Architecture and the architect

Thoughts & writings

Architecture and the architect

Architecture is a profession of practice. So what does an architect do? A typical project involves working with:

PEOPLE: owner/client needs and desires, project consultants (structure, mechanical, etc.), lawyers, neighborhood groups, municipal planning boards, contractors, and inspection officials

MONEY: budget, contracts, payments

REGULATIONS (city, state, federal): zoning, building codes, health codes, accessibility codes, etc.

EVNIRONMENT: sunlight, water, wind, climate, ecosystems, cultural and social context

MATERIALS: building materials and technical knowledge

RESEARCH: of history, materials, idea development, etc.

TIME: to design, to think, to plan, to manage

These project elements can become very complex and often contradictory.  Many may see this list for what it is, but the architect searches for relationships that are unseen for design opportunities. We spend hours upon hours at ThoughtCraft exhausting options to study a project from all angles to find the best solution. This is the practice of architecture. In the words of Renzo Piano: “a rapid process of synthesis, a turbocharged form of rational thinking.”  Doing this requires knowledge of art, science, and society; architecture is all of these things. In the end, architecture is about people. To build a box that conforms to regulations is one thing, but to elevate the box to engage with the human spirit is the art of creating architecture. It is the way in which the project elements and ideas come together with meaning that can elevate ordinary materials to an extraordinary experience.