The Impact of Architecture

Learning to listen. In my last LinkedIn article, I touched on the enduring theme of public awareness as a desire among many across our profession. While this overarching goal has not changed, the way architects and designers approach the public to achieve it definitely has, for the good.

To be truly useful, communication must be more than what we want to say, convey, or give, in terms of expertise and experience; there must be an eagerness to receive. We must listen. And, not only listen to members of the public already actively interested in architecture, but listen to seldom-served constituencies who should have a voice in shaping their own environments.

Architects have learned this. Our colleagues in other design disciplines have learned this. Yay! As such, they have seen that people will engage when they believe they have something to contribute that others will find meaningful. Instead of initiating a conversation with the implicit assumption that we designers have all the answers, we have learned that enormous possibilities are realized when all the parties touched by architecture are open to developing a shared agenda, one that is long term in its implications.

Such engagements are the mark of healthy partnerships. Far different from the former ‘speed-dating’ approach of many so-called outreach initiatives, these relationships have become like a marriage: they are evidence of a trusting, long-term commitment wherein the parties are considered equal and are respected for the unique assets each brings to the affiliation.

Developing an understanding of the power of architecture to transform lives is a joint endeavor … one in which designers connect with members of the public in a constructive conversation that only grows more vibrant, authentic, and beneficial over time!

Photo Credit: Joanna Dreiling, Assoc. AIA at AIA24 in DC