and cranes are moving.  What better reasons to Look Up?

Now, The US Architects who are reading this are probably aware that the AIA started a new campaign recently, called #ILookUp. For those not familiar with it, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has begun a three year campaign to promote architects, architecture, and the process of design.  The website is www.ilookup.org, if you’d like to check it out. 

I tend to like the phrase featured there, too: “Before beginning to design, architects look up. They look up to see what isn’t there and to envision the potential for what could be. Architecture surrounds us in our daily lives. Look up and be inspired.”

At first, I started the blog today this way:

"My name is Sean, and I am an Architect, I am a member of the AIA, and #ILookUp.”  There was a lot of hullabaloo in print and online media when the campaign started, and it felt like I needed to be in a group session introducing myself to subscribe to the AIA’s campaign.  In fact, I was disappointed, and downright surly at times, that many columnists took to writing articles insinuating or even declaring the campaign a failure, or a stylistic error, and that architecture is failing, on the brink of collapse, etc. after the FIRST ad in a three year effort was launched.

It made me wonder, after my initial surge of emotion, why are these people so against this campaign?  What a wonderful invitation to everyone - look up! What do you see? 

Here is what I see:

When #ILookUp, I see trees blooming, birds migrating, hawks gliding, clouds passing. I see the seasons at work in the reflections off of buildings. I marvel at the cranes on construction sites, and the effect that weather has had on construction. I look up to see wonderful marvels - fireworks, airplanes, etc.

 

  

Professionally, #ILookUp to see the context around me.  Architecture and urbanism are not professions that live in the moment. These are long range professions. I design homes and buildings that I hope will outlast me. That will give families shelter for decades at least. I have no control over what else gets built, and I hope that it will not be homogenous. I hope to see a range of styles, eras represented; I hope for renovation, preservation, and rehabilitation around our communities. #ILookUp to see how those interactions have been dealt with by others, to learn (whether to emulate, imitate, or avoid), and I gather inspiration.

To me, this campaign is NOT just about architecture, or design inspiration, or the connection between architecture and nature.  #ILookUp to see what is going on around me. I look away from my screen. I look away from my phone. I look away from the newspapers. And I focus on what is around me instead. What do I see in my community?

As I walk around my neighborhood, I see people growing more food in their front yards. I see people walking more than ever. I see neighbors interacting.  I see festivals, farmers markets, and people looking to help each other.

Behaviorally, #ILookUp so that I don't get stuck in a rut, doing the same things every day.

#ILookUp for hope. And for inspiration. And to remind myself that the world is a great place. Yes, we all face challenges, and there are problems around us all.  Architects tend to be problem solvers, though. And we work well in teams, and in communities. So when #ILookUp, I don't just see what IS there, I also think about what COULD be there.

Call it idealism, optimism, naivete, hope, or inspiration. Call what you will. 

THAT is why #ILookUp.

What about you?  What do YOU see when YOU look up?

Collaboration and Craft

Architecture is a profession, one that is first a service-based business; however, in my mind, the greatest architecture involves craft.  Our buildings would be nothing but ideas and pictures unless they got built.  Architects cannot always draw or document the conditions of a building unless they understand how the building goes together, and the pieces get assembled; architects don’t always know what they need to document in order to allow another person to fill in their part of the work without interacting with the people doing the work.  And architecture cannot be built without the input of a client, a patron, a user (even in spec projects, SOMEONE has to pretend that they are the client).  This collaboration, this knowledge, these skills – that is the craft of architecture.

So one of the things that I love best about working as an architect is that every project involves teamwork.  To me, Architecture is a collaborative process, and that is the only path to a successful project.  I love the interaction between team members, I love the learning opportunities.  What is amazing to me is that every project can be different – from the same drawings, two different carpenters can interpret a detail, or the way to assemble something.  It makes me aware that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  We still rely on the skills, expertise, and craft of those who make our designs into realized buildings and projects.

We as architects sometimes add our own labor to a project, especially if the process is design-build.  Often, however, our craft can be found in the way we design spaces to flow, the way the building will shape someone’s life as they inhabit the space.  Sometimes, our craft can be revealed in the materials we choose (or recommend), or if we have a particular affinity for detail.  We might imagine how something will feel in hand, or the emotion that a space or design element can evoke. Other times, the architect’s craft can be revealed in the drawings we provide.  These may be sketches to a client, sketches to a contractor or craftsperson, or even the construction drawings.  The way we think about projects are often revealed through these drawings, and sometimes the drawings are influenced by the people with whom we work and collaborate.

