Week 2: The Sweet Life of Architect and Design

Sweets! A seemingly fit topic for a post-Valentine's Day post.

The first time I saw the word "sweets", was in reference to LEA's "Sweets Library". This was a couple weeks back, before my internship had begun. The first thought that went through my mind was: "... Do architects need a lot of sugar to keep their brains going throughout the day?" I actually thought they had a library categorized with various sweets.

HOWEVER, they did not have a room full of sugar. Instead, it was a room full of books/binders/magazines/product information, which were called "sweets".

Sweets are categorized 1-16. These categories include: masonry, metals, finishes, furnishings...... (12 others!!)

The reason as to why I bring sweets up is that it reveals the amount of planning and research done for a project. Especially with our daily technological advancements, more improvements for lighting fixtures, walls, shading structures, etc. are constantly being produced. With so many possibilities of what a building may entail, how could an architect possibly choose between all of the infinite options??

Maybe they put on blindfolds and point their finger. Maybe they just choose the first one that they find. Maybe they choose the one they believe looks aesthetically the best. In all reality, all of the above instances may very well be true. But is it what a good architect would do?

I had a conversation with Lance, one of the main architects at LEA. He described to me what constituted a good architect.

A good architect wasn't defined by how beautiful his/her designs were.
A good architect wasn't defined by how massive and breathtaking his/her designs were.
A good architect wasn't defined by how structurally safe and sound his/her design was.

A good architect was one who provided a design that encompassed all consideration for what his/her building would impose upon people and its environment after it is built. This then includes the aesthetics (for they affect the building's users), the functionality (for this is what the client asked for), and the environmental conscious design (for buildings then become one with the environment).

Architects bring together all perspectives for this impending building, and make it into one cohesive idea. They don't just focus on beautifying the square piece of land they were granted to build on, but also think of how to integrate their new structure with the already existing landscape or other buildings.

**Also, as a quick note, when I say "architect's building"/"his/her design", this is not to neglect the other people that have a say onto the design. The design is ultimately a collaboration between architect, engineer, client, and more (I will find more about this!!).**