What others think about our profession

As I was reading this morning I came across an small article which I found rather funny. While I respect opinions from others, it is a rather mundane way of seeing a profession. If we are to compare professions in such a way.... I think the man that picks up my trash twice a week deserves not only all of my respect but also needs to have his salary at least tripled. Architects have to study loooong hours, have to prove themselves, have to compete with tons of other people to prove their design is superio to those of his peers.
Anywya this article came from mirage.studio7 and read something like this:

Why do Architects, Engineers, Accountants, Lawyers and Prostitutes have clients while only Doctors have Patients? I’ve been searching for the answer high and low ever since I’ve posted this question month ago, and finally found it during a conversation with my office senior draftsperson.
The only profession that deserve our respect is the doctor, I don’t know about engineers and accountants, but I do know how architects find themselves.
Architects thinks that they’re the most culturaled person on earth
Architects thinks that only architecture is the toughest course to study
Architects thinks they’re one class above others
Architects thinks they are doing a great service to the world but infact they’re wasting the world natural resources by building non-sustainable buildings, buildings that suck up enegry and wasting spaces with their space wasting ideas.
I hate to say this but the only profession that deserve our society’s respect is non other than doctors, yeah not because they are rich, it is because they are the most professional among all. They need to know everything, from A to Z when it comes to curing a sick person. Unlike architects or lawyers or engineers, these so called professionals need workers to back them up, most of the time their knowledge in their respected field is so so only.
Take architects for example, the young project architects will sketch the design and then the senior will fine tune it then pass it to the junior draftsperson to CAD it out and then compile a presentation board. Then they’ll brief the architect on the idea and concept, all the architect have to do it present “HIS” idea to the client and negotiate for a small sum of fees.
Can a doctor do that? Can a doctor ask his nurse to diagnosis the patient? Can the doctor hire a junior doctor to run his clinic? Nobody but the doctor himself can perform, can he can sub it out and he can ask someone to take care of the patient.
Like prostitutes, architects, lawyers and engineers are business man, their job is to bring back business for the office and like all prostitutes, they only know one small part of the practice.

You can read it directly from the website also: http://blog.miragestudio7.com/2006/07/architects-doctors-prostitutes-and-clients/

While working out what my latest project's skin will eventually look like, I have started to explore various possibilities. One early version is included here

Not having locked down and committed to an exterior finish, I find myself under the exploration mode up to this day. I have actually found a building which somewhat reflects my initial idea. As seen here it resembles my very own in a peculiar way.

I will be exploring further and committing to a skin package in the next couple of days given the fact that I need to have drawings completed and they need to reflect my committed design.

What is True Design?

In my ongoing studies at school I often reach a point where what I call logic appears to smash head on with what I am being instilled or imparted as DESIGN. This ambiguity, I believe; is the result of perhaps having been "tainted" with real world experience. While I make a genuine effort every time, and try to get out of my pre-established mind set; it seems that I end up short just about every time. I realize I am doing much better but yet it seems that for every project presented I keep thinking: budget!

I realize that while at school we do not observe either budget nor time on any of our assigned projects. This is an awesome concept I should be able to easily work with and just let my imagination work and flow much easier. But that is just it, while designing I tend to think way past ADA and building code; I think: budget!

I have submerged myself into contemporary architecture, interior design, furniture design, etc. and it sure has helped, I am now devoting serious effort researching more modern architecture websites, reading even more architecture literature; that is more articles which involve point of views from people in the industry.

I realize this endeavor will eventually pay off as it will only free my mind to desing in the now and will keep me from the constraints of the soon to come. I see myself as a work in progress, as it should be.

How graphic media has affected the architectural/built environment

The use of new technologies in lighting as well as material development has only enhanced the vast possibilities of projecting either emotions, attitudes, feelings, etc. As this example shows,the use of human shadows in action conveys a sense of interactivity and brings the huge building behind these lighted monoliths down to a human proportion; even if it is only in a perceived sense. Additionally, it makes the tall building relate better to its user or casual viewer, perhaps it dissipates the sense of size and emphasizes the inter usability - it welcomes its user. All this is accomplished simply through the use of light, or lack thereof.

In this light installation, the imposing use of light behind a fabric ladden metal screen creates a sense of exploration to the viewer. It starts a dialogue with the viewer to want to continue to "explore" the building and perhaps go inside to continue looking for this super imposed trend, pattern or vocabulary established right at the entrance. The harsh contrast of this installation with the green lighting starts a series of question which makes the experience perhaps a bit more desired on behalf of the person experiencing the building and only adds to the questions recently created in his mind.

Above is perhaps a prime example of how media has affected the architecture of an interior in a decadent aspect. In many buildings the first thing we have come to do as soon as we step in it, is to look around for the shiny interactive building directory. In some cases, this interactive tool has usurped the beauty of the built environment, while in others the designer has come to rely on its lustrous form to make up for the lack of interest created on his behalf. When the right equation is met; that is, when the interactivity of a sign,message, billboard, etc. is a balanced one good results only enhance not only the immediate environment but also the perception of it. Feelings and emotions are thus created that culminate in either lengthening the time the user experiences its environment or the object and between the arousal of feelings such as the user wanting to touch such object to experience it or getting closer to it to see what it was about it that first caught his attention. Such is the example on the next pictures. One is located inside a museum where in addition to an interactive screen, graphics and imagery have been added. The other is a big advertising screen which size emphasizes not only the built environment but its location creates a sense of procession on to a built object-the counter. Yet it is still far enough from the person where experience is limited and only allluded to; not emphasized.

One Picture To Represent Me

While designing, sometimes you have to get lost in order to find yourself.