Arch4822_Ololade T Owolabi_Assignment 6 Architecture and labor_Spring 2021

 Ololade T Owolabi 

Theory 2 

Assignment 6 Architecture and labor assignment

Prof Aptekar 

Spring 2021 

TED TALK by Dean Peggy Deamer at TEDX CALARTS

In listening to the Ted talk I have to say I couldn’t help but relate to most of what was said which caught my interest. Firstly the statement made of Architecture is not a career it is a calling my response to that is why can’t it be both. There are many majors out there that are referred to as both a calling and a career just because you enjoy doing something and devoting all your time and resources to it does not mean that you shouldn’t get paid for it. Architects make things that matter to the world but that does not mean that architects are giving the appreciation that’s deserved. In thinking about the question of how architects got in that situation I have to say there is enough blame to go around but it was accepted by architects a long time ago to be standard which makes it difficult to change now. It was stated that the majority of the architectural staff are asked to work 70 hour weeks for approximately $55,000 a year which comes down to the minimum wage of $15 an hour which I find to be ridiculous considering the amount of work and time that has been put into the project by each person. An average architect has to go to school for bachelors then spend between 3-7 years working before a license can be gotten to fully practice in the field of architecture which adds up to a maximum of eleven years of education and work just to receive a license but architects can’t even be compared to doctors and lawyers in terms of salary range but instead, a comparison can be made to manufacturing jobs.

Most architects do not believe what they do is work just because at the end of the day it does not produce products or services but instead, it produces designs so architects understand that they produce objects but don’t like to think of it as a commodity which is a useful and valuable thing which leads to failure of conceptualizing it as work this was referred to as work-aphasia by dean Deamer. I cannot say she is wrong. The problem with work-aphasia is that it is not rewarding in any shape or form because of the notion that architects design and constructors build so that was translated as architects do art but constructors do the work so they get paid a lot more. I think this should not be the case as they both work. Before the late 19th century architects were known to be in the practice of everything and by everything I mean science, art, math, design, and the construction aspect, but to reduce the liability certain changes were made which reduced drastically the valve of an architect in the eyes of the people but this did not mean that architects worked less as they actually were made to work more to compensate for all the things that they used to do in the past but now they just are not getting any credit for it instead they are trying to eliminate any mistakes so as not to get blamed.

Architects need to learn there is no difference between art and work because if an artist could do it then why can’t architects? Just because an architect chooses to use a different kind of medium which can be known as building information modeling to create a parametric design does not mean work is not done intact it only means that there is more work to be done because now there are more things that need to be controlled like the performance of the glass, the efficacy of an exoskeleton structure design early and so on. BIM also allows the building of a three-dimensional virtual model which allows the engineers, fabricators, contractors, and subcontractors to have the ability to eliminate any errors before the construction process which eliminates a major amount of waste on the project. This makes it nearly impossible to say the architects do not do any real work as their knowledge is the tool and it should be appreciated and deserve proper compensation.

What is architectural work?

Architecture work is said to produce designs and not products or services so it is labeled as been too creative and culturally significant to be labeled as service work but it is professional enough to produce things that matter to the world. 

How has building information modeling (BIM) transformed architectural practice?

BIM has transformed the architectural practice in so many ways as architects went from having to do everything by hand which limited how much they could do as if it could not be done by hand then it could not be built. The use of technology has opened the world of parametric designs but that does not mean less work it actually means more because there are now more parts of the building that could be explored in details but BIM also helps in the eliminating of mistakes as the technology enables the building of the three-dimensional model before the actual construction progress is started. 

What is “work-aphasia” according to Dean Deamer?

According to Deam Deamer, work aphasia is when architects understand that they produce large object but don't like to think of it as a commodity which is a useful and valuable thing that leads to failure of conceptualizing it as work. 

How does the network conception of architecture function? How is it different from the traditional system?

 a network of conception function through contributors who share in the design comb model and dissolve as unique entities in sharing both work and design to the network suggests that all participants are designers and the design is not confined to the profession of architecture the craftspeople who know the limits of glass steel or plastics no longer comes 2nd 3rd or 4th after the architect the engineer in the contractor their extra expertise is brought in early on.

It is different from the traditional system because the younger generation of architects who are trained in these parametric protocols have enormous power in shaping the process of design while principals may pretend that this knowledge conforms to the traditional drudge were given to the staff where they make real they're handed down vision the handed down vision of the principal main designer these younger architects shaped the context in which that vision is done increasingly these architects avoid the office structure altogether.

Should we consider Architect’ knowledge workers? 

Yes, we should because architects do not sell a product instead they sell their creative designs which could be made into a product.

List of Keywords/ Concepts 

Work Aphasia 

Simulacra

Indentured Labour