introduction
In a time of globalization, speed, invisible transactions, the question of how architecture and the practice of architecture keep apace is a pragmatic debate. The evolution of architecture from a physical entity whose aim is to shelter as from the elements has shifted from the hand crafted to the mass produced. Despite the need for architecture to change and adapt in a world of speed it is still playing catch-up. As a profession and academic subject architecture requires to examine how it can evolve and keep up with a world that it forms physically. The report discuss how the profession has been affected of several social, political, economic and other forces, how and in what level has adjust on any transformations and finally the potential of architectural education and practice to give a new insight in this fast changing world. Professional architects, are charged with a particular mission and be given a unique opportunity to shape and lead the world exploring for lifelong, practical solutions that take advantage of the urban environment and build it up in a sustainable and effective way.
review
Architecture and significant evolutions
« It’s becoming increasingly clear that in many ways we are reaching the end of the road, and that the idea of perpetual growth is a suicidal ideology.» 1 Juhani Pallasma
The synthesis and function of contemporary society is based on a ceaseless effort of making progress in all fields. The effort to build up the future is usually achieved with unorthodox ways as people sacrifice everything in the name of evolution and progression. But rather than trying to trace and predict the image of the future as an unlimited growth, we may need to find out ways to confine the uncontrolled development and tackle any challenges by aiming to a transformation of the cultural and civil model of life.
The role of Architecture...
Architectural industry has achieved to expand and consolidate through time very effectively, contributing to the formation of the cultural and urban mode of contemporary societies. The current era of globalization has raised many questions to those who are facing globalization without demonizing or accepting it uncritically and fatalistically. As Kenneth Frampton notices in his book ‘Modern Architecture: A critical history’, with the end of the socialist project (with which architecture worked closely during the first half of the 20th century), the profession of the architect faces the difficult task to determine the nature of its role in the next century.2 The architecture of the last two decades of the century,( the "short century", according to the Marxist historian E. Hobsbawm, as it begins in 1914 and ends with the
1 2
(Almaas, 2011) (Frampton, 2007)
fall of the Berlin Wall), is in a transitional state. That’s not only for reasons related to the financial crisis and the crisis of managing policy systems; which lead intellectuals to announce the "end" of ideology and history, but also due to the fact that the architecture has been developed in a "postmodern" or, more precisely, in a postindustrial period. The industrial period refers to the fact that in a society three key productive sectors are recorded, the agriculture, the industry and the tertiary sector of services. The society is undergoing a postindustrial phase when the service sector is more developed than the other two, a process in fact that marked the development of the most advanced countries since the late 60’s. In this case, the technology of the machines does not play the most important role; On the contrary, the technology of the information does, as the infrastructures of electronic communications are competing with those of natural resources. All this transitional stage had obvious consequences on the ‘ideology’ of architecture, the nature and structure of the profession. Experiencing a constant revolution and development at all levels for about a half century; architecture currently seeks new directions, by adopting dual approaches. Here are some of the noticed dualities that architects work on, unity and heterogeneity, linearity and contradiction, acceptance and disclaiming of history, functional consistency and de-composition of any liable building typology, construction minimalism and apotheosis of technological designing tools, morphological conventionality and hedonistic selectivity. It is obvious that we are in the midst of a period that the profession of the architect faces pressure that tend to cause serious consequences either on the stage of education or on the stage of professional practice. These pressures are expressed either as the demand for the reduction of education time or the abolishment of every regulatory prototype regarding the professional practice. Despite the pluralistic heterogeneity that characterizes nowadays the course of the modern architect, the overall picture is not critically uncontrollable. The fragile economic and social scenery has caused the breakdown of the traditional way of practicing. ″The uncertain economic situation forced many architects to seek work totally outside the construction industry where their hard won skills were sometimes of little value.″3
3
(Chappell & Willis, 2000)
A consequence of globalization along with all the hectic efforts for development was making architecture merchandise. But in stark contrast to this logic the truth is that ″architecture is one of the most powerful means of giving us our sense of identity, home and belonging″. Thus, one can assume that architecture cannot hereinafter be referred to as a commodity. ″From the very beginning, architecture was not just a question of shelter, physical shelter, it had a mental motivation. And that has now at large been given up.″4 Now it seems urgent to follow this rather than advertise architecture as a piece of aesthetics. It can become a mean of resistance, using architecture as a tool of transforming society and work collectively to reformat the whole scenery either spatially, financially, institutionally or culturally. That can lead in a way to move away from the reputation that the profession of the architect is ″notoriously insular and more focused on what it can offer than what its clients wants..″ 5
The role of the Architect today...
