Well, shes honest but shes just saying a little part of whats being an architect, what about when that feeling that everything was in a rush and going bad goes away because finally you solved the problem or when you see what you visualize a long time ago finally comes to be real and you get that feeling of you leaving part of yourself in a monument that will be held for a long time.

Comment by Sergio Villar — January 27, 2010, @ 10:43 pm

professional prospects for architecture, engineering and associated development:

Perhaps we, in the professions, are all wondering where new AE work may come from…
Both Residential and CRE are in horrid shape, and from my understanding they will not get better soon.
It is horrid in Sarasota and it is horrid in Dubai.

In my view, a continued decline in in the quantity and quality of employment, dwindling municipal budgets and resultant deteriorating services,
and a ‘global creditor’ loss of faith in USTreasury Debt (with a concomitant loss of US$ reserve status) all signal a successive reversion to a more-feudal-community-structure with fewer resources, less order, more prone to uncertainty.

We all may, perhaps suddenly, move to increase our personal autonomy and home security, amongst many other things.

If correct - and as we focus on those who may still have assets -
this may ultimately entail a wholesale replacement or extensive modification of the current, instantly antiquated US home stock,
as finances may allow - in accordance with very new, rather specialized (high margin) needs.

This future market may initially see a surge of client requests
that may find our professions entirely clueless and dismally unprepared, in my view.

Primary client demographic and also ‘first mover’ may likely be the truly rich, and programs may more resemble compounds than residences.
Indeed, an ‘Interregna Compound’ (by some name) may be the fashionable ‘getaway’ of Our New American Century.
And it may be anywhere - the Caymans or Kahului or even Manasota Key.

Comment by Benjamin Garrett Architect — January 28, 2010, @ 6:54 am

Buck up,
Architects are actually going to have to learn about construction and administrative processes before they get their rocks off making crazy formalist moves. This is actually very healthy for the profession, and will most likely chase the dilatants out of the field.

Comment by jeff — January 28, 2010, @ 9:20 am

Kinda reminds me of when I was a young intern architect in NYC and I realized after almost four years I didn’t want to end up like any of the people I worked under.

Comment by bushwickbill — January 28, 2010, @ 9:31 am

Moreover,
The last decade saw a narrowing of the field into an entirely aesthetic agenda, with little consideration for the material/labor processes at work. Like a beautiful flower the bloomed and wilted, so did this mode of architecture once the capital dried up. We are now in much different place, where in the construction of a building, its fabrication and installation, has an incredible impact on job creation. This is where architects are able to make their mark today. If you are not interested in maximizing every opportunity in the design process, whether it is the number of hands required to stack bricks, the number of skilled laborers fitting steel, or the basic bottom line of the investors, then you should probably go into video games.

Comment by jeff — January 28, 2010, @ 9:46 am

Why should we accept these harsh career conditions? You would think a $700+ annual AIA membership due would encourage somebody to do something about the unrealistic career expectations. Or are we just so jaded that nothing matters any more?

Comment by Teresa Ruiz — January 29, 2010, @ 12:35 am

To put this short snip from the Daily News interview in a larger context of the Yale symposium on Robert Venturi and DEnise Scott Brown’s works/writings in Jan. 2010 :

Where’s your rigor? Denise Scott Brown asked the doctoral/graduate level students at the Yale seminar before this interview took place. What she’s saying here is in addition to her comments about academic rigor, which she thought was lacking in doctoral level research these days.

Also, after she stated the difficulties of being an architect (as quoted in this snip), Venturi and Scott Brown added:

“ARV: You have to be very dedicated.

DSB: If you’re not drawing all day and doodling plans, don’t do it. But if you do, give it everything you’ve got.”

Comment by Steven S. — February 15, 2010, @ 4:31 pm