I wrote this article casually as the idea popped into my head during a very casual talk with a former college mate of mine.

No, this article does not mean that I am unemployed and in desperate need of a job. The title simply tries to convey the question of: “who in society really needs an architect’s services?” Some of you might answer “high-paying clients, of course!”, others might be less picky and accept any job opportunity that comes along. Sure, architects are human too (are we not?), and therefore we are always in the need of materialistic fulfilling (tell me if we don’t! Food on our tables, clothes on our backs, and roofs over our heads…face it, we need them!) However, if we really think about it, then the only people who can feed us are those who are able to afford our services. So, what about those who can’t afford us?

Returning to the basic definition of what an architect is; a master builder is what an architect is to some (even in Chinese the word used to describe architects literally means master builder! ??? jianzhushi – jian: build/construct, zhu: build/construct, shi: master), and some dude/dudette who draws houses for a living to others. People can call us whatever they want, and we as architects, can also come up with our own ideas about what an architect is supposed to be. We’re basically people who (supposedly) know how to build properly. What does that mean? It means that we are supposed to be able to create something that works properly according to its needs and function(s). A house, for example, is a dwelling place. Therefore the house should house its inhabitants, fulfilling their physical and emotional needs to the fullest. An office block should be able to encourage a safe and comfortable environment for people who conduct their activities there. The list can go on and on endlessly, and you’ll all fall asleep by the time you reach halfway through the list!) So I presume that everyone knows what I mean by now. A good architect knows how to optimize every inch of space that have been given to them to toy around with. A bad architect (like me) can’t really do so, resulting in poor quality designs (and in the end become critics on how good design is supposed to be like – this is so me!) Notice how I put up space as the parameter to a good design? That’s because aesthetics is a very difficult parameter to measure (beauty is in the eye of the beholder or beauty is a relative thing, but ugliness is obvious!). Another reasons why I chose space as parameter to determine whether a design is good or not, is because space has a direct impact on users. Find it hard to comprehend? Well I wrote this article on my 9300 (with its mini-qwerty-keypad) instead of my notebook (because I’m trying to import some files), while my hands are the size of a bear’s paw! Small workspace+gigantic paws=a lot of pain! The importance of space in this issue is obvious; it determines the degree of comfort and pleasure.

Jumping back to the question at hand; Who needs an architect’s services? The rich who are able to afford our services will always be able to enjoy good design (great design even!). Where as the less fortunate will never be able to enjoy even the lowest quality design, since they don’t have the luxury to use our services. Wait a bit; why does it seem like I’m stereotyping us (architects) as expensive creatures? Because most people (in Indonesia) think of us as expensive service providers that only the rich can afford! Another reason is that most people tend to think that it’s a waste of resources to use an architect to design (their) homes, and that everyone is an expert when it comes to building a house. Well, nobody is! Not even us architects! (Face it, we’re not God…we’re just playing God!) So what does it have to do with space and everything? What is my point? Allow me to take the house as an example as it’s something that we are all (naturally, very) familiar with. The point is, that a well designed house can guarantee the health and comfort of its inhabitants. Why so? Air circulation and sufficient natural lighting is a couple of reasons that I had in mind when I wrote this article. If a house is well designed, then it should perform well as climate modifier regardless of the size of the land it stands on. Failure to circulate air properly, will result in bad indoor air quality, ultimately putting the inhabitants in the risk of catching a disease. That would lead then to less productivity. Remember how our PE teachers used to tell us “Within a healthy body lies a healthy soul.”? This is kind of like that; “within a healthy house lives a healthy family”. So, if an architect’s duty is to manipulate space in such a way that the space becomes fit to contain activities, then certainly everyone has the right to have the luxury of our services, not just the rich and famous.

If this article is a bit difficult to understand, please feel free to send me an email through p_navitas@yahoo.com, we can discuss/argue there hehehe….

Save our nation!

related article: http://ar-chi-tect.org/architect-job-description