What is a building, and how exactly do we define architecture? A few weeks ago, the annual Pritzker Prize (architecture’s highest honor) was awarded to Chilean architect, Smiljan Radic Clarke. As we ponder what a building is and is not, he challenges our understanding of enclosing space and building for shelter.
It started with a study of adding lamp posts in downtown Los Angeles. It ended up with Poon Design, AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), and a team of consultants transforming a six-lane, 1/3 mile long vehicular thoroughfare into a public plaza of 250,000 square feet.
One often thinks of architecture as buildings, as structures of diverse sizes, from house to temple, museum to high-rise. As one scales downward, architecture also includes the design of cabinetry, furniture, and accessories. Michael Graves’ ubiquitous teapot, for example. So how about a watch? If a work of architecture comprises form, function, engineering, and craft, the design of a watch is indeed architectural. Architecture also enlightens the human spirit, engaging society and history through artistic expression and cultural impact. So too a watch does.
Within the many facets of the architectural profession, four distinct aspects stand out.
1) The most obvious aspect is design. No doubt, architecture is a creative endeavor.
2) As a business, next is management. The organization of projects, schedules, and staff is critical to business objectives like stability, growth, and profit.
3) PR is third. Marketing provides exposure and recognition.
4) The most important, arguably, is business development, as in obtaining clients and projects.
Once again, it is time for me to highlight ten works of architecture that caught my eye last year—bewitched my design sensibilities. There are many more than just ten projects that deserve recognition, but such is life in an industry of subjective creativity.
In 1998, I was traveling through Spain, and this new building just opened: the Guggenheim Museum. In the obscure industrial port city of Bilbao, the Basque Country of northern Spain, this museum was the talk of the industry. So I wrapped up my tour of Barcelona, then hopped on a short flight to check out the buzzy Guggenheim structure. No doubt, it was a work of genius.
