the faceted role of the architect in community development

Friday, December 09, 2005

The AIA offers helpful ideas to architects on many issues including on how they can be more effective activists in shaping communities including their own. Check out their site for ways on
"How ARCHITECTS Can Become ADVOCATES for LIVABLE COMMUNITIES".

www.aia.org/liv_gov
www.aia.org/liv_principles

Monday, November 28, 2005

Community Re/Development Resources

Check out the Metropolitan Council's website, www.metrocouncil.org, and the University of Minnesota's own Metropolitan Design Center, www.designcenter.umn.edu, for issues, strategies, guidelines, and case studies of local projects that help designers address community re/development.

AIA MN 2005 CONVENTION

This years AIA MN 2005 Convention hosted events such as the seminar on "Height, Density and Politics: An Architect, a Developer, and a Community Strategist Talk". A panel of guests talked about several projects in which they dealt with community concerns about the effects of building higher in redevelopment strategies and how it could potentially affect their community. Noted concerns were aimed at preserving views of important landmarks and the problems faced or attributed with density such as crime. However, it was argued by one panelist that the issues facing density are not about poverty but providing desirable places to live. Panelists also insisted height is not the problem but the construction and connection of a public realm at the ground floor and streetscape that is of importance and what is responsible for making height work. A member of the audience pointed out that one fault of the discussion was the absence of the very people affected by the issues of height and density, and that is a representative of the community asked to participate. Also stressed was the idea of designers playing a pro-active role themselves in participating in local community meetings in discussing these issues and providing a voice for the design community to be better understood and create connections with other members of the neighborhood.

Check out the editorial "Fear of heights hurts Minneapolis", in the local StarTribune for a related article that addresses the concerns of height and re/development. Under the Opinion column at the top, scroll down to editorials and find the article. Posted Friday, November 18, 2005.

www.StarTribune.com

Saturday, November 19, 2005

In The Scheme of Things - 2

From the comments, it would seem that perhaps the education system is not so off course. The focus of education has primarily been design and the relationship of the personal with the built environment. It is these key issues that strengthen the architects’ role. It is good to know that architects are the dominant influence of the aesthetics of a city, of the country, of the world. Perhaps if design had been run by developer, it would have a Wal-Martism and not Modernism. It is good that architects consider the user and the public, even if the client isn’t one of these categories. Ultimately, someone has to address these issues.

As the issue of Architects as Developers or Architects vs. Developers continues, I’m conflicted by the notion of developing (not developers per say). On one end of the spectrum developing is expanding the city perimeter. It is drawing resources further out from the city center. It forces people to travel longer to get to these places. At the same time, it seems to set itself up for further developing (…funny how that happens) by introducing houses and apartments closer to certain businesses and amenities, thereby creating more sprawling development. As resources are leaving the city and moving further out, what happens more than none, is that it leaves behind, vacant lots and deteriorating spaces. On the other opposite end of the spectrum, I’m seeing development “fixing” patches of the city that would give it new life. For example, parts of Uptown are becoming the “scene” or the Warehouse District in downtown is reintroducing downtown living. It’s like having an evil brother, Developer…and you’re Architect. Even thought Developer does bad things, deep down you know there’s some good in him. You don’t love him…but you don’t hate him…entirely.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

In The Scheme Of Things...

Barbour/LaDouceur Design Group visited our Professional Practice in Architecture class several weeks ago in which they described a process of the profession where the architect becomes the developer or at least take on the developer mentality. One question raised was, how can an architect begin to do the design work that they want to do, outside of the traditional method of practice? One suggestion was to take on a project or proposing a project as a developer. So…where do architects begin? How will it be funded? Developers seem to always have the resources and money to propose a multi-million dollar scheme…somewhere. How do architect obtain such business knowledge? Certainly, the education of architecture doesn’t address it in their program nor should they?

