A Positive Space

I love my job because I get to create space that touches peoples’ lives.

Most people would say that an architect’s job is to design buildings; and they wouldn’t be wrong. However if you were to ask an architect what their purpose is I would argue most would go beyond this common misconception. As architects we have the privilege of creating space. Similar to a musician or songwriter we create something that was not there before and has the potential of impacting peoples’ lives.

If you consider what an architect does in it’s simplest striped down form, we create space; space that people interact with on a regular basis. We experience architecture in so many ways and most people do not bother to stop and notice. We are surrounded by architecture. My job as an architect is to try to make people aware of the space that occupies their lives and try to create and design a unique experience for the user and in turn have a positive effect on a person’s life. I love my job because I have the ability to control this experience, whether it is someone’s home, place of work, a museum, restaurant, etc. If I am able to make the space that much better and in turn create an amazing experience for someone using that space then I am in some way making that persons life that much better. Even if on a subconscious level, if that someone enjoys going to work because they love their office and the space in which they work makes them feel inspired then the space I have created has had a positive effect on that person. Or at the end of a long day a person wants nothing more than to go home because there is a certain level of comfort or calmness and they love being in that space, I am making that person’s life that much better. Even if the person cannot describe it or isn’t aware of the reason, they just know they love this space. When described in this way I argue architecture goes beyond simply designing buildings. I love my job because I get to create an experience for people through architecture.

Now you may think I am trying to convey that all architecture should be big and have a huge splash however it does not need to be so obvious. In fact, I think it is much more powerful when it happens in a more subtle way. Most people do not get to experience architecture in such a grandiose way. They simply go day-to-day; space-to-space without realizing the effect it has on them, both positive and negative. Some architecture, in my opinion most good architecture happens and is experienced in a subtle way. However subtle can still be impactful.

My personal view of what architecture is did not take shape until I was in architecture school. There is so much more to architecture than what meets the common eye. Most people see a cool building but very few bother to see the building through an architect’s eye. They are unable to see the concept behind the façade and understand the experience of the space. From a young age I have always been drawn to architecture, even when I thought an architect’s job was to simply draw cool buildings. When I arrived at architecture school I barely knew anything about architecture, I will embarrassingly admit that I was unaware of who Frank Lloyd Wright was at the time. It is easy to look back and feel embarrassed about this however I also believe it was good that I knew very little about architecture. It allowed me to be free of any preconceived notions and develop them as I progressed through architecture school. I walked into architecture school blind in my understanding and walked out with a wealth of knowledge that went well beyond my initial thoughts of the potential of architecture.

To be put simply, in my opinion an architect’s job is to create space that has a positive impact on another person’s life. In turn the building surrounding this space should also convey a work of art and a moment of beauty. This is why I love my job.