By Rita Saikali, Design Leader
On February 14, 2012, Architecture for Humanity launched a four-month long campaign confessing its love for architecture, and called us all to do the same. The campaign comes at a great time as unemployment in this profession hovers high, and individuals have maintained steady workflow, changed career course, or became creative in applying their skill sets in various ways to maintain livelihood. I’ve seen a myriad of actions including full time volunteerism, design ideation consulting, rejoining the student population, taking on educator roles, or starting up new ventures to name a few. It has been tough for all of us in this recession, and it’s for this reason the campaign should appeal to us all—so that we may remind ourselves and one another that there is hope, there is passion, and that strength comes in numbers to renew our love for architecture.
Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, put a realistic spin on his call to action:
“In the profession of architecture very few of us get to pierce the skies with our creations or get the opportunity to galvanize a community after tragedy or strife. The majority work in the places we live and spend the better part of our careers trying to shape that environment. We care less about inches and more about impact. A true professional knows when they have done a great job and continues to push themselves to new levels of achievement. On the rare occasion we get to be a part of a building that stirs desire and wonderment in the hearts and minds of our fellow man. That is the essence of the architect.”
I stand before you as an ambassador of love, calling you to dig deep and remind yourself why you joined the architecture profession—what you love about it, what you desire to transform, what you desire to contribute, and who you desire to inspire. On April 5, I’ll be organizing architects and designers here at HMC Architects’ offices to participate in a verbal and creative discourse over our love affair with architecture: our favorite buildings, our favorite starchitects, our music interests driving our designs, our favorite movies featuring great architecture, and so forth. After we discuss, we will use those skills we’ve spent years honing down to express our renewed love, and share our expressions with one another and the Architecture for Humanity online community. Expressions can be done in any form or medium: a poem, a playlist, a love letter, a sketch, an illustration, or whatever your heart desires. I’m encouraging others in the architecture community to participate in their own way and share their results with Architecture for Humanity’s online community.
To see examples of others’ love confessions, visit:
http://whyilovearchitecture.tumblr.com and
http://pinterest.com/cameronsinclair/i-love-architecture
Tweeters can see some of the action on #iLoveArchitecture, including the latest sketch contributions by Richard Meier and Kengo Kuma.
Below is an image I submitted to the campaign for the launch, which featured supporting cities.
Let’s fall in love with architecture again.
