CREJ - Building Dialogue - March 2015
Regardless of what industry you hang your hat on, the 21st century has posed a healthy dose of change to any and all industries comprised of “practicing professionals,” regardless of generation or experience level. Whether you’ve felt chagrin about being moved out of an office and into a workstation, lamented the lack of mid-career employees in the job market or mentors in your workplace, or willfully anticipated yet another “game-changing” software to learn, each year seems to bring a new set of norms that, at the outset, feel more like accepting an unwanted gift from a distant relative than a welcome opportunity to adapt or excel. Architecture is no exception; while the framework of the practice is still linked to client relationships and physical realization via construction, the tools, techniques and technologies being utilized are vastly different than as recent as 10, five or even two years ago. And that’s not all that’s changed. Also changed are the stakeholders, firm structures, project delivery models and, perhaps most difficult to measure but achingly evident, the perception of the value of architecture in society (just ask Frank Gehry, who recently claimed that “in this world we are living in, 98 percent of everything that is built and designed today is pure s@)*”. ) As industries change, so must the professional organizations that have been established to help their members both navigate and initiate changes that directly impact the profession and everyday practice. Depending on the industry, its history and its member constituency, this process can be harder for some than others. After watching my sister navigate the tech and start-up world, I became enamored with the word “pivot,” loosely defined as when a company finds its Plan A business model isn’t working and decides to “pivot” to Plan B. What freedom – to be able to change the game before, during or even after it was played – to try a new model or idea and to embrace that 180 degrees was a better angle than 20. In architectural practice, I like to think we pivot daily. Architects have to stay agile and unafraid to pivot in numerous design decisions. Site locations and client opinions change, programs shrink and grow. The original design sketch rarely emulates the finished product. Furthermore, what medium we use to make “the right drawing” or to express a specific idea can change on a whim. From an image to a model or video, creating and visually communicating requires constant production and reinterpretation. In architecture, the Profession (capital P) pivoting seems contradictorily difficult. Architecture (with a capital A) can at times feel like it’s cloaked in history and, while becoming much less frequent, a pillared sense of institutionalism. For example, it took 136 years since its inception for the American Institute of Architects to elect a woman president (in 1992) and not until 2013 for the AIA to award its first AIA Gold Medal to the “first great woman architect,” Julia Morgan (she passed in 1957). Yet, as I mentioned before, organizations must transform or be transformed, and thus I’ve watched with intrigue and excitement as the American Institute of Architects, founded in 1857 in an effort to “promote the scientific and practical perfection of its members,” and to “elevate the standing of the profession,” has energetically embarked on a multiyear, multiphase “repositioning” campaign aimed to diversify its member base while engaging new and old members in a dialogue regarding what is and isn’t working. From licensing to public perception, the AIA continues to roll out new initiatives that aim to address not only architecture professionals, but also the public. In a bold embrace of current methods of widespread communication, the AIA has utilized social media, video and television to carry forth the 1857 edict to “elevate the standing of the profession,” or, in simpler terms, to make people aware of what architects do and why architecture designed by architects is important in continuing to shape an intelligent built environment. Because every good social media campaign needs a hashtag and a public forum to post imagery, the AIA has dubbed its campaign #ILookUp. Launched (and tweeted) this past December with a two-minute video, Karissa Rosenfield writes, “What do you see when you look up? As part of the American Institute of Architects’ #ILookUp campaign, this video seeks to elevate the public’s awareness of the impact and importance of the design profession by asking everyone to “look up.” It is the AIA’s goal to spark a two-way conversation on the value of architects and architecture. Please watch the video above and share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #ILookUp.” “Even before we put pencil to paper, we are looking up … we look up to nature … we look up to look within … we look up to see limits, and ways around them,” a male voice speaks confidently over images of the built and natural world. Despite its repetition and stock video imagery, the video’s message feels relevant and important. It is important because it acknowledges that even the oldest of institutions are willing to change. It is willing to hire a recent college grad to generate witty hashtags, to upload videos on YouTube rather than hold private screenings at conferences and conventions, and willing to reposition (i.e., to pivot into the 21st century).