gooood Idea NO.9

 

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在这里为您奉上第九期：

 

 

“建筑师”的“定义”
作者：徐雅丽 Sally Hsu

 

建筑师职业生涯

这不是一篇学术文章。也不是一份研究报告。它仅仅试着反映一位毕业于建筑系, 建筑人的想法，试图理解建筑师职业的定义与当代社会偏见和影响。

 

你是否有足够的条件成为一名建筑师？

许多人至少曾经有一次有前辈给过指点，提醒身为一位建筑师生活必需做出的牺牲，不然就立刻叫你该行吧。如果你现在还在建筑圈内，显然你没有采用前辈的忠告。在澳大利亚相成为一名建筑师， 必需毕业于本科和研究所的专业学位，才能获取专业考试的机会，获得注册建筑师的执照。直到那一天，你将永远只是个建筑设计师，而不是法律承认的“建筑师”。在此你准备好投入无数年来换取这封号吗？

 

 

建筑师的价值

在我踏入建筑职场前，我只能揣测为什么前辈们对于建筑的前景如此悲观。随着专业累积参与实际建筑方案与项目的经历后，慢慢我逐渐理解建筑师风光职业背后的辛酸。在普林斯顿大学学院建筑Pidgen杂志里蔡安娜写了篇“亲爱的建筑师，我受够了你”,文章里写到, “建筑师们, 我不会骗你, 我真的搞不懂你。你一周工作六十, 八十个小时,但你始终还是穷。”建筑师往往以加班与少薪出名。（想必多数建筑师不会辩解这件事的真实性）。 长久以来大众认为成为一个著名的建筑师，就该跟随楷模建筑师学习，在我们当下的社会，这大概就是公众知晓的‘明星建筑师’。在这过程中，对于你的贡献(要)接受理所当然的低薪，毕竟不是每位建筑新秀拥有这个机会，就当作缴学费吧。这想法反映了一种流行的建筑文化，建筑师会理所当然的加班被认为是敬业，被认为能带来成就感。对于这样长期的恶习，澳大利亚建筑师安德鲁•梅纳德反映：“建筑业是时候长大了，我们必须停止欺骗自己，建筑不过是当代滥用劳动的一种。”身为自己事务所创办人的他现在过着朝九晚五的生活， 几乎从来不加班，听起来不可思议，但他一定很努力去坚持他理想的生活。你对于你现在在建筑业里扮演的角色满意吗？

 

 

不是每一人都会成为建筑界里的“设计师”

每个设计师都会因为教育背景不同而益，你的建筑事业也会因此而经历不同。我来自于一个坚持培养创意思维的大学，这样的教育能长远的推动您的建筑生涯， 这否决传统学徒式的教学方式。建筑事业的成功常被社会简化， 往往取决于你创业的年龄， 建筑社圈的势力，媒体的关注， 以及公众身份。最近我同事身为一个建筑系助教述说了一个趣闻，在学校的工作室有位学生抗议， ‘不！我不会这么做。我是被训练为设计师的！’。这学生无法理解和接受，他在团体作业中被分配到一个非设计师的岗位。也许大家有时忽略了，建立一个建筑不是单靠一个建筑‘设计’师，而拥有设计权的也不只是建筑师的专利。毕业于建筑系并不代表你必须成为一名建筑师。许多毕业生在事业发展过程中成为艺术家，策展人，开发商，动画艺术家，甚至平面设计师。成功的教育是一种能提供给你足够学习机会， 培育跨越领域的设计技术的教育，所以当你进入职场可以灵活的应用。成功注册为建筑师，尽早创业开办事务所不是现代建筑学的主要目的。

 

大胆设计你的建筑职业

也许你还没发现，建筑职业生涯将是一个非常漫长的路。毕业仅仅是个开始。你会有天有冲动想大喊：“对于建筑我真的懂的不够多”，在你身边大你十岁的前辈将会也许惭愧也许自豪地回答：‘我比你多做了十年，我仍然不懂建筑’。问题出在哪里？这是个问题吗？如果我们必须学习完我们‘认为’建筑里所有的需知 （如果可能的话），我敢肯定，我们已经是最酷的建筑师爷爷或奶奶了（如果建筑真的能让你成立一个家庭），如果故事的结局注定这样，难道你不想拥有机会改变这一切，改写这故事为轰轰烈烈的经历。设计功力最好的使用就是用来设计自己的建筑生涯，这不需要是一个平凡的建筑师生涯，它其实可以是个充满激动人心的电影，而你应该是它的导演！

 

 

你是被训练为设计师的！

你应该去设计！设计贯穿建筑各个领域。身为建筑师的好处就是你不但能参与建筑项目，也能在需多相关的创意产业里应用实践创意。大学也开始逐渐改变建筑课程，以满足现代建筑设计团队合作的技术需求。每一次学习经验将改变你，你接触的每一个前辈将在你职业生涯里扮演关键角色。很庆幸我们当下的时代，许多行业能受益于建筑师的专长技术，作为一个建筑师，你看世界的眼光是独特的，你能辅助的职业是无限的。这部电影是由你来主导，别出心裁的设计可能会令你我出乎意料。跳出建筑界, 看看其他的行业, 现在那些企业和事务所跳脱了建筑行业的定义, 为自己开拓了更多新市场, 也因此主导了当代文化。跳出建筑界, 看看其他的行业, 现在那些企业和事务所摆脱传统建筑行业的定义, 为自己开拓了更多新市场, 也因此主导了当代文化。这概念正是今年2012第十三届威尼斯建筑双年展,澳大利亚馆策展团队创意总监所提倡的。 他们讨论着建筑实践的可塑性, 创意产业的变更, 现社会的经济,文化与环境的变化对于建筑业的要求非比从前, 建筑不再只是一个盖房子的行业了, 跨越领域的合作普及全球, 建筑实践也该跟随着重新定义。

 

 

Are you afraid of being an Architect?