Throughout lecture/discussion I got the impression of a missed opportunity for architecture students to learn and understand the business side of the profession in our education. Also, there was an emulating negative vibe towards developers based on perhaps past experiences or other personal issues. Regardless, beware of the developer was my apparent impression. Why are architects and the developer at potentially opposing terms? Is it driven by greed and who walks away with a larger pay off? Are some architects mad because others are more profit driven then design driven? Perhaps, developers have been taking all the right classes in their education to help secure their company financially and successfully. Meanwhile, architects struggle to make ends meet. But, let’s not neglect architecture firms who are successful; who are able to make a great living off their talents; and who are able to sustain their firms. Why aren’t they addressed for having succeeded and instilling their design in the built environment? In the scheme of things, I feel both developers and architects succeeded because each had found a niche in the system that might be based on experience, reputation, and even talent in design. Ultimately, it is a collaboration of different traits coming together in a collaborative effort to create a single entity that has become Cuningham Group, HGA or other notable architectural firms.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

Recently, our Professional Practice class was visited by the architectural firm Barbour/LaDouceur Design Group located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their message: BE PRO-ACTIVE. In other words, they suggested going out and looking for work rather than waiting for it to come to you in an attempt to move your ideas forward. They also advocated looking at getting into the game that developers know, which is acquiring land and finding investors to finance and develop it. In short, their message was about "empowering the architect "and creating work.

While this message is great and enthusthiastic in its intentions, the truth is that designers are not trained how to talk to developers and understand their world and hidden secrets of success. We are not advised in school about the business aspect of the world of architecture, instead we are told this will come into play as we venture out into practice. Should architecture students be taking business, finance, or real estate development, related classes integrated into our programs of study to better prepare us for the reality of the everyday world that awaits us? Let us know what you think.

Architects, developers & approaches to a problem

www.weblogs.asp.net/fmarquerie/archive/2004/02/12/7/8/2.aspx

Architects turning developers

www.archpaper.com/feature_articles/13_05_architects_turned_developers.html

In this article, Deborah Grossberg looks at why some architects and architectural firms are turning their attention towards development and examines the benefits and constraints of doing so.

Architect and Materials Research

From a lecture given Steven Kieran, co-founder of Kieran-Timberlake Architecture from Philadelphia, a discussion on the topics presented was introduced in a small group gathering afterward. His presentation focused on the changing process in which his firm has taken on materials research as a part of their design process. In the search to look beyond the traditional, the firm has looked at the auto and airline industries to look at the way design and research is done and adapt it to the architecture/construction world. Recognized from these industries is the process of designing in the virtual world, to the point that large complex devices, airplanes, are now studied and built without a physical prototype. Using advanced software, designers are allowed to see the spatial relationships of the materials and connections and conduct structural tests on the pieces, all without the expense of creating the object in real life.
With the advent of 3D cad programs, such as revit and programs from Gehry companies, architects have looked at this new technology, referred to as BIM(Building Information Management), as a way to allow the architect to exert control over the design, at a level in which an engineer would have traditionally been brought in. These parametric, or information loaded programs allow the architect to place structural, skin systems and details into a drawing with the exact specifications of the materiality, placement and quantity being tracked by the software.
At the same time, Kieran Timberlake has undertaken the research of new materials that exist within the construction industry and their relationship and integration into design. By their colloboration with differing industry suppliers and their connection to the research staff at the University of Pennsylvania, they have looked at the differing skins and production processes to incorporate them into design. Their smart skin buildings, modeled in virtuality and created in a controlled environment have led to their acceptance as alternatives to traditional building materials.
As an archtectuaral student, it is intrguing to look at design inquiry as an integral part of practice, and the advancement of the profession within society

Monday, October 03, 2005

Architect vs Architecture

In this research, we look to examine the architect's role. What are the different positions of the architect? How do we distinguish ethical issues that arise within our field. How do we deal with it in terms of:

Politically
Providing Consulting & Expertise
Design Aesthetics
Public Voice
Profit Driven

Who are the stakeholders in the process? To answer this question our attempt are to identify different people in different profession. Because our inquiry affect many, our answers can not derive from a single source by the collective. Those may include:

Public Community / Tax payer
Owner / Developer
Designer / Architect
Building Commission / Code
Contractor / Sub-contractors
Local & State Government

Monday, September 19, 2005

Welcome

Hello from Broun Klanussel

We are investigating the moral, ethical and legal issues associated with architect's role in the community. In part, we hope to create a dialog between individuals of different backgrounds regarding the role of the architect, in order to consider the concerns, constraints, and benefits this may offer to the quality of design/process.

Name: vkrdesign

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

View my complete profile