Week 7: Safety Zone

The philosophy of architecture is such an intriguing realm.

I argued for my project that architecture gives an effect upon the people that use it.

In an article written by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, the notion of how architecture is much more than what meets the eye is expressed. I guess you could say that there are politics in architecture; this due to all of the different opinions and philosophies of what architecture means to the architect himself/herself.

In "Architecture, Big-A and Little-a", the AIA Feature article in the February 2015 edition of Architect, the identity of an architect is questioned.

Generally, architects "justify" their job/profession by saying that they keep building from falling down. However, in argument from Victoria Beach, AIA, that reasoning isn't the whole truth. She states, "A computer can do that."

Rather than arguing solely from a logistical standpoint, Beach argues for the addition of meaning. Rather than just the ethics of architecture in "treating your clients well and keeping the public safe", it is also "going beyond the practical constraints and giving your clients more."

She continues on to say something similar to what Lance says as well. She says, "To attempt a work of architecture, you need to also embed the building in the culture in a meaningful way."

Lance told me of a project LEA did, where they used red brick to make the walls of a fire station. This red brick was the same type of brick that used to make up a previously demolished school. With the use of the brick in the new fire station, it now brings about a sense of nostalgia and familiarity to its community.

Back to Beach's thoughts: Training, schooling, testing, and qualifications aren't what compose an architect. "It's what one does with the opportunity a license affords." In other words, in Bev's words: 'it's all about passion.'

     Passion for people, passion for environment, passion for culture, passion for design.