Misconception #3
“Architecture is for the wealthy“
This article is part of The Second Studio Podcast hosted by FAME Architecture & Design.
Maggies by Steven Holl - Photography ©IwanBaan
There is a misconception that architecture is for the rich, but like we said architecture can encompass a whole bunch of types of projects. An architect could be used for different types of intervention. It's not always just about design. It could be that you need advice, or you need an architect to help you figure out the social aspect of a neighborhood problem. There is a lot of architecture right now that is put into low-income housing. So architecture is not just for the rich. There are a lot of architects and architectural offices that do more than your typical building design.
“If you hire people who aren’t asking the right questions, you’re not going to end up with a good building.”
Oftentimes you see very bad commercial buildings or institutional buildings, and maybe they don't have the funds or maybe they think they don't have the funds to hire an architect, but I think that’s a misconception. I worked on projects in the South Bronx that were really not sexy areas, and one of the projects we worked on was an institutional project. The client came to the architect and their budget was not much at all, but they hired an architect because they knew that because of what they were doing, which is helping people who had a mental illness in the neighborhood, they had to have an impact on the street and that their building was going to reflect on the neighborhood and potentially boost or help the neighborhood be better.
As the architect, maybe it wasn't the most ‘designy’ project, the most fluffy facades, and things, but there was a challenge and a need. And actually, that really helped the building be well received in the community and actually transformed that whole area because of the positive social impact that just a well-designed facade could do on the street. Architecture could be achieved on a small budget, but if you hire people who aren’t creative and who aren’t asking the right questions to seek the best solutions, you're not going to end up with a good building. - Marina Bourderonnet
Maggies by Steven Holl - Photography ©IwanBaan