|
|
| School of Architecture |
|
The Profession The profession of architecture
is a sacred trust. Architects create the buildings and cities where
we live our lives. They design the places where we dwell, raise families,
play, work, dream, and relate to one another. These environments
are the settings, the containers for the transactions, rituals, events,
and celebrations of individuals, families, groups, societies. The
built environment affects our health, safety, mood, productivity, our sense
of belonging, well-being, and personal value. Furniture, rooms, buildings,
campuses, plazas, streets, and neighborhoods give us clues about how to
behave, relate, conduct our day. They shape the ways we live each
occasion, each day of our life.
All this is about designing
and building environments for human habitation. Architects are privileged
to work at that magic point where human dreams and needs are transformed
into concrete designs and ideas, visions of built shapes in real materials.
Well-planned environments enhance our quality of life, facilitate communication,
promote convenience and productivity, nurture our spirit, and delight our
senses. They enable, empower us to live well and do our best work.
Successful architecture is kind to the earth, responding sensitively to
nature and ecological systems. A good building is a good neighbor
and
a good steward. It uses resources mindfully and contributes positively
to its site and adjacent properties. The well-built building is technically
sound, constructed to last and hold value over the long term.
Good architects are not just
good designers. They possess a wide range of skills, knowledge, and
sensitivities that are essential to organizing and managing the building-delivery
process.
Good architects are good
listeners, articulate speakers and writers, incisive thinkers, and excellent
organizers. They are good with people, able to lead project teams,
and help diverse client groups reach consensus and envision exciting project
possibilities. Successful architects are good researchers, creative
visionaries, and aware of the many consequences of their design decisions.
Good architects continually seek to expand their vocabulary of project
analysis tools and their reservoir of design answers to project requirements
and challenges. Responsible architects balance technical skill with
artful sensitivity. They ask penetrating questions, see the larger
picture, and guide projects through complex situations to desired results.
Architects are responsible
for the management and stewardship of many types of important resources.
Money, time, natural resources, energy, property, manpower, prestige, and
reputation are a few. This is why architects are lifelong students,
constantly striving to know more, be more, manage more effectively.
Architecture is a demanding
and satisfying field -- a wonderful way to spend a creative lifetime that
contributes to people's lives in real ways, a way to join and participate
in a sacred trust. |
|
(850) 599-3244 phone, (850) 599-3436 fax - Privacy Statement Professional Architecture Degrees Are Accredited By The National Architectural Accrediting Board |
