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Commentary: Shared Values By Robert Fielden, ArchD, FAIA
May 30, 2002 Editor’s note: Education and mentoring have long been over-worked and under-used catch phrases in this industry. Just by chance, I recently came across the ArchVoices Web site. What started in 1999 as an e-mail among a few friends has become an active advocacy for improving education and internship for young, aspiring architects. ArchVoices is looking for innovative views that pose
measurable goals, identify fundamental trends, and offer realistic ideas for
furthering a discussion focused on architectural internship. NOTE: The deadline
for responses (there are four questions) is tomorrow, May 31! Click here to
contribute. Thirty respondents will be invited to take part in the 2002 National Summit on Architectural
Internship, October 4-6 at the University of Oklahoma. The following editorial by a “senior practitioner,” along
with his responses to the questions, appeared in the May 24th
issue of ArchVoices’ newsletter, and is reprinted here with permission. - kr Many of us who are senior members of the profession are
dedicated to making architecture a greater service to society and mankind.
There is also a commitment by this segment of the professional community to
assist in whatever way possible to help those entering the profession prepare
for long successful careers of providing similar contributions, and for seeking
leadership roles in service to their communities and to the nation. The practice of architecture
today is very different than it was in the late 50s and early 60s when most of
the current cadre of senior practitioners entered the profession. And it will
be as distinctly different when those entering the profession today reach senior
status. Not only will practice techniques be different, but the knowledge,
skills, and abilities necessary to practice architecture will also evolve to be
more complex and demanding. Demands for service quality and professional
competency for architects will also rise proportionately. Future opportunities for
architects abound. Tomorrow's practice will demand that architects seamlessly
integrate into the workings of a global marketplace as well as providing
services at home. The rebuilding of North America's cities is well underway,
and once that task is complete it will be time to rebuild this continent's
suburbs – the majority of residential construction built after 1945 was not
constructed for extended usage. In the global marketplace, architects will be
needed to assist society in bringing the nations of the developing world into
better positions of equity with the developed countries – the necessary
resources to support future life on this planet are located in those regions. Students graduating from
schools of architecture today are no more prepared for addressing future issues
than those of us who are senior practitioners were prepared to deal with the
contemporary society in which we currently live. However, schools can prepare
us for lives of change, lives of continuous inquiry, lives of commitment to the
principles of this profession, lives of leadership and contribution, and lives
of service to mankind.
John Meunier, the retiring
Dean at Arizona State University, defines architecture as the implementation
and blending of the "physical and metaphysical." One must excel at
both for architectural projects to be truly successful in serving the needs of
the community and society. Historically, many architects
returned to the academy to teach because of a slowly developing national
economy and society with few needs for professional architectural services. In
these situations, practitioners served as the driving force in architectural
education where attention was dedicated to the pragmatics of crafting
buildings. Within a more recent timeframe the reverse condition evolved, where
architectural faculty are products of the academy more than products of
practice. In many instances, the Ph.D. has taken the place of the registered
practitioner along with a concentrated focus on research and theory. Many of
the faculty teaching in architectural schools today have never participated in
the crafting of a real building project that has been constructed and used. Also, with the current
economy and a complex society in need of architectural assistance,
architectural graduates are quickly absorbed into both traditional and
evolutionary practice and by a global marketplace seeking skills associated
with architectural education. In these times, few in practice find their way
back to the academy to teach or mentor, and many academicians often fear those
who do. Progressive firms utilize
entry-level professionals to link the academy and theory to practice. They
utilize the young professional to bring vigor to the office setting along with
a strong understanding of process, historic precedence, critical thinking
skills, and an ability to conduct research. In this manner there is an
integration of education and knowledge into practice.
This issue-at-hand is more a
condition of convenience and economy for the intern than it is preparation and
qualifications for examination and registration as an architect. I believe that, through the
NCARB, there currently exists an almost unlimited number of paths by which
graduates of accredited architectural schools can follow to complete their
internship and IDP requirements. It should be understood, however, that the equivalent
of one year must be spent in the office and under the supervision of a
registered architect. The one-year requirement is to ensure that interns have
some experience in an office providing “traditional” practice services so that
they are at least exposed to the comprehensive range of topics and issues on
which they will be examined. The importance of this
requirement is critical to public health, safety, and welfare that architects
are responsible, by law, to protect. State statutes determine whether one can
hold oneself out to the public as an "Architect" – restricted to
those who have achieved the minimum standards established by each state
legislature. Synonymous with the title "Architect" is the legal
permission of the state to initiate and seal documents as a product of
professional service, prepared by a person for technical review by regulatory
bodies.
Living in the 21st century
requires one to understand the inevitability of change and respond to it as a
condition of life. Continuous learning and the evolution of mindsets are
critical to success and survival in the current world. Change, sophistication,
and complexity open new doors to architects serving society in any role. The
challenge is to continuously reinvent our profession – and ourselves – so that
both remain relevant. Mentorship serves at two
levels of professional development for architects. As a student or graduate
entering the profession, mentors are exceptionally helpful in guiding others through
the complexities of preparing for the profession: clarifying questions and
concerns one may have regarding professional skills and capabilities,
knowledge, processes, and other conditions related to practice, practice
experience, and the examination for licensure and registration. For the more
experienced, mentorship by more senior practitioners, by consultants and other
professional advisors is critical to learning and evolving professionally. Even
senior practitioners rely on mentors to assist with maintaining creative,
competent, and relevant practices.
The greatest values young
graduates bring to the office are energy, enthusiasm, and passion for their
work and their desires to serve society in a meaningful way. Second, new
graduates use their academic experiences to bridge and link history and theory
to the pragmatic, using systematic process and precedents as guides to
elevating the quality of planning and design being produced in the office.
Third, they bring an experienced grasp of computer technology, for both
hardware and software applications, that is generally greater than most others
in the office. And lastly, they bring with them the future of our profession,
and all of us, as practitioners, are indebted to them for that. Robert Fielden, FAIA, is the senior principal at RAFI: Planning, Architecture,
Urban Design in Las Vegas and director of its urban design studio. The firm and
its principals have received numerous state, regional, national, and
international design awards and honors for contributions to planning,
architecture, urban design, and practice excellence. Fielden is one of only
three architects ever elected by colleagues to serve on the profession's three
national collateral boards: the AIA, NAAB, and NCARB. He is a past president of
the NCARB and past secretary-treasurer of NAAB, where he continues to serve as
a member of visiting teams for architectural accreditation. ArchVoices is an independent think
tank on architectural education and internship that exists to foster a culture
of communication, empowering the diverse and broadening architectural community
through the collection and dissemination of knowledge and research. |
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