LIMITS TO ARCHITECTURE IN OUR WORLD TODAY

BY SUFIY MOMOH

             Design in architecture in our world today is depicted by so many limiting factors which restricts the design part of the profession to a point where designing is almost not a part of the profession. Architecture is generally described as an art of designing and constructing buildings. In what is called architecture in today's world you can barely refer to it as an art. Art is an act of creativity. How much in today's architecture is an act of creativity? Very little because architects have refused to push their thoughts and idea beyond what was already the norms of architecture, that is the already known means of doing things in today's architecture.

             Architects have so many factors and limits restricting the outcome of the profession and that are one of the main reasons why the creative and artistic aspect of the profession is going down the drain. Is architecture all about problem solving? Yes for the most part. But the problems being solved in the architecture industry today are not necessary the ones that should be worried about. Structures commissioned by the government are mostly for the people, but architects are more interested in pleasing the people in charge of or the people involved in the commissioning. people in high government positions are chosen to represent the people, that is a well understood fact, but in a case where an architect designs a public building as an architect you should understand what is best for the people and design something that works best for its purpose and not what the government authority wants.

            Various personnel out of the profession have developed a lot of say and impact of how things should be done within the profession and architects are left with no choice but to oblige with it because in most cases, that is their only source of income. Architects have been doing this for so long that now it feels more like a norm to be under these sorts of limits. When this limits are removed it appears that architect execute less. And this is mainly because they are not used to do working under that kind of condition.

             It has been several cases where architect have opposed to the ideas of the authority in charge for the better of the project and most of them end up losing the contract. “Most of us remember, for example, what happened to Mr. Koolhaas in the 1997 competition for a major expansion to the Museum of Modern Art. Choosing to ignore the museum’s internal politics, he indiscreetly highlighted the museum’s corporate agenda in his design. An enraged MoMA board instantly dropped him." (paul, 1991). This is a typical example of where the profession is. mr koolhaas is a well recognized architect from Netherland, who is well known as one of the most influential architects in the world. This is a typical example of where the profession is today.  If the architects can’t beat them they are left with no option but to join them.