As already mentioned the architect nowadays is perceived as mutliskilled professional. The role of an architect is to create architecture (conceptualise, design and built), along with all other responsibilities that are related with it. The Architect should not only have technical but also organisational, marketing skills. Experiencing architecture in practice makes one ″realise that their own profession is not just one activity, but a collection of activities that are performed to different degrees.″ 6 It is not only a matter of choice that architects experiment on other fields but more commonly a consequence of the fast evolving construction industry. Sole practitioners and small practices should have a set of competencies in order to run effectively: technology, business strategy, organizational politics, consulting and leadership. ″The
4
Juhani Pallasmaa quoting (Almaas, 2011) (Jamieson, 2011) 6 (Chappell & Willis, 2000) 5
demand side saw the role of the architect as still important, but as more of a coordinator/manager role, bringing all the parts of the team together.″7 Possibly the most crucial element that marked the changes in the way that the profession of architect has been during the last 20 years, is the massive use of digital media in designing. Computers helped to revolutionize the way we perceive the spatial dimensions, in the mid 1980’s, but also they take off the potentialities and capabilities in analysis, design and presentation of architectural work. Business model , procurement and contracting have changed in order to accommodate the requirements and alterations in digital techniques and designing tools such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) platform, along with modern construction approaches and strategies. Whether architects are experts on space, form, function etc., one can assume that they can lead society and not just adapt, unless of course to adapt means to respond.8 The challenge that recent architecture of excess is facing is easily charged to the economic crisis. In order to adapt to this change architects have started to rediscover themselves their title and the way they work and run away from the typical model and move forward to a wider market for further opportunities. Here comes the concept of ″a multidisciplinary practice that has been developed with the notion of networked practice, where a large number of professionals with different skills and backgrounds were joined in a more informal way, coming together when a project required them to. This appealed to the architects, planners and engineers in this group.″9
7
(Jamieson, 2011) (Panetsos, 2011) 9 (Jamieson, 2011) 8
appraisal
Construction boom and bust
Construction is a traditionally volatile economic sector highly susceptible to recession. As the professor of economics Scott Goldsmith states, “Construction can be a good bellwether to indicate how other industries are doing because all other industries feed into the construction industry”.10 The architectural profession is essentially connected with economy. Many times, it has been affected before any other profession has. For architects, the Great Recession hasn’t really let up since its official start in December 2007. Countless projects are stalled or canceled, including Santiago Calatrava’s Chicago Spire — now a 110-footwide void.11 While at professional and economic environment, these developments are unfavorable, analysts already detect the exhilarating effect it may have this turmoil of ideas and conception on the landscape, cities and everyday life may have. Early indications are talking about the end of the arrogant, extroverted and monumental architecture which has been fed by a propaganda for at least 25 years by a mixture of different interests (construction, media). The conception that Architecture was born from the ashes of post-modernism in the 80’s seems deflated and this position comes to understand something else. What that will be, it's too early for anyone to prejudge. It is, however, not baseless for someone to assume that it will be something completely different either in form or in social origins.
10 11
(West , 2010) (Hughes, 2010)
«With some worthy and notable exceptions, the UK construction industry is accused of being resistant to change, motivated by cost, and adversarial in attitude. This is not only inconvenient; it is a major problem for a country with the massive challenge of meeting (legally binding) sustainability targets, in the midst of a recession, in the face of growing global competition. We are a small island, sinking in the wake of larger powers. » 12 The truth is that British construction industry has been severely affected during the downturn. This means delay of projects delivery, cancellation or even alteration in order to resist the cost. Country’s construction industry ″is packed with in-fighting, selfinterest and inefficiency.″ 13 ″Construction accounts for less than 7% of Britain's gross domestic product, but weakness in the sector was the main drag on the economy last year and helped tip the country back into recession.″14 Despite all these negative facts and unfavorable forecasts, history proves that during periods of economic boom and growth, construction industry is taking advantage as the amount of investment rises as well. Hopefully this situation could be reversed soon again.
