Saturday, April 01, 2006

why architects?

I love architecture. People say that architects are redundant, but a world without architects would be mundane, monolithic and solely functional. Architects are needed to spice up your life. Imagine your home as a purely functional space. The structure only supports the load and the interior spaces are cut and paste house layouts. Imagine living in such a space forever. Where is the excitement? Where is 'your' special place at home if everyone's home is the same? Engineers are efficient, so its very likely if they took over architecture, everything would be generic, because efficiency saves time and cost. But architects exist to add meaning to your spaces, to create a place you never thought could exist... to make your home entirely for you. A generic 'box' in architecture has infinite possibilities. Engineering, a box is a box is a box. What else can it be right?

Why architects? Human beings are social people, and whether u are discerning or not, you inevitably appreciate beauty (although the term is subjective). Humans spend most of their lives in buildings, and your environment has a direct influence on your personality and state of mind. Basically a building can control you. So you need responsible people who care about humanity, and take pleasure in dealing with the social aspects of architecture.

Detailing in architecture makes a space intimate and cosy. When a building is designed right down to the hand rails, the spaces become intimate. The building seems to come to life. The energy and soul of the architect lives within it... mostly because someone 'cared' about it afterall.

Architects form an important part of the social fabric because in the end, architects are people who care; about the world, humanity and you!