This is not an academic essay. This is not a research paper. This paper ismerely a reflection from a graduate of architecture that is attempting tounderstand what it means to be an architect and the contemporary social issues entangled with it.

 

Have you got what it takes to be an architect?

Many of us would have at least once encounter a senior warning you about the life ahead as an architect, if not straight out telling you to quit right away.
If you are still doing architecture, you clearly have chosen not to take the advice. To be an architect in Australia, one would need to study an undergraduate coursework and a post-graduate professional degree to earn the opportunity to one day sit the exam, earn the title as a registered architect. Until that day, you will always be just a graduate of architecture or architectural designer, not (legally) an ‘architect’. The title is given to a registered professional not just a graduate of architecture. Knowing that, are you prepare to invest in the years ahead for this title?

 

 

The worth of it

Before I entered the professional practice of Architecture, I could only imagine why seniors had such pessimistic views on architecture and the practice. After a few years of experience in the industry recent years, I am slowly appreciating the complications that come with the (misled) glory title of an architect. In the article ‘Dear Architects, I am sick of your shit’ published by Princeton School of Architecture Pidgin Magazine, Anna Choi stated “Architects, I will not lie, you confuse me. You work sixty, eighty hours a week and yet you are always poor. ” Architects are renown for being overworked and underpaid. (Don’t think many architects would claim
this to be false). It has been long assumed to become a reputed architect, one would work for the well respected architect, in our current society, this would likely be a ‘starchitect’ known by the public.

In the process, accept minimal remuneration compensation for you contribution, as not every architecture rookie gets this opportunity, may be count it as school fees. This reflects an epidemic of a culture, architects overworking because they enjoy what they do or accept it because they are rewarded with intangible satisfaction. In response to this long standing issue, Australian architect Andrew Maynard writes “It is time for architectural work practices to grow up. We must stop deluding ourselves that architectural employees are anything other than a contemporary exploited labour force.” He writes as a director of his own firm, he states he gets into the office at 9 and leave at 5, would only stay up at night once a year for work. Sounds tough but he certainly works very hard to achieve all the above. Upon reflection, are you contempt with your current role in architecture?

 

Not all of us is going to be the ‘designer’ in architecture

Depending on your educational background, your architectural career will be shaped differently, I come from an university that promoted the nurturing of creative thinking, and insisted this skill in design will propel you further in your long term career, as oppose to outright inheriting from an apprentice pedagogy. The common assumption that successful architectural career is to be measured against the age you first set up your own firm, the network of reputable friends in the profession, the celebrity coverage and your public presence. I recently heard this anecdote from a friend, a student cried out in studio ‘ No, I will not do this, I was train to design!’. This student could not comprehend and accept that he was not allocated the ‘designer’ role in a team. It may be hard to accept, but a building is not built upon a single genius ‘design’ architect, and design is certainly not the sole right of the ‘design’ architect. Entering into a course in architecture does not mean you
come out only as a architect. Architectural graduates have go off to become architects, artist, curators, developers, animation artist, graphic designers etc. Successful education today is to provide you with enough learning opportunity, to build skills in a cross range of discipline so you can practice it in the profession. Being a registered architect or racing to run your own firm early in life is not the primary aim of architecture pedagogy in our contemporary times.

 

 

Design your career

An architecture career is a going to be a long one if you haven’t already worked out. Reaching graduation is only the start. When you have the urge to yell out ‘ there is so much I don’t know about architecture’, a person next to you ten years senior may proudly reply ‘I’ve done it ten years longer than you have and I still don’t know enough about architecture’. So where is the problem? Is it a problem? If we were to learn ‘everything’ we (think) we need to know about architecture, (if that is possible at all), I’m sure we would already be the coolest grandpa, grandma architecture (providing architecture permitted you to start a family), is it too late by
then? If we already know the ending of it all, wouldn’t you want the opportunity to make this process very eventful? The best use of your design skill may just be to design your own career. Your career path does not have to be the standard life story of an architect, it can be full of stories as exciting as a blockbuster hit, and you should be the director of it!

 

 

You were train to design!

You were train to ‘design’! Design permeates all areas of architecture. The best part of architecture is the projects and practice you are able to participate in across all creative discipline. The universities across are beginning to alter their curriculum to meet the modern need of team collaboration in architecture. Every learning experience you undertake will change you, every mentor you come in contact with are key characters that will the power to change you as the protagonist of this epic tale. We are fortunate enough to be practicing in an age where many professions can benefit from the expertise an architect has, as an architect you see the world in a unique way, with that the areas and discipline you can contribute to is boundless. The blockbuster hit does not need to end in a tragedy, as you direct your own show, the ending may just surprise you and me. Those that have successfully break free of conventional architectural profession restraints have opened new markets and obtain a chance to lead the architectural practice of tomorrow. Those that have successfully break free of conventional architectural profession restraints holds power to open new work platform and obtain a chance to lead the architectural practice of tomorrow. This echoes this year’s 2012 13th Venice Biennale Australian Pavilion’s creative director’s have emphasized, Formations: the plasticity of practice. They ask ‘So at this very moment it is pertinent to ask how does architecture, as a profession, construct itself? How do architects structure the most effective models of practice in order to recover the agency of their practice?’.

 

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