Relevance

09.15.2011

Lately, I have heard a lot about             relevance

What is that, exactly?

bearing; meaning

significance

pertaining to a particular subject matter

Why do writers write?  Because they believe that they have something to say that has bearing on a certain subject matter and that it should be read and be discussed/given due consideration.  (hopefully, in an open, honest forum)

Of great significance in our profession, the question of relevance has lurked about discussions within and without the profession of architecture as long as it has been noted as a profession.  Not only is Architecture * questioned, so too is the Architect* (as the Creator personified).

IS Architecture relevant?

IS the Architect relevant?

When is Architecture relevant?

Is it when a project wins an award judged by its peers?  At the local level?  At the regional or state level?  At the national level?  Or, internationally?  Is it relevant if it is recognized by other building professions, but not an architectural entity?

Is it when the Owner states that they are pleased; that the finished product is everything thing they wanted, and more?

Is it when the Users exclaim that there needs to be more spaces/places like these for us to use, enjoy, embrace, own?

Is it when the project is linked inextricably to some historical event?

Is it when the project has become a tourist attraction?  For architects?  Or for the general Public?

Is it enough for the Architect to just say it is so?

* Architecture and architect with a capital “A” denotes the significance often given within the profession itself for its works.  It is a conscious effort to put forth relevance of both on the built environment, whether or not it truly exists.

09.16.2011

My spouse is unemployed; has been for a while now. 

Why?

Because some One, some Body determined that he was no longer relevant.  Once that determination was made, he was systematically phased out of responsibilities on the various projects he was working on and then let go when the timing was right for the firm.

How does someone determine someone else’s relevance?

Is relevance only something that someone else can define for you, or is it something that you need to stay on top of diligently, managing every aspect of your “brand”, no matter how long you may have been practicing your trade, profession, art?  Do we get complacent in our positions, thinking that an experience level of 10-year, 15-year, 20-year, even 25-year is enough to remain relevant?  In my spouse’s particular case, he had been successful in obtaining continuing education in the technical aspects of architecture, even obtaining LEED accreditation.  But, somewhere along the journey with his former firm, which he truly enjoyed working for, the firm changed its ideal about the type of employee it wanted to maintain and grow its own brand of architecture among its markets; and, rather than working with its existing top experienced employees, also often the highest paid, they sabotaged their self-confidence and just told them to go, wrapping it up with a small, monetary compensation and some encouraging words that the “layoff” was not a reflection of their abilities, just something that had to be done to keep the firm in the “black.”  Yes, a business is a business, and no one would certainly want to see an entire firm put out of work, but that is a whole other “ball of wax” that deserves discussion at another time.

What is of import here is the determination of relevance:  what it is, who does and who should define it, how recognizable it is.