Design Culture

DESIGN CULTURE. World Architecture Day strikes me as the perfect moment to speak about a crucial worldwide topic: the value of design. Individuals, governments, communities, and societies around the globe are gradually coming to understand that many of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century – livability, public health, resilience, urbanism, climate change – are fundamentally matters of design.

I do not mean that the intellectual brilliance of scientists and the technical expertise of engineers should be supplanted by architects and others in the related design disciplines. I simply suggest that the creativity, innovation, and vision embodied in design thinking are beneficial when brought to bear on these crucial topics. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson happens to agree with me on this. He advises that communities would tend to prosper if legislatures were governed by designers (who are by nature collaborative consensus builders) rather than by attorneys (who are naturally argumentative). Hmm …

Casting our gaze upon the rest of the world on this special day … in Scandinavia, for example, design is important. Immediately upon stepping off an airplane, you realize you have landed in a culture that not only recognizes good design, but expects it. Everything from the snazzy jet bridge to the plastic salad bowls is created and crafted with care. Notable countrywide design cultures? Denmark, definitely. Singapore, surely.

This appreciation of design is emerging more and more in the United States, but there are many places and pockets where our fellow citizens do not even notice design, much less identify with it. Let’s change that! We as architects have the power to alter their perception by influencing a broader societal culture that appreciates architecture and understands our value as architects. Design culture. The design process. The value of design. Deploy them all to celebrate this World Architecture Day!

Photo Credit: Joanna Dreiling, Assoc. AIA at AIA Awards Gala 2024, National Building Museum