When a person is not feeling well, he goes to a doctor. If a person needs his teeth cleaned, he goes to a dentist. If a person needs legal help, he calls a lawyer. But, why does a person go to an architect?
The traditional answer would be… if a person needs a building, he goes to an architect.
But, isn’t it general contractors who do buildings? And what about draftsmen – can’t a person just hire a draftsman to draw a building? One may say, “…all I want is a house addition. An architect… wow! That surely sounds expensive. Should I really hire an architect for a patio cover? Can’t I just use the city’s form and get a quick approval?”
But is that all an architect is good for? Grab a cup of coffee (or spot of tea) and sit back while we explore a few other things that an architect does that can be of service to you, even if you don’t need one for the moment.
Let’s look at things from a ‘big picture’ perspective… namely, an architect is trained in understanding how people live in buildings, and trying to create buildings and spaces that people will enjoy.
As an example by way of contrast, a doctor sees people who are ill – something isn’t working right in the body or the person has an ailment that needs to be cured. The doctor is trained to diagnose what is wrong with people and determine a course of action to insure that the people get better. Same for a dentist, either something needs to be maintained (teeth cleaned) or replaced / repaired due to faulty habits. Very rarely is a doctor called on to see how health may be optimized and problems pre-empted. And, still fewer people regularly go to a dentist for ongoing maintenance of their teeth. These are very concrete things.
An architect, though, can help add quality to life in addition to making sure that things are functional. In other words, an Architect is concerned with the health and enjoyment of the people entering one of his buildings. His concern is for more than functional needs... it extends to how people enjoy the places they inhabit.
It’s a fact. People need food, clothing and shelter from the elements and weather in order to survive. And, many people, especially in the midst of an economic downturn, are very happy to be doing that… surviving. Now, without minimizing the needs we have for survival, one must consider things from a deeper point of view… one must consider that part of our place in this world includes enjoying certain things about it. We enjoy a beautiful sunset. We enjoy family and children. We enjoy a delicious meal. We enjoy a walk in the forest or other lush green places. But, do you enjoy the place you live? If you are like most people, maybe you haven’t given much thought to it. But, that is exactly the door through which the architect enters.
In America for the past 60 to 70 years, we have enjoyed a time of comparative prosperity that very few nations have attained to. The prosperity we have enjoyed is ‘object’ oriented, in that people have seen the acquisition of things as a top means of obtaining pleasure or joy in this world. But, if we really think about it, things don’t have the capacity to keep us happy for long before we are looking for the next bigger and greater thing to come along. And, things break. Things get stolen. Unless something very dramatic happens along the way, it’s easy to get caught up in this pursuit of objects to try to fill up our lives. Things tend toward eclipsing life… in that we are so caught up with the pursuit and management of things, the life we have here and the people we share it with are neglected. In times past, people worshiped objects called idols, and the results were horrendous. Sacrifice of newborn children to idols in some cultures was commonplace. Death results from ways of life that are only 'object' oriented.
By contrast to things, people are different. People are not objects. People are living and breathing eternal souls who, in this world, have more value than the things acquired or even the wonderful animals that are all around us. People are special.
As a Christian, I believe that people are made in God’s image, and therefore the things that are done to and for people have an immeasurable value. I take this perspective into my thoughts related to architecture and the design of places. So, what happens to a person or to people as they dwell in the rooms and buildings I design is very important to me.
Now, the movement of people through spaces, whether outside or inside, severe functional needs or not, is a key concern for the architect. Another factor is, how does a person ‘feel’ when they enter a room? A building? Does a person feel uplifted or oppressed? Is the building a ‘healthy’ building to live in, or does it make people sick?
If you think these things don’t matter, consider the millions of dollars that are spent by people each year on vacations and home improvements. Places matter to people. But, what is it about places that take a person beyond the mundane and ordinary to the truly exceptional – the places that add happiness to life?
The key to a place reaching its fullest potential is that the place is designed with a purpose, part of which is to meet functional requirements. Additionally, the other part of design that makes a building go from being merely functional to being ‘Architecture’ (with a capital ‘A’) is the aesthetic side.
Does it work? It Must. But does it help lift you from the consideration of day to day life and help you in being a better human being? Is that the role of architecture? These thoughts go past the mundane, but must be considered in order to fully realize how an architect may help you, if you are willing.
Feel free to visit us at future blogs to refine your understanding on this and other related topics.
Feel free to visit us at future blogs to refine your understanding on this and other related topics.