12
(Group, n.d.) (Cox & Thompson, 1998) 14 (Moulds, 2013) 13
ALL CONSTRUCTION - UK
*The annual growth of construction volumes mirrors the double dip recession
Public and private sector
The responsibility does not only have to do with architects or architectural practices but also with the government. There is an important political edge, on the one hand there is the public responsibility (procurement, regulation) and on the other the private responsibility (design leadership, interdisciplinary practice). There is a functional and institutional gap between the way that the public sectors practice and the other side of architects. Major governmental approaches have affected negatively the construction industry. Not only in UK but also in other countries, it is a European commonality that governments spent money in construction as a political tool to manage the economy. British government intervention in 2008 brought forward
capital expenditure on public sector projects to defer impact of loss of private sector investment. The political intervention is a short term fix dependent on the availability of capital funding, which at this point are not spend on construction industry. Minimum wage and worker legislation policies increase costs and reduce profitability. In 2011 Government attempts to use interest rates to boost the economy similarly ineffectively. Construction industry seem to be left helpless of the internal parties and relies on foreign imports – meaning that a weak £ drives up the cost of construction leading to sector inflation.
The architect during recession
According to BD’s employment survey ″22% of architects are currently unemployed, with a third of those having lost their job in the last six months.″ This is followed by the latest facts from RIBA’s Insurance Agency ″ Architects’ fee income has fallen 40% since the start of the recession in 2008″. 15 Commissions and planning production has been reduced the last few years and still has a recessing tendency. Action needed.. Unfortunately the history proved the employment of the architect is prone to feeble economies and new technological tools and legislative frameworks. Nowadays the general recession that is recorded, affects obviously architects, as the field of architectural action changes, making necessary to set up a new model of practicing and parameters of acting.
Source: The Architect’s Newspaper (online)
15
(Klettner, 2013)
Architectural education
As discussed earlier, these social, economic, institutional transformations undermine the whole hierarchy in the labor market and lead to the fragmentation of a practice’s flexibility while homogenizing the production of buildings. On one hand there is the model of the successful self-employed artist and on the other there is "loyal CAD monkey», the new super-learner, hyper-skilled architect - designer. Amidst this period of crisis, this duality is now granted and tends to become irreversible. One in four architects across Europe are unemployed and the overall outlook is not optimistic at all for the upcoming period, as shown in the recent report of the EAAE (European Association for Architectural Education). The British Architectural academia is about a strong educational industry not only within Europe but also world widely which has all the necessary qualities of a higher education body, that works and builds young architects according to market standards and needs. The great demand is due to the fact that many architectural courses in UK combine art and humanities studies. Architectural academia tends to admit individuals that in other disciplines would be described as “narrowly educated technicians” and proceeds to advance that narrow focus.16 In the school a student should be judged on his ability to adapt on several fields related to the architectural profession. Computer technology seems to be pushing the architectural acumen of students in a way they are prevented from placing their work in a larger social field of action. Nowadays the ″legal title ‘architect’, on which laypeople rely to find qualified assistance, therefore does not actually ensure any architectural ability.″ 17 Any ethical codes have been vanished through time. Market has placed architecture in a second plane, and maybe that’s the real crisis of profession. Architects are perceived from the rest people first as well paid and reputed business people and then as designers and artists. Today architectural education can be seen as an ‘expensive sport’. The paradox is that form one part tuition fees are £9,000 per year; nowadays a privilege of few. And then jumping into the difficult job market, with RIBA salary bands stalled at £17-21,000 for a Part 1, £23-27,000 for Part 2s, and £30-34,000 for Part 3 graduates, rather low-paid
16 17
(Panetsos, 2011) (Panetsos, 2011)
in relation to their skills and in comparison with other job sectors.18 In any case what matters is either scholars or students should not careening from architectural values. Students should be prepared to enter the construction market primarily as architects equipped with organisational and commercial values and not solely as designing tools for developers.
Defense position As the fast evolving societies change architects and architecture should adapt. This means a shift in the ideology either of the profession and the nature of architecture itself. Architecture cannot any longer being in the mercy of changes that external forces stimulate. The uncertainty of the future derives from the global fluid economic climate, and now architects should defend their profession and their businesses in order not only to survive but to work towards the overturn of this situation. New architects can only reverse this climate and get the profession out of the swamp. This means that they should be well equipped to tackle these difficulties.
The budding Architect: from education to the market What is essential is to find the golden ratio between education and professional practice. Taking into account the economic downturn, lots of firms recruit graduates as a cheaper option. But rather than looking at labor cost, young architects can transfer their skills into real from concepts to a practical model. Architectural students should be given more opportunity to be recruited either before graduation, so as to be able to ‘build themselves’ with academic and professional values at the same time. Thus the role of education should focus on the preparation of architects and not just designers or technicians embodied with organizational and management competences, promoting more critical knowledge without arrogance, pessimism or nihilism but with noble competition and team spirit. More and more schools lately have inserted an extra course that of Professional Studies, giving students the opportunity to obtain some knowledge of professional ethics, legislation, business and office administration and marketing.
