50% Who Builds The World. The Learning of Architecture
"Theophrastus, urging men to acquire learning rather than to put their trust in money...The man of learning is the only person in the world who is neither a stranger when in a foreign land, nor friendless when he has lost his intimates and relatives; on the contrary, he is a citizen of every country, and can fearlessly look down upon the troublesome accidents of fortune. But he who thinks himself entrenched in defenses not of learning but of luck, moves in slippery paths, struggling through life unsteadily and insecurely."
~Vitruvius, Ten Books On Architecture
How many years does it take to train a chief builder of the world, architect? It takes forever. Very unfortunately, if time does not allow, he who have completed their higher education of learning at school got to build the world, houses people and serves the need with knowledge and experience that they possessed. Those that have tasted the very bit of the world, those who learned and did not learned eventually build the world. Architect designs and builds based on their memory of the past, their consciousness towards the past and present, uncertainty towards the future, and creativity happens between the back and forth play of these three or when there is oblivion. Learning is not just a mere cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge, but it is a way of life. One who has stop learning is the one which is soulless. It takes time to understand, deduce and produce principle, and it requires a heart to keep the process going with good intention. Time is short, those that learned from the past build the present. And those who did not learn from the past, build the present. So the ideas of learning are one of the keys to a better world, and how shall we treat it well?
1. Believing architecture as a life which takes the form
Architecture evolves science and art of building a building, and for sure, buildings are for the living things. There will not be any work of architecture without human, it is a state of being, a life, only that it takes concrete form. It is an 'affect' which shapes content or any human activity. There is spatial propensity which calls for different activities to take place in it, and it suggests a way of living. The state of being which take form is somehow vague, and the scope is rather wide. Only with a heart which appreciates and respects the quality of life that the world will be at peace.
2. Taking work of architecture as an endless process
History is very important as it is a record of events happened which involves human life. A profession is one who deals with knowledge and technology which is readily available to deal with the present in order to avoid mistakes of the past. One who deals with the work architecture as a process treats the work as a life long research to further develop ideas, amend errors and improve solutions.
3. Reading as a source of knowledge
If the physical world is an endless book, knowledge means more. Reading is one of the easiest ways to acquire knowledge and it is healthy.
4. Thinking as a skill
Life is nothing but a self-justification. The more we question our self, the chances that we enjoy our life to the fullest are slightly higher. See thinking as not just an activity, but a way of life. Answers may not be found in every question, but through the process of asking, one already participated and justified within himself.
5. Intention
A chief builder has to ask "why?" before any course of action. It is undeniable that one is already changing the world either conscious or unconsciously due to his existence whether he contribute to the world or does nothing at all. And the when one knew something, he somehow has to take responsibility. An story goes like this, there was a client who demanded a few acres of land for housing development and they were to be designed in a way that he would be able to earn a maximum profit out of it, regardless quality of living in the house. In this case, a designer who was commissioned and sees the issue, hesitated if he would have to do such heartless thing but suddenly, he realized that he can simply never run away from it as if he does so, another people who does not sees the issue would takeover, things would gone worse. Therefore, he can only advise, and try to amend as he who knew and takes up responsibilities.
6. Humble attitude
Last but not least, only with a positive mental state would suggests a wise course of action, mainly design. One who behaves humbly takes everyday living experiences as learning and he do not forget about learning. It is crucial that good ideas being traced, discussed, criticized, talked about, therefore it develops, and a humble attitude reinforced it.
2. Taking work of architecture as an endless process
History is very important as it is a record of events happened which involves human life. A profession is one who deals with knowledge and technology which is readily available to deal with the present in order to avoid mistakes of the past. One who deals with the work architecture as a process treats the work as a life long research to further develop ideas, amend errors and improve solutions.
3. Reading as a source of knowledge
If the physical world is an endless book, knowledge means more. Reading is one of the easiest ways to acquire knowledge and it is healthy.
4. Thinking as a skill
Life is nothing but a self-justification. The more we question our self, the chances that we enjoy our life to the fullest are slightly higher. See thinking as not just an activity, but a way of life. Answers may not be found in every question, but through the process of asking, one already participated and justified within himself.
5. Intention
A chief builder has to ask "why?" before any course of action. It is undeniable that one is already changing the world either conscious or unconsciously due to his existence whether he contribute to the world or does nothing at all. And the when one knew something, he somehow has to take responsibility. An story goes like this, there was a client who demanded a few acres of land for housing development and they were to be designed in a way that he would be able to earn a maximum profit out of it, regardless quality of living in the house. In this case, a designer who was commissioned and sees the issue, hesitated if he would have to do such heartless thing but suddenly, he realized that he can simply never run away from it as if he does so, another people who does not sees the issue would takeover, things would gone worse. Therefore, he can only advise, and try to amend as he who knew and takes up responsibilities.
6. Humble attitude
Last but not least, only with a positive mental state would suggests a wise course of action, mainly design. One who behaves humbly takes everyday living experiences as learning and he do not forget about learning. It is crucial that good ideas being traced, discussed, criticized, talked about, therefore it develops, and a humble attitude reinforced it.