Every Monday morning, team members in the Philadelphia and Princeton offices gather together via video-conference to discuss firm news and upcoming events and projects. Since 2003, founding partner Allan Kehrt, FAIA, has delivered his Monday Morning Musings, weekly slices of personal insight into the design profession, to the firm. To comment on any of his posts, send an email to us. We look forward to hearing from you. |
| April 28, 2008 Money (encore) In this profession of ours that deals with multiple millions of dollars in the normal course of projects, there is an ever-present problem of players viewing things from diverse financial points of view, both ethically and otherwise. Issues are often are complex, they are sometimes difficult to define, and even harder to communicate, and the viewpoint of others is sometimes surprising, or disappointing and many times trying. The temptation to equivocate, to bend, to look the other way, to accommodate, can be a continual struggle, and situational ethics can triumph. We try to screen our projects and clients thoroughly to work with only the best, but the values of others are sometimes hidden from view until things get tough. This is a statement and a reinforcement of policy to take the high road in ethical issues. It is a plea for always making a thorough assessment of what is right, what is true, what is good, and to stand up for it. The firm will always back you up, and we will all benefit.
Remember to never wrestle with a pig. In the end you will both get dirty, but the pig will love it.
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| April 21, 2008 Home There seems to be a general consensus that the earth is getting warmer. Most scientists are becoming convinced that this warming is the result of our continuing release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which then traps heat energy from infrared radiation. There are others who don't believe we humans are to blame, and suggest the warming is simply a continuation of a trend that began 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age and continues the 4 billion years of earthly temperature fluctuations. Because of the complexity of the issues and the large number of variables involved, we may never really know the cause. But two things become very clear when we examine the problem: First, it is simply too important to ignore, and if we are to blame for the crisis we should do everything we possibly can to minimize the assumed human contribution. And second, it becomes much more obvious that what ever the cause, our responsibility to the only habitat we have should be driving our behavior in anything that affects the earth, be it air or water or soil. It's the only home we have. |
| April 14, 2008 Responsibility (again) In examining the vast responsibilities we have as architects and realizing how the public generally undervalues what we do, perhaps we will recognize there is at least one other responsibility not among those associated with practice that all of us should assume. Acknowledging the poor quality of the built environment in America, we can see that part of the public's acceptance rests on a lack of education on the importance of good design or, indeed, what good design actually is. Somehow the value of design is understood in many other cultures, but generally not in ours. As individuals who have devoted their lives to design, we are the guardians of a trust of knowledge that we should share with the public if we ever expect to change their perceptions. We should all be in the public arena, speaking or writing about design and trying to spread the words, the beliefs, the concerns and the passion. It doesn't take much: a committee membership that deals somehow with the built environment, a contribution to a discussion about it, or simply talking about what you do and your passion for it. It is up to the believers to convert others, and it is a responsibility we should all assume. |
| April 7, 2008 Forces (encore) There are three forces that shape all architecture. There are forces that work on the building, there are forces that work on the problem, and there are forces that work on the architect. All buildings that exist in the world are the product of these three forces. The sun, the wind, the rain, the site, the program, buildings codes--all exert their force to physically mold a building to acquire a particular form. They in some way are real and physical and they are early determinants of a building form. History, precedent, image, typology--all have defined and refined the problem of particular building types, and their effect further defines the design as the designer examines how a particular problem has been addressed and solved by others. Education, personality, skills, preferences, ego, and personal agendas refine and push the design in a particular direction as well as we, as both individuals and teams of architects, put ourselves and our souls into our designs. As we design and detail buildings, we should be continually aware of these forces. Our designs will benefit from a clear understanding of the nature and origins of our decisions. |
