The Top 10 Reasons to be an Architect is a good topic to discuss on an architecturally themed podcast and interestingly enough, this is the very topic that put the Life of an Architect website on the proverbial map. It’s been 11 years, 11 months, and 2 days since I initially wrote that article and I think it’s time we revisited the topic. Welcome to Episode 92: The Top 10 Reasons to be an Architect
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Today we are talking about the reasons why someone would want to be an architect. Maybe we should start off with a little history behind this post. I wrote this piece with a 30-minute time limit as a response to someone who was interviewed who was complaining about being an architect, and most of his attention was focused on the premise that architects don’t get paid enough. It was a fairly negative interview and we had just had this conversation in my office about being positive and how the right attitude can make a fairly profound impact on your outlook of all things – something that I passionately believe to be true. So I set out to write a piece that would discuss the reasons why I thought being an architect was a good idea.
My site was only 34 days old at the time and the list went as viral as an architectural post can, and as of this recording, it is the 4th most viewed article on my site and is closing in on a million page views just by itself. If there is one moment I can look back and single out the moment when everything changed, it was February 22, 2010 … the day I decided to write the “Top Ten Reasons to be an Architect” and nothing has been the same for me ever since. So we are dusting it off and looking at my reasons with 12 more years of experience and deciding if my original list and the reasons I outlined for including them still hold true.
It’s a lifestyle, not a job. jump to 05:54
Architects typically tend to think about architecture all the time, I know I do. Not just the big ‘A’ type of buildings or projects, but every little thing from everywhere I go. I go somewhere and start looking at materials, form, massing, lighting, etc. If I take a trip somewhere, I start by planning it around the buildings I want to visit. Probably 90% of all the books I buy (not including children’s titles) are about architecture – I even put them on my Christmas list.
Grade: A
This is still true and retains a place of prominence on this list. Andrew had an addition that made a lot of sense. This only remains on the list when this is viewed as a positive, and not that you are always working. This has to do more with who you are and how you view your activities.
People respect architects. jump to 09:16
Even if they don’t really understand what we do, there is a perception that architects are ethical and responsible and will endeavor to make the right decision to our own detriment. It’s part of the reason that ‘architect’ is chosen so often as the vocation for title characters in movie and TV roles.
Grade: A
When I wrote this comment, it was really based on my experience working on single-family residential work and I worked almost exclusively with amazing contractors whose business is built on word-of-mouth and came into every project with a built-in sense of required collaboration. I also was working with the end-user (i.e. the person who would be living in the house) and they are invested emotionally in the process and the end product. Now that I spend an equal amount of time working on commercial projects where there are profit-based developers, owner’s representatives, the work is still rewarding but it doesn’t have the same sort of adoration.
Job is constantly evolving. jump to 14:58
Architects are not artists – we have to address building technology and programming. There are constantly evolving materials and construction methods out there and we are required as a profession to address the demands of the public at large (building performance, energy consumption, incorporating recycled materials, etc.). Architects create new design concepts that push how modern-day construction is executed. Architecture is one of the few professions that is never static.
Grade: C
I originally wrote that architects are not artists – and that’s not right. I believe that architecture is not art, but rather artistic. I will say that we ended up giving this item a C for the simple reason that the difficulty of keeping up with the rapid rate of change is becoming almost untenable to keep up with and the profession is becoming driven by specialization. It might make for more intelligent buildings and spaces, but those spaces require the involvement of so many more people that providing architectural services is becoming more and more out of the reach of everyday folks unless we all start adopting a production line mentality.
Artistic freedom and personal expression. jump to 19:37
As an architect, we are given certain project parameters that help guide the direction of our projects. We are then given the freedom to pursue the artistic embodiment of those parameters. 10 architects with the same client and the same project parameters will provide 10 different solutions. Every time.
Grade: D
I agree with less than half of this comment – we do not have the latitude to pursue artistic freedom to the degree that I was thinking when I wrote this statement but the real reason that I don’t think this item belongs on the list anymore is that pursuing artistic freedom and personal expression is not a requirement to either being an architect or finding success as an architect.
The reference I made to Thom Mayne is in this post: How to Be the Best at What You Do
You can be your own boss. jump to 24:29
You can be your own firm of one and still be a viable service provider on almost any size project. You can enter contests and win commissions for major projects by yourself – I can’t think of another vocation that can provide similar latitudes. I have also seen a team of 3 people design and prepare construction documents on a mall over 1,000,000 square feet.
