Another level of archi-hell

Anyone who makes a habit of reading monoblogue knows just how I feel about an organization I belong to, the American Institute of Architects. While they originally were an advocacy group to advance the profession, in the last decade or so it seems they’ve become more of a quasi-governmental bureaucracy with their support of mandatory continuing education for architects – naturally they decide which courses qualify and many times require a fee to pick up those necessary credit hours – and bombarding the membership with a push toward “sustainable” architecture in response to perceived manmade climate change. More energy efficiency is great but not by government fiat, nor do I believe in damning the cost in order to make a building “cradle to cradle” sustainable. Economic payback has to play a role – must be that capitalist in me. Has anyone ever had their LEED AP designation pulled? I might be the first.

Recently I found a blogger who questions another aspect of the profession. On a blogsite called Quiet Observations From Archi-Hell, “The Silent Observer” recounted his thoughts on modern suburbia vs. the New Urbanism instilled on students in architectral schools. A few excerpts:

I’ll be called a traitor. I’ll be laughed out of all respectable architecture circles. But I have to admit it. Having spent nearly a week visiting friends in the vast land of suburbia known as southern California, I could see myself living there. Yeah, I just said that.

Admittedly, this particular suburb of SoCal was only 20 minutes from the beach. And the sun was out nearly every day. For this New York City dweller, having come via London, the blinding yellow sun was like teasing a child with an ice cream cone after feeding them steamed broccoli. It was a bit of luxury, a break from a streak of ho-hum life. And you just want more. We’ll gloss over the fact that I was playing around for nearly a week without work. That would make any place seem appealing, I imagine.

More than the lack of responsibility, though, may have been the sense of overwhelming ease…

(snip)

Fact is, for a large portion of the population, (suburbia) is the lifestyle they are seeking. Architects, quite often it seems, willfully ignore this. We chase the glitzy, the adventurous, the sexy, the new, Maybe it gets back to being told, over and over again, to “think outside the box”. We are attracted to the idea that the status quo needs improvement, change, a radical shift in ideology, and of course we are. That’s how we justify the existence of our profession…

(snip)

(Suburban) homes are what many dream of. These are the places people hope to call home, imagine coming back to each and every night. These are the buildings people are willing to put their hard earned money towards. That says something to me. It says that these developers, for better or worse, understand the world better than I do. It reminds me that, for many, perhaps a majority, this is the lifestyle they want to live. Not the sleek, glassy living that our profession so often highlights, promotes. We vilify what the majority aspires to. That is a huge disconnect. (Emphasis mine.)

Does that not sound like the so-called progressive movement at large? They claim, “we know what’s best for you” when people know what they want.

Let’s face it: in American culture, bigger has always been better and each generation wants the best for the next one. Further, while I do not have a large house or Jeep Grand Cherokee sitting in my driveway, I’m not going to begrudge my friends and neighbors their personal choice to have them because it’s what they wanted. (I’m not thrilled about bailing them out for making poor lifestyle choices either, but that’s a subject for another day.)

Unfortunately, elitist architects (you know, the ones who grace the coffeetable magazines like Architectural Record and inhabit the leadership positions at the AIA) seem to think that communal living like that found in urban Europe should be what Americans aspire to as well, and we’re not that way. It’s a little late to change decades of thinking, so the shortcut desired by those on their side is to force us to do with less through excessive regulation, courtesy of the dollars confiscated from our wallet.

While my fellow blogger in “archi-hell” may not have traveled in the same direction, I think he (or she) and I reached the same understanding on what makes our culture unique, different, and inspiring for billions across the globe.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.