I’d like to highlight one craftsman in particular – Kent Bloomer.  I first met Kent as a freshman in college, as I had expressed an interest in majoring in architecture.  I took classes from Kent over the next four years.  I stayed in touch, and have had the privilege of working with him on 2 completed projects and a competition.  These interactions with Kent and his team at The Bloomer Studio have been some of my favorite experiences as an architect. On one project, the Jones School of Management at Rice University, designed under Robert A.M. Stern Architects, had several place holders in our design. Kent and his team fashioned column capitals, decorative heads, bronze doors, and even a bull & bear to create a narrative for the building.  It was an amazing experience to see each piece be designed, shaped, and modeled at different scales.  Some pieces affected the design, and I would tweak drawings to accommodate the changes; other times, the design would affect what could be done by The Bloomer Studio.  The end result was fun, sometimes whimsical, and powerful.  The students and faculty related to the ornament, and I feel that the ornament highlighted parts of the architecture.

Please check out Kent Bloomer’s website here:

http://bloomerstudio.com/

and on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/BloomerStudio?fref=ts

The other project I collaborated on with Kent is the Truman School, in the New Haven Public School system. 

http://bloomerstudio.com/projects/gates-railings/truman-and-clinton-schools-new-haven/

I love including place specific art and details whenever possible.  These root the building in place, and relate it to its surroundings, or help tell the building’s story. They encourage using local craftspeople who know the project area, its history, its materials, its story. 

Just by happenstance, this month’s #ArchiTalks series is on the theme of being ‘Crafty’.  Due to the focus I put on specific ‘craft’ mentions, I would like to direct the readers to the following blog entries especially, but all are worth reading.

From Studio MM, 'Why I love my craft"

http://maricamckeel.com/love-craft-residential-architecture

From lee Calisti architecture + design, "Panel Craft"

https://thinkarchitect.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/panel-craft/

From Matthew Stanfield, FiELD9 architecture, "On the Craft of Drafting"

http://field9architecture.com/blog/2015/03/30/crafty/

What does an architect do?

What does an architect do?

Wow.  There is no simple answer to that question.  Architects are all people – what we do, and how we do it differs from person to person, firm to firm, sometimes even client to client.  Not everyone who studies architecture goes into a career in architecture, and everyone who begins a career in architecture doesn’t necessarily end there (or even become a licensed architect).  Over time, I hope to share stories and examples of people who are architects, designers, planners, writers, politicians, even football players; people who started out as architecture students and followed their path – wherever that may be.

Now, I want to share a little about me, and what I do.  I have discovered, to my great surprise, that I am an optimist – I see to believe that things will work out, that I will get the next project, that people will act a certain way; I now realize that I just have had poor coping skills when things didn’t go as I had hoped or expected.  The good news is, I have had decades of practice to work on those coping skills.

So, what do I (personally) do as an architect?  Well, I teach (currently at a community college), I practice architecture, I manage an office; I read, I write, I take photographs, I draw by hand; I love researching and seeking out new information, I love passing that on to people and applying that knowledge.  I love to connect to people – both in person and virtually. I wander around and look, and imagine what COULD be.  As an experiment, I started to list what an architect might do DURING the design process.

For example, we might:

•  Listen to clients, documenting needs and wants;
•  Gather project information;
• Verify compliance with codes, zoning, planning;
• Research materials, finishes, or other information;
• Communicate back to the client;
• Design spaces for living / working / playing;
• Edit / massage / change those based on client feedback or limitations of the site, the materials, or other factors;
• Teach the client along the way about the process and the finishes and selections;
• Create construction documents and details from which to build;
• Work with contractors to get pricing;
• Work with clients, vendors, and contractors to make selections for items and systems;
• Coordinate all the various information from trades and vendors to the client;
• Translate or interpret that information for the clients;
• Act as a representative FOR the client, and ensure that the contractors and vendors are providing services and materials that are best for the CLIENT, not best for them;
• Often learning FROM the contractors and vendors along the way;
• Keep records of what occurs during design and construction;
• Assist in purchasing or recommending purchases of appliances, paint, door hardware, cabinet hardware, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, lights, furniture (and making sure that those pieces work well together);
• We advise, and try to act in the client’s best interest.

In the end, there are many metaphors that people might use – we are like a chef, or like a master builder, we are like a house whisperer, we are like a master craftsperson, we are like an editor, or a conductor, or an owner’s representative. 

At the end of the day, though, we are The Architect.  And we are here to help create spaces in which you can live your life, and connect emotionally with the place we have helped you realize.