18
(Murray, 2012)
proposition
The future of businesses
Professional practice has changed dramatically in recent years. The economic downturn and market demands had a consequence on the complexity and segregation within the construction industry from small to large businesses, placing medium-sized of them in danger. In order to make sustainable these changes the industry, small general practices and sole practitioners will work in quite similar ways they are doing now for private clients and local builders. The prospect of medium sized practices will vanish as they could be split in smaller practices as the ″inability to adapt their services could lead to shrinking opportunities and a smaller market share″.19 Their difficulty to overcome the restrain expertise would pose this type of firm unable to challenge their service either with larger firms (lacking the provision of cost, appropriate project management and other related services) and smaller as the profit of smaller projects could not be enough to sustain the business. Thus there are developing new types of architectural practices that would function according to their operation cost which will allow to set their professional services. The traditional architecture practice would be broken into other more focused services where architects would adjust to their fundamental architectural role others such as that of project manager, or construction consultant etc. This fortunately would give architects the flexibility to adapt more easily to the needs of client’s and market’s and to the construction’s industry realm. On the other hand global interdisciplinary consultancies, are aiming to form a model of business which will include parts of all services produced by one body. ″These large conglomerates offer a most cost effective, business savvy package than a medium–sized architectural practice working with on on-off project specific team.″ 20 These networked practices would appeal to a wide clientele as they would be a ‘one-stop-shop’ service working on its own network of consultant, engineers and architects offering a full range of services.21 Statistics show that contractors define the game within construction industry. Architects seem to be just participants as the model of BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) servicing leading by contractors, create multidisciplinary companies recruited by specialized experts of all types covering stages from conception through to completion and operation.
19
(Jamieson, 2011) pg 26 (Jamieson, 2011) pg 22 21 (Jamieson, 2011) pg 35 20
Overall this idea of networked and external collaborations would be proved effective. Keeping ″small number core employees″, and having all other services running through the aid and collaboration of external consultants, being more flexible and accurate.22 This will contribute to keep up with advantages in technology, programming and skills, controlling the operational expenses. Thus, they would attract a lot of clients by being a well-established networked servicing practice.
Necessary and appropriate business plan for architectural practices “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In order to prosper for a better future of architectural businesses, we should step away from finding just temporary lifelines. Likewise in many other professions business planning is an eminent solution for success. Business planning is about a combination of strategic planning, business development, marketing and sales tactics, approaches and implementation. Working along with an appropriate business plan would maximize the firm's client development and marketing initiatives. Architects should be aware that in order to advertise appropriately and successfully their business and themselves, perhaps they need to answer on the following. What’s your vision? What will your future business look like? What is your mission? How do you get there? Why are you starting this business? List your strategies. What specific tasks will you accomplish to reach your goals and in what timeframe? Who will accomplish them? The plan is not set by default, thus it should be revised cyclically, as the business changes and evolves along with a market’s and economy shifts, new priorities should be set. A business plan should be a great inspiration and motivation source reminding one his goals and potentials.
22
(Jamieson, 2011) pg 35
conclusion
Architects should take the current economic downturn as a great chance to rethink and reestablish their goals; understand that the effort should be focus on revaluating themselves and their practice. They should conform to the financial and market demands and build their future in accordance with the construction industry that pulls market strings. Architectural education should focus more on to producing well equipped architects and reinforce them with several qualities in order to be more valuable within the market. A solution would be that after the 3 year of the BA, the Master’s degree should be more oriented towards offering marketing, management and accountant skills. Also the prototype of architectural business should be redefined as described above in order for architects to continue shaping the future built environment they are expected.
ÂŤThree Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.Âť
Albert Einstein
bibliography
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Moulds, J., 2013. UK construction slows again in January. [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/04/uk-construction-slowjanuary-pmi [Accessed 10 March 2013]. Murray, C., 2012. Architects Journal - Does architectural education need an overhaul?. [Online] Available at: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/comment/does-architecturaleducation-need-an-overhaul/8638620.article [Accessed 10 March 3013]. Panetsos, G., 2011. Uncertainty, Ethics And Architectural Curricula. [Online] Available at: http://www.archisearch.gr/article/258/georgios-a--panetsos--onuncertainty-ethics-and-architectural-curricula-.htm [Accessed 10 March 2013]. West , G., 2010. Understanding construction economics: government's role in industry stabilization., s.l.: Alaska Business Publishing Company.