the arch and the path:01

Taken from email June 27, 2007
re: http://www.archofleadership.com/resources/bookexcerpts.htm

Here are my responses to the the workbook assignments for discussion. The questions proved quite difficult for me to address in the manner in which they probably should. I really do not lead anyone in the work place. Our office consists of two partners, myself as a project manager / designer, and a few technical support staff. The support staff does not "answer" to me and are usually assigned to assist the partners in their projects. My work is done in conjunction with the partners, where I handle a large portion of the project work load ranging from drafting and detailing to design and client meetings. So with that in mind here goes...

Workbook #1

Question 1.
Do you have followers? How do you distinguish between those among employees or reports who are your followers and those who are not?

Based upon the definition of followers as discussed in our readings I would say that I do not have followers in my current professional position. I do not have fellow employees who answer or report to me. Followers (true followers) I would say, do so to participate willingly because they are genuinely interested/invested in the task at hand. They believe in the end goal. Followers (employees) follow because they are told to do so. They do it as part of a job description and work place responsibility.

Question 2.
Scale of 1 to 5...

Love to organize - 4
I like to have things organized and structured. Especially in how drawings are laid out and drawn in the production phase. As I make the transition to project management, I find that I need to apply the same rigor. I rated this as a 4 only because I am not always driven to do the organizing.

Not just the facts - 5
I have a strong vision or image of the architecture prior to beginning of real exploration. A very vivid and strong sense about the experience that I want to create, ever the artist.

Living out of the future - 4
Not always in the future, but this is where my mind tends to focus. Instead of worrying about the "how to" I tend to fixate on the end point or goal. Sometimes to the goals detriment; knowing the "how to" is essential.

Always raising the bar - 4
I have very high expectations of myself and others. For myself, they are often unrealistic expectations given the circumstances.

Habit of change - 2
I prefer a bit of a routine. Unless a change is needed, I prefer to keep with what has worked thus far. If it is obvious that the course of action is not working, then seek change.

Workbook #2

Question 1.
How do you learn about yourself?

Learn about self mainly through introspective thought and self examination. Holding myself to my own high expectations and whether or not I fall short. Not an entirely healthy way to learn about self. This is an area that I need to become more objective in.

Question 2.
How do you move yourself out of your comfort zone? Describe the last time you did this.

I do not often make this sort of move. The majority of the time I prefer to stick with what I know. But I find this to be a characteristic that I want to change. The biggest shift thus far (and most recent) has been the Dist. M.Arch program itself. I feel challenged at times when it comes to conveying my ideas and thoughts in the academic setting. I am leery of failure and insecure in this area. The BAC is about challenging myself and proving to myself that I can not only complete the program, but excel.

So... a long break

...is just about over. It seems to be an enternity since we all last met in Boston. I am looking for to the coming weeks and the challenges they hold for us all.

I am currently trying to get myself into the habit of reading more. The summer seems to be an impossible time of the year. The two courses we are taking this semester look very interesting and I am excited about digging into studio - Core Studio II and Architectural Technology I.

My best to everyone for the last couple of weeks of summer and I'll see you all in Boston. I will have my Skype account logged on while doing some reading, feel free to say 'hey'.

~R

theory:05

"Never mind the machine, whose fuel is human souls" - R.S. Thomas

What do you hope will be true for your community (at any scale) in twenty years, and how can you use your professional life to help achieve that vision?

In twenty years I hope to gain a better understanding of the following question and be able to embrace it within a body of work that is somehow influential on future architects, artists, and designers.

How can we encourage sharing and positive dialogue about architecture and it’s ideology through architecture? What if we could create an architecture that fosters such a dialogue? What is that manifestation?

“Another Turn of the Crank” by Wendell Berry is a collection of essays regarding the degradation of farming, rural communities, and food economy, in a society which focuses on global economy and is desensitized to the local community. When reading Berry’s work I found myself substituting architects, inhabited space/built environment, architectural economy, and professional practice for farming and farmer.

“In their dealings with the countryside and its people, the promoters of the so-called global economy are following a set of principles that can be stated as follows. They believe that a farm or forest is or ought to be the same as a factory; that care is only minimally necessary at all; that for all practical purposes a machine is as good as a human; that the industrial standards of production, efficiency, and profitability are the only standards that are necessary; that the topsoil is lifeless and inert; that soil biology is safely replaceable by soil chemistry; that the nature or ecology of any given place is irrelevant to the use of it; that there is no value in human community or neighborhood; that technological innovation will produce only benign results.
These people see nothing odd or difficult about unlimited economic growth or unlimited consumption in a limited world. They believe that knowledge is property and is power, and that it ought to be. They believe that education is job training. They think that the summit of human achievement is a high paying job that involves no work. Their public boast is that they are making a society in which everybody will be “winners” – but their private aim has been to reduce radically the number of people who, by the measure of our historical ideals, might be thought successful: the independent, the self employed, the owners of small business or small usable properties, those who work at home.” - W.Berry, "Another Turn of the Crank"

theory: interesting thought from a student blog

Taken from a student blog on archinect...

"While I would agree that architects need to carefully consider our opinions and beliefs and not make simplistic normative judgments - at the end of the day, designers need to have opinions. Good designers are those who are brave enough to take a stand on issues and postulate ways in which the future might be improved through design." - http://www.archinect.com/schoolblog/blog.php?id=C0_398_39

...thinking on this statement. Simple enough statement. How does it inform my statement of belief... "Our work this semester is going to be aimed at a statement of belief that each of you will create, beliefs about your aspirations and goals and what constitutes good work, with some research to back it up. " - Herb Childress

~R

journal: wow what a first few days

The title says it all. I cannot believe the ways in which my mind is starting to explore the built environment around me and the effect it can have on us all. The flood gates have opened and I think Herb is right in his comment on my first journal entry... I am asking those questions much sooner than I realized.

~R

journal: As I begin

A few questions that I hope to discover the answers to in the coming months...

What kind of architect do I want to be?
How will I lead in my profession?
What are my core design values and philosophy?
(Re)define Design Process

Very basic questions that I do not think that I have truely asked of myself.

~R