Objects of Our Affection

In architecture, the production of knowledge has been isolated from itsapplication.The 20th century model of architects extracting both theoretical and physicalproducts from an industrialized mass production economy has invertedin the early part of the 21st; access to software and fabrication facilitieshas generated speculative production methods by architects in an effortto engage in the physical act of making, and to inject design innovation totoday’s architectural endeavors; Architects often bring fabrication ideas tothe construction industry, whether they are received with open arms or not.In its most prevalent form, this speculation and the authorship that comeswith it takes on the scale of a single surface of a building, a small pavilion orenclosure, or a temporary installation. In the former, as professionals we canexert control over a single part of a building at a time. In the latter examples,we operate in a curated and self-contained culture of architecture in whichwe are both producers and consumers. In each, architects are looking forvenues for “our work”.Buildings are the objects of our affection; associated with the imagination ofarchitects, they operate largely without our influence. Though there are variationsacross the globe, the built environment is increasingly controlled bythe construction industry; clients, consultants, contractors, and fabricatorsextend influence to shape a building long before an architect is involved.Frequently the architect or firm credited with a project is one of many whohave been part of the building over a number of years; from planning to predesign,design, project management, permitting, and construction, in anylarge project there are an increasing number of architectural firms playingan important role in getting any single building built.The curated, authored environment of speculative work associated with architecturalinnovation could not be more at adds with the contemporaryproject of building. As a profession we have generated new models of practice,authored processes if not objects, and rallied around the idea that theprofession itself must be protected. What we have not done as a disciplineis accept what every professional actively involved in the built environmentaccepts every day; that no one person controls the making of buildings, andthe collaborative environment in which buildings are made is rich in bothresources and ideals. The sooner we stop talking about whether we shouldlead or follow, the sooner we can be better collaborators.

Volume Editors
Martha Thorne & Xavier Costa

ISBN
978-0-935502-83-1