Joshua Fowler here,
There
seems to be a pattern in the whole graduate architecture study that revolves
around:
Thesis thesis thesis… wait don’t forget about history… wait
is there homework for pro practice due tomorrow?… thesis thesis thesis thesis…
when was that meeting…
I am finding out
that I prefer to work the same way I like to eat, one thing at a time and then
tackle the next task. This however becomes complicated when I become so focused
on one thing I forget to start the others. While I uphold my thesis as the most
important work right now, I have to keep reminding myself that there is other
work that must be done. This being said, I don’t undervalue the work in the
other classes and find it interesting, maybe just not as much as my thesis. My
architecture history class is a good example of this, I just learned about
passive cooling techniques used in the middle east via wind scoops integrated
into the buildings and urban environments.
Figure 1 http://www.solaripedia.com/13/205/2084/wind_tower_dubai_details.html
These techniques are very
intriguing and can potentially be a precedence for architectures around the
rest of the world. In my professional practice class we are discussing the
ethics that surround the profession of architecture and the responsibilities
that architects have to communities and clients that go far beyond traditional
architectural practice.
Figure 2
http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Design-Creating-Architecture-Trust/dp/0975565400
Plan New Hampshire is a precedence for such thinking. Here is an excerpt
from the writing I did for our most recent assignment involving analyzing
leadership qualities of certain firms or groups:
The understanding of the four philosophical
cornerstones and the process of the architecture of trust through the example
of Plan New Hampshire, establishes the relationship between these two and
creates a stronger comprehension of the architecture of trust demonstrated in
Leadership by Design by Richard Swett. Plan New Hampshire is an exemplary case
of architects leading an issue through the process of an architecture of trust
and functions to serve an allegorical purpose in the assessment of the nature
of leadership. Plan New Hampshire goes beyond the traditionally iconic purpose
of architects, engineers, city planners, historians, etc. through a sense of
pro bono design leadership. Each role exhibiting leadership through the
acknowledgment of the responsibility they have with the services they offer in
order to give direction to a community. These architects, engineers, city
planners, historians, etc. embrace and promote the diversity of skills that
each other has in order to create a better sense of integration and create a
team of highly professional polymaths. This team, Plan NH (New Hampshire), had
to define their goals, and then coherently articulate them to the communities
they served. This was primarily done though three to four annual design
charrettes, in which communities would compete for a charrette by submitting
proposals to Plan NH requesting assistance in their communities. By listening
to the requests of each community, Plan NH can responsibly chose which
communities need the most direction and/or the quickest intervention. Through
this process Plan NH can then form order
out of chaos by stepping up to the
plate and building a bridge of trust
with the communities thereby creating new
value in them.
Plan NH acts upon receptive
listening for each community they assist. They additionally exhibited empathy
to accept and recognize fellow professionals for their special and unique
abilities. They transforms the communities as well as themselves and
conceptualize to dream great dreams. They feel they have a commitment to serve
the needs of others and a commitment to the growth of people. The very essence
of Plan NH practice lies in their belief of building community among those who
work together and doing so pro bono. It is for these reasons and more that Plan
New Hampshire is an exemplary case of a servant-leader group who has their
sights set on what is best for the community.
This example of leadership demonstrated by the group Plan New
Hampshire should restore and enhance the confidence in the effectiveness of the
process of building an inclusionary and constructive architecture.
It is these other
classes that I have to remember sometimes while working on my thesis. So much
work, so little time. Until next time…
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