Challenges to Good ArchitectureThere are many challenges to creating good architecture and these challenges seem to be continually expanding. Some challenges the architect faces day to day include:
1 Resisting the forces of gravity with building structure. Time and gravity on materials lead to physical decay;
2 Keeping water out of the building and the structure. One of the primary aims of a building is to stop water entering and to moderate the environment;
3 To be able to fully understand the best practice for building. Australian Standards and International Standard can be good documents but are expensive and constantly need upgrading when changes are made. There are 163 standards within the Building Code of Australia and approximately 800 in the National Specification (Natspec). The cost of purchasing these standards has grown immensely over the last few years. Without these rules and standards it isn't possible to achieve a high level of design;
4 The number and amount of local government regulations is growing daily. These are the rules imposed by local governments and include Development Control Plans and Local Environmental Plans. Obtaining approvals through Council can be a lengthy expensive process.
Section 94A Contributions and Fee Calculations are adding the cost of contributions and the cost of a Quantity Surveyor to a building owners application fees. Please refer to the following section on > 94A Contributions ;
5 Finding good skilled reliable tradespeople. There are less apprentices entering the building profession which creates a less competitive building tendering system and sometimes determines the standard of building work available;
6 The cost of materials is often increasing at a greater rate than core inflation making the calculation of opinions of cost difficult;
7 Supportive Clients - One can argue that the client is like the architect initiating the project and a client should take credit in the forethought to envisage a building project on their site. However once having decided to design a building the architects expertise and creativity should be encouraged and left unfettered to design the building. It was the committee that set out to design a horse and got a camel!!! All truly great buildings have been created by a talented architect with a supportive understanding client, eg the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohr, Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, and numerous houses by Glenn Murcutt.
Often it is the small nuances and features to a design that are most valued and provide a life long delight to the occupants. Once the brief is set the competant architect provides a creative and practical response to the brief;
8 Many people shape our built environment and not all of them architects. In NSW in Australia anybody can design any building apart from 4 or more housing units or housing units having a height greater or equal to 3 storeys. A child or somebody with diminished mental abilities can design a building. Often buildings are designed by builders or draughtspeople. Often the interests of the end users are not in mind but only the aim of personal financial benefit. This fact creates buildings in our society which are often less than perfect, less than user friendly and often do not create pleasant urban environments. Environmental issues are also not always considered by these non-architect building designers with poor solar orientation, poor layouts and planning, poor choices of materials and textures and little regard for the visual aesthetics of the building.
Architects are trained to design well functioning aesthetic buildings that create pleasant urban environments. Architects spend 5-6 years at university, 2 years post graduation work experience and ongoing professional development to be able to call themselves an architect. Yet architects are not required on building projects apart from those listed above. Why is this so? Doctors are required to diagnose illness and prescribe medication, dentists are required to attend to tooth repairs and extractions, and accountants are required to prepare financial statements. In terms of building, Councils require: engineers to certify structure and environmental designs, town planners to apply for variations to LEPs, surveyors to certify land descriptions and building location, licensed builders to build residential construction and quantity surveyors to determine estimates of building cost. However the person that designs a building and organizes the procurement of the building is not required to be an architect for most project? This is putting the cart before the horse in the authors opinion.
Building owners enjoy the prospect of designing a building however they may not be the end user. A building can be sold after completion and the rest of society has to live with a building for many years. It is argued that architects should be engaged to design buildings for the benefit of users and society for well functioning, environmentally sensitive and aesthetic environments.
When one considers when building a house for example that one pays around 18% to a builder, 3% to an electrician, 4% to a plumber (average wages figures from personal building projects excluding actual fittings, timber, brick, concrete, roofing, lingings, costs) the additional cost of an architect, to design and create the layouts for a well designed building are not excessive. Many very good experienced architects struggle to make a living in Australia.
9 Architects and building designers charging inadequate fees. If inadequate fees are charged an inadequate service may be provided to the client in terms of design quality, inspection of the building under construction, design detailing and specification, etc. Inadequate fees create inferior buildings because the architect cannot provide enough time to do the work properly.
10 Universites teach many good things but they should also teach sustainable working techniques to young architects. It is important to learn about building methods, design methods and communication skills but too much emphasis is placed upon working long hours, often all night, rather than understanding the way the human mind designs. Design is a process than can only be effectively undertaken by a healthy person. One needs to be physically healthy to be able to concentrate on complex arrangements and requirements. Working all night and drawing a line every 10 minutes is not productive work and this should be understood by all in the architectural business.
The first process in design is to understand the brief and the problems involved, that is, to really understand the site and the requirements for the building.
The second phase of design is to begin the dream or aspirations for the building. What is possible for the site and the brief? What does the building want to be? Your new building is like a child wanting to be understood and given the freedom to be what it wants to be. This means coming up with a suitable idea for the design.
The third phase of design is making the idea work on the site. This is the make of break phase of the idea. Is it really going to work on the site? This process can only be done with the mind working actively and passively on the problems at hand. Good sleep is necessary as one often wakes in the morning with the answer to a complex problem. Making students or practicing architects work all night destroys the possibilty for the subconscious to process data while the person is in a relaxed state. The process of problem solving is involved and takes time like the time it takes for a plant to grow. Any artificial deadlines on the the design process can hamper the production of the best design possible. | 