The Value of an Architect Craig Silliphant
Showcasing deep rivers of respect for both aesthetics and spatial design efficiency, architecture can be thought of as the place where art meets practicality. Hundreds of years ago, architects were master builders who designed public buildings and monuments to important mucky-mucks and rulers of kingdoms. Though we have less use for such applications
now, the role of the architect is no less important: It has evolved as a conduit for us to talk to our spaces. “Architecture is an art form,” says Justin Wotherspoon, architect from SEPW Architecture, “but it’s a funny art form, in that it’s not just the heart and soul that goes into the work – it’s an interpretation of a client’s needs.”
You may think that you don’t need to (or couldn’t afford to) hire an architect, but a closer look at what they do and how they do it seriously challenges those notions. Architects are interpreters, trained to be experts on product, material, light, form, and aesthetics – but most importantly, they have a special skill with people. “Architects are good at listening and filtering the Fall 2011
specifics that get to the heart of an idea,” says Daniel Reeves, architect at AODBT Architecture and Interior Design. “Architects can make suggestions in optimizing or consolidating ideas to simplify things.” “One of the benefits of using an architect,” adds Wotherspoon, “is that there is no preconceived notion when you’re sitting across the • • • • •
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