WISER, YOUNGER LEADERS
Experience is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you. - Aldous Huxley
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Gang – Hollwich –
Rojkind
This Saturday, I had
the pleasure to participate in a panel discussion at the Art Institute of
Chicago, moderated by the indefatigable Iker Gil. Jeanne Gang, Matthias
Hollwich, and Michel Rojkind presented aspects of their work, and a group of
local architects acted as respondents.
At the end of 2.5
hours of exchange, 3 things stood out to me: first, how much focus there was on
people when discussing architecture, as opposed to, say, materials or
proportions or scale; second, how one audience member posted a comment on
facebook saying “did anyone else note
that, for the most part, all of the presenters and participants made a point of
speaking in plain english, and not "archi-speak" , and
lastly, how the successes of these firms prove them right in the argument over
being relevant: they render a service that is wanted and valued by their customers.
If the definition of innovation is the
new and useful, the works of these 3 architects are remarkable in
satisfying current needs and anticipating future ones.
I have been wrong many
times before, but somehow, I believe our profession is on the brink of a great
comeback. A few firms are leading the way in reclaiming the role in society we architects
ought to play.
For the rest of us
architects, let’s follow suit. Let’s speak out, advocate, design, organize.
There is no other professional group that is as passionate, broadly educated, able
to embrace constraints, and sincere in the desire to create livable environments,
both built and natural.
Our times need
architects. Let’s go.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wisdom + Innovation =
Leadership
Last week, during the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) annual national convention, I participated in a presentation
alongside Adrian Smith with Smith Gill Architecture, when, in response to a
question from the audience, Adrian said the following [paraphrased]:
“Context is key to architectural design – and
maybe most important of it all is the context of time.”
Adrian is probably best known as the architect
who designed the world’s tallest building in Dubai, as well as Trump Tower in
Chicago. Those 2 projects, however, are just the tip of an architectural body
of work that is nothing short of astounding, and which spans over a series of
decades. Most importantly, Adrian and his associates are at the cutting edge of
sustainable design, realizing buildings that generate more energy than they
consume.
Adrian’s statement is an affirmation of a
quote by Kierkegaard: “Life is lived forward, but understood in reverse”.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
On being wrong, part II
When we do something, when we look at our own behavior, we tend
to see it in context. For instance, we think of ourselves as being safe drivers,
but if we are driving fast today, it is because we are running late for an
appointment.
But when we look at another person driving quickly, we say this
person is a reckless driver. That person must have an inherent personal
weakness.
This tendency, which we are all too familiar with, was coined
The Fundamental Attribution Error by social psychologist Lee Ross in 1977: There is a pervasive tendency to explain the
behavior of others as a result of a personal disposition, when the behavior
could just as easily be explained as a natural response to situational
pressures or constraints.
We are way more often wrong than we realize. And no wonder so
many people take things personally.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Greatest Lesson of History
When I recently came across the saying that the greatest
lesson of history is that we do not learn the greatest lessons of history, I knee-jerked.
Of course, humans are just not smart enough to take advantage of the obvious
benefits of knowing history, and the fact that it repeats itself. If only
everyone else got that.
Then, a few days later, it struck me. What if you changed
the sentence to the following: The greatest lesson of my life (or my personal
history) is that …
You fill in the rest.
And once you have the answer, ask yourself what you have learned
from it, and how it has affected your life.
By the way, the greatest lesson of my life occurred on
January 31, 2000. That day, I started to understand time.
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