Architect nowadays?

Sorry, entry ini diforward dari blog cik Adda. Sangat setuju!

Money, job & sex appeal: Top 10 misconceptions about architects

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1.         Architects are rich.
Very irritating misconception. Hell, we are not. (I wish!) 

We are so far from being wealthy. We are light-years (10 trillion km) away from the lawyers or doctors which we are often compared with. Architecture is not a “big business”, rather a small-scale professional service. Some architectural practices owners (1%) are doing relatively fine. As for the regular architects/drafters/technicians/renderers (99%) – those are actually low-income people. Salaries in the architectural industry are way below the average. It’s a sad fact not an emotional claim.

2.         Architects build.

We don’t build projects. We design them. Think about us as of composer who invents music. And then orchestra plays it under conductor’s “management”. Developers build. If we would build we would be rich.

3.         Architects are responsible for the structural safety.

No. If building collapses it’s rarely architect’s fault, just so you know… Architects’ role is to integrate building structure developed by the structural engineer into the general design scheme. Structural engineering is a professional field, essentially a science, responsible for the structural safety of the buildings. Continuing the analogy: composer is hardly responsible for the performance of his symphony, conductor and musicians are…

4.         Architects are creative.

We kind of suppose to be. But in fact most of our time is dedicated to the resolution of the serious issues: financial (to get the money from the client), bureaucratic (to get the project approved by the authorities), technical (coordination of the engineering works and working drawings), administrative (monitoring constructions and fighting with the greedy builders), political (convincing clients not to pick the ugliest option because it’s cheap). We don’t have time for free imagination, arty design and other creative nonsense.

5.         Architects are shy.

The most successful architects, we call them starchitects are aggressive as football players and loud as pop-stars. They try to attract media attention using all means, they go to fashion shows and they prefer to see themselves (not their projects) on the cover of the trendy magazines. (Starchitects are rich, by the way… They are not exactly architects though…)

6.         Architects travel a lot.

Yes, at least to me. Between the local city hall reception and the technical consultants office, usually located in some depressing industrial zone. We also visit messy construction sites on the other end of the city. Most of the American architects have been in Europe (Rome, Athens, Barcelona – speaking of architecture) much less than an average programmer. And it’s not only because of our low income. As I said we have more important issues on hand than this cultural BS.

7.         Architects are naïve.

We cannot afford such luxury trying to survive between arrogant clients rebuffing our vision, corrupted bureaucrats rejecting our drawings and cheap builders refusing to build in line with our designs. We have to be shrewd businessmen. We just have to~

8.         Architects draw, paint and do models.

Forget about it. Since the CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems were introduced in the 80s we have completely lost those unique gifts making us so outstanding, so different. We have lost things defining the very core of our field. So today we are just one of those “computerized industries”.

9.         Architects wear funky glasses

Well… if you think that every Spaniard is an El-matador (a bull-fighter) or every Frenchman has 2 mistresses … then yeah… we all have funky glasses a-la Elton John. (i'm not, but i'm absolutely agreed)

10.      Architects are cool and sexy.

The greatest misconception of all: at the very least we are super-cool & uber-sexy. I’m not kidding! (male professionals ya! not me)

I sangat setuju fakta no 2, 4, 6 dan 8. Yang lain tu entah, ikot individu. 
I am just a normal bride to be. (ada kaitan?)

taken from HERE