8 August 2009 | Posted inBlog News & Updates, Featured
Posted by Justin
The Perception of an Architect
When you think of a doctor, you think of a white coat and a stethoscope. A dentist has his chair, and a fireman has his truck. Yet the first thing someone envisions when I mention that I work at an architecture office is that I must make a lot of money. Second thing is that I want to build their deck. While neither is true, I think many if not most of us can relate to that inaccurate perception. I guess it doesn’t help that architects are always shown on television wearing designer suits and fancy eyeglasses.
But I think the greatest thing about my job is when I Google ‘Architect’ or go to Getty Images, and just look at all of perceived notions of what an architect does, or looks like.
That said, I thought I would illustrate to us all Google’s idea of an architect, and hopefully debunk a few misconceptions.
Misconception #1 – Drawing
- Everyone has seen these images. It says ‘Plan,’ so it must be an architect. But does anyone notice that his plan is printed. He actually isn’t drawing anything.
- Also, how do you draw a straight line without holding the triangle. It’s impossible. And what’s with the eraser, it’s a printed drawing.
- What startles me most about this image is this guy’s hand. It’s like Chewbacca’s arm was too long so they cut it in half and glued it back on.
- Again, another drawing image, and again…it’s printed.
- But what do you think he is actually trying to do. He doesn’t look like he is actually drawing. Is that an exacto-knife in his hand, or a pencil?
- Apparently when architects draw on printed paper they need two scales, a compass, and several large books.
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- Yup, that’s a house, but why is she wearing a hard hat?
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- First of all, this princess hasn’t got a clue what he is looking at.
- Second, I’ve never seen someone with a smile on their face and have such good posture after being hunched over a drafting table.
- Has someone noticed he isn’t even holding a pencil? And how do you ‘draft’ when the board is up so high?
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Misconception #2 – Site Visits and Pointing
- Apparently when we go for a site visit all we do is point and smile at our work.
“That’s where I’m going to put up a picture of your daughter.”
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(Image Link)
Little does the guy know who is pointing that the building is actually behind them.
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“Look, a bird!”
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Judging by the colour of his suit, and the notion he is at site, I’m guessing this is probably the first time he has ever seen these drawings. Heck, he probably doesn’t even know where he is.
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(Image Link)
- Do you really think they are talking about work, and the construction behind them? Is that a date book or just a coincidence?
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Misconception #3 – Architect’s offices
- A typical day at the office includes the same guy: playing fuzzball, talking on his cell phone, playing internet poker, and somehow drawing circles with a compass. All while his co-workers look on.
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- When the photographer called about architectural models, I don’t think this is what they were referring to.
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So now, for all those who stuck around till the end. I present the overworked, stressed out, hasn’t seen a drafting table in years, architect.
(Image Link)
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***Added After Initial Posting***
For those naysayers, who may have seen a similar e-mail floating around to the info above.
Here is my list of the various types of Architects:
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The Banker
Description: This is the big-box style of architect.
Dress: Often seen wearing business suits, and shinny dress shoes
Characteristics: They enjoy their espresso in the morning, and steak dinner at night. Often overheard discussing their next travel plans
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The Art-ist
Description: This is the ‘Get to the point already’ Architect.
Dress: Often seen wearing any shade of black
Characteristics: They strive for lengthy explanations and dialogue, rather then getting to the point and saying it’s a box. Often seen with a martini in hand, or at an exhibition opening. They would rather have one or two projects done theoretically well, rather then a plethora of projects.
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The Gardener
Description: This is the ‘Environmentally Conscious’ Architect.
Dress: Soft heeled shoes, and khaki pants
Characteristics: This breed is very strange. If you don’t know them very well. You would think they are paranoid with the natural elements outdoors, with the amount of time and energy they spend talking about them.
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The Collector
Description: This is the ‘Yard Sale’ Architect
Dress: Normally vintage or off the wall
Characteristics: They could make used-underwear fashionable in the right light. They have the uncanny ability sell just about anything.
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The Fool
Description: This is the ‘Confused and Bewildered’ Architect
Dress: Basically anything that has a zipper, a button, or Velcro
Characteristics: When people describe your stereotypical architect, his kind will never be mentioned. Quite often stands out in the room as the guy that probably is lost and opened the wrong door
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omg – love it. i LOVE that banana republic ad. Gawker did a great break down of the ad, and it’s just hilarious. PLEASE go there! http://gawker.com/news/advertising/truth-vs-advertising-the-banana-republic-architect-ads-237391.php
HA i just re-read it – “completely pedestrian nonsense” – by FAR the best line!
this seems the *most* true for my office: “In our office at least, for most of the year they blast the air conditioning to keep us awake all day and maintain design productivity. I don’t know if this is like an industry-wide practice, but it is very effective.”
and this is right up there, but I might add ‘alcoholic’ to the mix, “he was an architect and he got divorced, most likely because he worked too much and cheated on his wife with someone from the office”.
and forget NYC, this is still the bottom line in many offices: “the Liebeskind eyeglasses and black turtleneck/blazer, German expressionist style is still the bottom line”.
This was great!
Hilarious! “This is where I’m going to hang a picture of your daughter.” We’ve got some nice misconceptions over in marketing, too.
When I was growing up, the image of an architect was Mike Brady of ‘The Brady Bunch.’ I was eight years old when the Bradys first hit the airwaves.
Mr. Brady was able to afford a nice California ranch home, had six children, a lovely wife who didn’t have to work, a maid – and even though he often produced drawings in his den and was seen coming home from work, he had his weekends free to do ‘fatherly things’ like scour all of southern California to look for Marcia’s diary…(!)
We are sold the idea that everyone wants to work and live in the jewel box. Mostly they just want 4 walls and a roof with some Roman details glued to the exterior. No wonder architects want to hang themselves.
I’m actually watching Star Wars and Lando is about to get choked by that arm in the first picture! too much!
*** I updated the Post to include what I’ve seen as the various ‘types’ of Architects ***
In response to John’s comment.
I have to say the first architect I ever saw actually wasn’t even an architect. It was the guy from ‘Life as a House’. Where he basically gets fired, and goes postal on the office, smashing all of the architectural models, and tells everyone off.It was an eyeopener to say the least, and from that moment, I wanted to be an Architect.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4mfgHLoxp4
Snarkitects.
Mike Brady was one of my earlier influences!
Architecural Record just posted a Blog about ‘Movie Architects’
http://tinyurl.com/qvww73
The last season of the Brady Bunch featured a classic episode when Mike Brady’s firm tried to win a contract at an amusement park – but the plans for the presentation got mixed up with a poster of Yogi Bear – and Mike was pretty embarrassed, in front of a roomful of clients, pulling out the poster from the drawing tube from what he thought contained a set of drawings (!)
The show was filmed at King’s Island amusement park in Cincinnati – where the Partridge Family had filmed an episode a year earlier….(!)
Hilarious. Spot on, good stuff.
Second picture- the thing that looks like an exacto knife is a ruling pen. I don’t think anyone uses them anymore, but you can still buy them.
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