Inside the Mind of an Architect

Architecture is not just building

It is thinking, creating and communicating

It is philosophy in action!

The Architect as a thinker.

The Architect thinks differently, well… at least they should.

The Architect does not start with the solution but with the problem.

The Architect listens to the client, visits the site and writes the project brief.

These are the opportunities to think, to understand, to define.

The project brief captures the essence of the project, defines the scope, hints on the budget and loosely states timelines: Put simply; states the expectations.

The accountant sees the world in numbers, the architect sees it in points, lines, planes and angles.

The architect explores planes of possibilities within the limitations of reality.

The business person uses analysis, innovation and strategy to problem solve; The architect uses logic, intuition and imagination.

The architect must envisage realities that others don’t.

Then make others experience those realities.

The architect uses Light, sounds and views as tools of expression.

Successful architecture evokes emotions

Conveys meanings and reflects values.

The architect cares about comfort, health and sustainability

The Architect is a thinker and visionary

The Architect as a creative.

The Architect makes, builds, shapes.

Thinking is cool and all but… we must see the work, experience the space.

The architect explores form, material, color, texture and patterns.

With bare hands and computers, with sketches and models, with drawings and simulations.

These are tools to create, to test, to refine.

The Architect is inspired by the past and the present, by nature and culture, by art and science.

The architect learns from the history and context, from the site and the program, from the client and the users.

The Architect looks to the future, to the possibilities, to the innovations, to the changes.

The Architect anticipates the needs and the desires, the challenges and the opportunities, the impact and the outcomes

The Architect makes forms, spaces and structures.

The Architect crafts environments, atmospheres, experiences and stories

Successful architecture serves, inspires, delights, transforms and surprises us.

The Architect makes, builds, shapes

The Architect as a communicator;

The Architect communicates meaning.

Thinking different and making stuff is cool… but if no one is aware, what’s the point?

The Architect must labor, therefore to make His intentions known.

The intention is more important than the individual choice.

By examining the intention, appropriate choices are made.

Choices of Methods and workflow.

To explain, to justify, to persuade

The architect communicates through symbols, signs, codes, and norms

These are ways to relay information, organize thought, represent and standardize processes.

The Architect communicates identity, values, vision and mission.

These are paradigms to express, reflect and inspire.

The Architect communicates to the clients, to users and peers.

These are opportunities to inform, educate, engage and collaborate.

The architect communicates to the past, present and future.

These are generations to respect, relate to and influence.

The architect communicates through words, but mostly images, drawings, models, and videos.

The Architect is a storyteller.

In Conclusion

So the next time you walk through a space, wonder: what is the story behind it?

Who designed it, why and how? What story did they intend to tell with it?

As you observe a space, question: what is its purpose?

How does it function, serve, and improve? And how do you contribute to it?

As you experience a space, reflect: what is the feeling of it?

How does it affect your senses, emotions, and thoughts?

When you inhabit a place, explore: what is its potential?

How can it change, adapt, and evolve? And how can you be part of it?

When you create a space, imagine: what is the vision?

What meanings do you think of, create with, and communicate? And how do you inspire others with it?

The places you visit, appreciate the beauty. What do you perceive, admire, and enjoy?

And how do you share this, with others?

When Opportunities come to transform a space, challenge yourself:

How do you logically and with intuition imagine its future? Simply, how do you make it better?

These are the daily reflections of the Architect

The best Architecture answers these questions brilliantly and more

Have a lovely week of quality thought, creations and stories told

-Namara Allan