On any given project, we may do all of the above services, or only some.  Yes, we have a vested interest in making sure that it comes out correctly for our own marketing and satisfaction, but at its heart, architecture is a service profession.  We are here to make sure the CLIENT likes the project, and is happy, and hopefully is fulfilled in the spaces we have helped create.

What do YOU do as an architect?

Inspiration

Inspiration

I had another post ready to go for today (actually, for yesterday).  And wouldn’t you know it?, just before I posted it, I realized that post wasn’t what was in my heart.  So, I’ve saved it for another time, and today I’d like to share some thoughts on Inspiration.

Before I get lost in words, I can keep it quite simple.  

Anything.  Anything can inspire you.

For me, though, it has recently been a combination of reading other peoples’ words, driving through neighborhoods on my way to a new office location, teaching, and talking with people.  Put simply, I am remembering that I can make a difference, just by showing up, listening to others, and sharing what I know.  Seems simple, right?  But it is very easy to get lost along the way.

You see, inspiration takes many forms, and it can be both intimidating AND exciting, not to mention motivating.  To provide a little background, I have been working out of my house for a few years now, and before that I traveled extensively for my job.  I didn’t feel like I had a home base while traveling, but I would get energized by visiting places, meeting people, listening to my team and clients, and seeing projects take shape.  As I began to work from home, and transitioned to my own firm, I found that I could focus more on projects and get to really know my clients, but that my daily motivation started to slip.  Sure, I had the drawings to do, and clients to satisfy, and I started to interact with a lot of people online.  Something was missing, though.

Eventually, I started to get out and meet people for coffee, lunch, I volunteered for some organizations – and that was great!  I found that my energy and motivation were up, but I was not particularly INSPIRED to keep working.  I was fortunate enough to interview for a part-time Instructor position at a local Community College, and this year I have taught a basic drawing class, and am currently teaching a class on Green Building and Design.  I love it (although trying to get the slides together on weekly basis can be stressful)!  The final piece to fall into place was that I have re-located my office.  I am now embedded inside a Design Build firm’s offices, sharing space with 2 other architects; I am also providing some consulting work for the design-build firm.

So, back to inspiration.  I am amazed each day at what other people do, and I rarely pause to look at myself.  I have been following several blogs for a while, and they all have inspired me because they have something worthwhile (and often powerful) to say.  These include Bob Borson, Life of an Architect; Marica McKeel, Studio MM; Lee Calisti, think architect; Cogitate Design, Architect’s Trace; Mark R. LePage, Entrepreneur Architect.  There are others, of course, but these are the ones I have read the most.  They all have something to contribute, and reading their posts always makes me think.  It did not always get me to ACT, however, despite the fact that many (if not all of them) have said to me (directly or indirectly): 'Start a blog! Share what you know! Stop worrying about it being perfect and start DOING it'.

So doing some interviews and talking to others – I mean, it IS truly inspiring to read or listen to them. And the part that has recently amazed me has been watching other people – students, a few recent clients, people with whom I am interviewing; I both watched and listened to them as I told my story, and I began to get inspired by what I had to offer.  I often forget that.  I now have a daily commute, which I have not had for years.  It takes me through beautiful neighborhoods, neighborhoods ‘in transition’, and houses being built that I believe detract from the existing fabric.  I get lost in thought now at a traffic light looking at details, or at a construction site, wondering if there was an architect involved or not.

My inspiration, I realize, comes from interacting with my environment.  It is not ONE thing – it is the entire system.  The city I am in, buildings, gardens, neighborhoods, people, friends, family, local shops, volunteer organizations, the local schools, students, and online colleagues and threads.  There is no single one that can provide all the inspiration to keep going and stay creative, but when I get a little bit of many of them each day, I feel transformed.  I feel like I can make a difference. 

And THAT is my inspiration.

Welcome to my first post.

Hello, and welcome to my new blog - What An Architect Does!  Thanks for clicking over.

You can also see some information at my Facebook page -  https://www.facebook.com/whatanarchitectdoes 

I'll be honest - starting this has taken me a long time, various platforms, and a lot of deep breathing.  I'm nervous about what to say, what to share, whether it will be of interest, heck, even whether I think the internet needs another architecture blog (probably not).

Here is my hope, and my goal - I want to share my experiences, and others, and hopefully build a well-rounded idea of what an architect does.  I was inspired by a twitter and facebook hashtag last year, and seeing all the various activities and things that got tagged.  I have always been troubled by the ideas in the public sphere about 'What DOES an architect do?', and I realized - this idea may have legs.

So, finally, I am here; realizing I may never get it 'just right', but I need to start and see what happens.

I hope that you'll follow along, and that I'll be posting content that is of interest.