Architecture: Architecture Is A Noble Profession?

1508 Words4 Pages

Architecture, as described by Pressman (Pressman, 2006)is a ‘Noble Profession’. Being a professional involves providing a service to the public and in the architects case this involves providing their clients with “specialist knowledge and skill” (Salisbury, 1998). A client approaches an architect with a problem that needs to be solved. The architect is employed to act, as Gensler (Gensler, 2015) notes, as the clients trusted advisor, guiding them through a complex process which they may or may not be accustomed with, and providing them with knowledge and professional advice.
Since the architect is providing a service the client is now their focus and at the forefront of the architects mind. It is necessary for the architect to put aside their …show more content…

Furthermore doing just as your client wishes will not create a successful design and as Pressman states “should never be an excuse for poor design” (Pressman, 2006). The architect is the person in this relationship that has the knowledge and insight in how to join the clients brief and preferences and turn them into a successful piece of architecture. This leads to an opinion for not including the client in the design process. As Chappell and Willis note design is a personal thing (Chappell & Willis, 2010), and the architect has a wealth of knowledge and experience as a result of his comprehensive education. Clients can slow down the decision making of the project as each step and decision may need to be explained to them. If an architect proceeds on his own accord the timeline can be minimised making the job more efficient for the architect. This can be a reason that, as the old adage goes and as Abramowitz acknowledges (Abramowitz, 2009), architects can see their clients as unavoidable obstacles that they encounter while trying to achieve their design ambitions. This thought process can lead to architects seeing the project as their project and they may have an ambition to get the project noticed in the architectural world through …show more content…

As stated by Pressman (Pressman, 2014, p. 18) it is the architect’s responsibility “to educate the client about great design and show them exciting possibilities that they couldn’t imagine”. After all the main reason the client appointed the architect is for him to bring his skills and expertise to make the project successful. Sailsbury (Salisbury, 1998) and Chappell and Willis (Chappell & Willis, 2010) believe that this educating of the client should be done gently as the client may feel offensive or insignificant. The design team can take the clients ideas and expand on them, suggesting how to enhance them. Many clients cannot read drawings or understand the industry speak, the architects suggestions and advise should be communicated though simple language, stories and examples. If the architect has built up trust with the client they will happily listen to any suggestions the architect may have and will trust their advice. On the other side clients know their business and lifestyle thoroughly and their input and knowledge is extremely beneficial to the development of the project. Gensler (Gensler, 2015) acknowledged that there is also a great deal to learn from the clients which will expand the architect’s knowledge and be constructive to the project at hand and any future projects. This

Open Document