Grade: B+
This is still a true statement and I believe it is a motivating consideration for many people who consider architecture as a viable career path for them. The knock on this as an entry onto the list is that being your own boss can limit the sort of work where you can practice. Public work is difficult to obtain for a small office since many of the projects start their selection process based on your qualifications and now that large firms are going after seemingly everything, it is harder than ever to compete. That being said, there still seems to be more sole-practitioner architects
There are tangible (and sometimes euphoric) results. jump to 28:31
Anyone who has ever seen a building that they worked get built knows exactly what I am talking about. I am still excited to watch one of my projects getting built – it’s like having your own laboratory where you can experiment and refine things that you consider to be important and worthwhile. It ties into the artistic freedom listed in #4 but architects generally have a sense of ownership on every project they work on.
Grade: A
This one definitely speaks for itself. The act of creation is powerfully intoxicating.
We can positively impact people’s lives. jump to 34:00
It is rewarding to develop a personal relationship with your client, particularly when you know that the process will yield a more fruitful end product. By understanding the process, our clients appreciate the product. By appreciating the product, they are acknowledging the role it plays.
Grade: A+
Out of all the items on this list, this one might be the reason most people think about becoming an architect, as well as being one of the most rewarding.
Experimentation is expected. jump to 38:18
Despite architecture having to contain building sciences and technology, the final esoteric product does not have a definitively right or wrong answer. Because no two architects will ever come up with the exact same solution given an identical set of parameters, there is a liberating sense that you are here for the purpose of imparting your own personality to the project. We are expected to try new things, explore different materials, and incorporate emerging technologies into every project.
Grade: B-
While this is still a valid consideration, there is a sort of fearlessness that is required to go along with this as an idea if you are able to fully realize the benefit … that also means risk and risk means stress. In addition, there is a constant reevaluation of the work that you’ve done as part of the process that allows you to grow and build upon your ideas. As a by-product of the constant evaluation, even on my most successful projects, I am far more likely to only acknowledge the things that could have been done better or identify lost opportunities, rather than using that moment to celebrate your success.
Longevity of Career. jump to 43:22
You can practice the profession of architecture for as long as you want – you’ll always be an architect even when it isn’t your job anymore. Most architects don’t really start to become good/great until later in life – I’m talking in their 50’s. I imagine that you have to come to some sort of understanding as to who you are as an individual before you can start to be consistent with imparting your imprint onto a building.
Grade: B+
I have always believed that the nature of our profession is that there are so many opportunities, market sectors, building types, roles within the process, etc. that young architects should explore the possibilities available to them, rather than thinking that whatever they start doing when they first begin working is what they are stuck with until they retire. Due to this period of experimentation, I don’t think you will really hit your stride until some time has passed … but there is virtually no shelf limit to our profession. I still regularly engage with architects who are in their 70’s and 80’s who still find some time to practice, just enough to keep active. My last employer said he plans on dying at his desk because he loves what he does so much … can’t remember the last accountant that said that.
An incredible variety of options within the profession. jump to 53:16
Unlike other professions, you graduate with a degree in architecture without having to know what type of architecture you are going to focus on. This is really great because when you graduate, you don’t know enough about the possibilities to know what you want to do. You can float between big and little firms, the role of project architect, designer, or management. You can work on building types from different market sectors like hospitality, residential, civic, retail, etc., and will still be an architect. Your degree will have a marketable value beyond the time of your immediate graduation.
Grade: A
This is true for many of the reasons I stated in the “Longevity of Career” portion. You can move from big firm to small, Public sector to private, design-centric or technically focused … it is an obvious addition to the list.
Would you rather? jump to 54:50
Would you rather never be able to wear pants, or never be able to wear shorts ever again?
The initial thought is that this question centers on the environment where you live (warm weather = shorts, and cold weather = pants) but that is not necessarily the case.
EP 092: The Top 10 Reasons to be an Architect
Overall I think this list is still of more value than not but it was clearly time to update it with a fresher perspective and one that reflects current thinking and realities. I do find it incredibly interesting to think of how much my opinion has evolved over the 12 years from the time I came up with the original list. There is an overwhelming part of me that wants to articulate why those changes might have taken place – who else is in a better position to evaluate that change other than me? As I have spent the last few days pondering this the only reason I can come up with is that I have changed as much if not more than the profession.
Cheers!
