"Why couldn't you make me an architect? You know I always wanted to pretend that I was an architect!" -George Costanza

Thirty minutes? * Creating a playlist of songs in iTunes as my timer.....Vodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix? Heck I'll just play the original version twice and my thirty minutes is up!*

I know after leaving the week long intensive many of us left feeling as if we wanted to "change the world." However when we got back to our offices and the "real world" (working drawings, sections, town meetings, building officials, building codes, cranky clients, broken plotters, stale coffee) we simply didnt feel as if we were doing much to move forward in that direction. Many of us may have felt resentful towards our work. How is this 5000 sf house on the ocean really making a difference in the world, aside from reducing the number of mahogany trees in South America? I know from my own personal experience that I have felt this long before I went to Boston, but that afterwards my notions were confirmed - and now I am motivated to actually do something. So lets start with a research paper to get things going....

First, lets start off with a game.
Which one of these things is not like the other:
A. Doctor
B. Lawyer
C. Architect

Now you might say to yourself, "well all of these professions are well respected, well paying jobs. Aside from the type of work that each profession is associated with, there is really not much of a difference between these three choices. But considering this is a class on ARCHITECTURAL theory, I will have to go with the obvious answer of C."

CORRECT! But why does the architect stand out as the odd man out?

It is true that these professions, for the most part, are looked upon as well respected, well paying (I am waiting for this to prove true in my own life) and that the people involved in these professions are highly educated and concerned for overall public welfare. But is that a correct stereotype? When we look at these professions in terms of charitable work (ie. public welfare) we tend to romanticize about the doctors and the lawyers. The doctor traveling to africa to help deliver babies in an area plagued with famine and disease. The lawyer, perhaps a public defender, helping defend the poor and helpless defendants who could not afford legal advice on their own behalf. But what of the architect? It is not often that we hear of the "charitable architect." Why is that? Why are architects not looked upon as people who can change the world for the better? Perhaps it is because we as architects do not take enough time to help others who need it? We are too busy with building our careers (and our clients houses) to worry about the homeless, the poor, the underprivileged. But we as architects have the POWER and the ABILITY to help these people. We can change the face of planet, help improve peoples lives and do something positive for our communities, all while doing something that makes us feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

As architects we have the power to change how people live and the power to improve the lives of people around us. Why must this always be based on the bottom line and making money, rather than the self satisfaction and pride we receive when we do something charitable, from our hearts? Architects such as Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee, creator of the rural studio; Sinclair/Stohr, the founders of Architecture for Humanity are great examples of people/organizations that have made a conscious effort to make a change. And what is their reward? Personal satisfaction that they have done something to make a difference. Not a paycheck but rather and sense of pride that they made a difference.

I believe the internal resentment of architecture stems from the lack of satisfaction knowing that I have helped someone who actually needs my service, rather a client who acquires my service because they can afford it. I think that resentment (my own perceived) of the profession (creating for one group of people while another group is completely lacking) could be counter-balanced if time was devoted (out of charity, not forcibly) to those who can not afford our services.

I believe that through humanitarian efforts (on a local or global scale) that we as architects can make a difference in our communities. Not only will this be beneficial for the people around us, but also it will make a difference in our own lives. With "burnout" of the profession being a prevalent concern in our day-to-day lives, we must find a way to overcome the hurdle of the doldrums and perhaps doing something for others is the way to do that.