The Hybrid Practitioner

The practice of architecture manifests in myriad forms and engagements. Overcoming false divides, this volume frames the fertile relationship between the cultural and scholarly production of academia and the process of designing and building in the material world. It proposes the concept of the hybrid practitioner, who bridges the gap between academia and practice by considering how different aspects of architectural practice, theory, and history intersect, opening up a fascinating array of possibilities for an active engagement with the present. The book explores different, interrelated roles for practicing architects and researchers, from the reproductive activities of teaching, consulting and publishing, through the reflective activities of drawing and writing, to the practice of building. The notion of the hybrid practitioner will appeal strongly to students, teachers and architectural practitioners as part of a multifaceted professional environment. By connecting academic interests with those of the professional realm, The Hybrid Practitioner addresses a wider readership embracing landscape design, art theory and aesthetics, European history, and the history and sociology of professions.

Client expectations in the purview of architecture

Purpose of the study: From the conceptualisation to the construction stage, clients have a wide range of expectations from architects, and sometimes not addressing or meeting these expectations can land both of them in conflicts of interest, which might affect the architect’s career. This study attempts to unfold the dynamics of the client-architect relationships, emphasizing clients’ expectations from architects. Methodology: This research has been conceptualised to cover various aspects of the client-architecture relationships through an in-depth literature review, followed by undertaking a survey. The literature review has touched upon different factors that shape the client-architect relationships, various architects’ theories, and how clients feel. The survey was conducted online amongst 29 architects and 12 clients to get their perspectives on the issue, giving more detailed insights into the topic. Main Findings: The findings have revealed that clients who’ll be personally occupying and using the space have the maximum expectations from the architects who’re designing that space, with these expectations spanning the entire process starting right from their initial interactions to post-occupancy. Most of these expectations and their consequent circumstances become complex where the budgets are strict and tight, as it is difficult for the clients and the architects to compensate for the losses. Novelty/Originality of this study: Architectural practice is an ever-evolving profession, where relationships between architects and clients are not static, but dynamic as per the changing working styles. This study represents a fresh angle of current practicing architects and their views, which may prove beneficial for architects stepping out from colleges to working industry.

A RESEARCH ON THE USE OF OTTOMAN-ISLAMIC HERITAGE AS A CONSUMPTION OBJECT IN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE

The Islamic heritage contains a rich cultural diversity with residential and public buildings such as traditional houses, mosques, palaces, and caravanserais that belong to the Ottoman Empire period. The character of the Islamic tradition is reflected in the environment-form-space organizations and construction techniques of these buildings. But today, the influence of the Islamic heritage has begun to be represented with the dominance of consumption-oriented culture and technology. The references taken from the architecture influenced by Islam are reduced to pure visuality and fashion. Especially, Ottoman architecture and its traditional elements become consumption objects that put visuality in the foreground in contemporary design practices. The Ottoman-Islamic heritage is referenced by imitating traditional buildings’ facades or copying structural elements. These new buildings produced with today’s technologies under the name of continuity of historical culture aim to fulfill the demands of the capitalist economy rather than conveying the essence of design. The study criticizes the transformation of Ottoman-Islamic architecture’s authenticity into “looking/pretending authentic” as a theme. In this context, this study discusses the Ottoman-Islamic heritage has become an object of consumption through a variety of examples that are located in Turkey such as hotels, shopping centers, residential buildings.

Design Model As a Means of Thinking in Architectural Practice and Theory of Renaissance

Состояние проблемы. Реконструкция исторической эволюции архитектурного проектирования сегодня становится актуальной необходимостью. Причины, условия, процессы формирования базовых представлений и методов, легших в основу проектного типа мышления и действия, до сих пор довольно мало изучены, особенно в критическом аспекте. Между тем немалая часть сегодняшних проблем и затруднений, как становится понятно, берет начало в эпохе зарождения профессионального проектного метода, в событиях Нового времени. Центром этого метода стало моделирование, вопросы эволюции которого рассмотрены в настоящей работе. Результаты. Рассмотрен этап становления проектирования в архитектурной деятельности в Ренессансе, прежде всего методологический вклад Л. Б. Альберти. Показана трансформация традиционного модельного способа зодческой работы в Раннем Возрождении, связанная с обособлением креативных действий, персонализацией замысла, изменениями в цеховых коммуникациях. Ремесленный способ работы зодчего вступает в профессиональную эру, что ведет к кардинальному изменению характера и места архитектурных моделей. Выводы. Требуется переосмысление, даже переоценка значения моделирования в эволюции проектирования: на место привычной картины безоблачного прогресса должна прийти критическая и проблематизирующая теория, дающая основания для инструментального отношения к моделированию как одному из методов, не лишенному недостатков. Statement of the problem. Reconstruction of the historical evolution of architectural designing is becoming an urgent need today. The reasons, conditions, processes for the formation of basic ideas and methods that formed the basis of the designing type of thinking and action are still quite poorly understood, especially in a critical aspect. Meanwhile, a considerable part of today's problems and difficulties, as it becomes clear, originates in the era of the emergence of the professional method of designing, in the events of the Modernity. The center of this method is modeling, the evolution of which is considered in this work. Result. The stage of development of design in architectural activity in the Renaissance is considered, most importantly, the methodological contribution of L. B. Alberti. The transformation of the traditional model method of architectural work in the Early Renaissance is shown associated with the isolation of creative actions, personalization of the concept, changes in craft's communications. The craftsman's way of working enters the professional era, which results in a radical change in the nature and place of architectural models. Conclusions. Rethinking, even a reassessment of the importance of modeling in the evolution of designing is required instead of the usual picture of cloudless progress, a critical and problematizing theory should come providing foundations for an instrumental attitude to modeling as one of the methods that is not devoid of shortcomings.

Tensions and Challenges in Architectural Practice

<p>This thesis builds on existing research which examines the impact of architectural culture and the changing role of the profession, recognising that there is a need for drastic change in the way in which the architect’s role is comprehended. The thesis follows a qualitative research methodology, considering key issues emerging from theoretical research, advancing understanding of these issues through in-depth semi-structured interviews with architects working in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The thesis begins with a review of current literature to situate the study within a theoretical framework and to direct the content of the qualitative research. What is made evident through this section, is the increasing gap between the image of the architect and the actuality of architectural practice. Next, the thesis reports on the qualitative research undertaken, the data collected and the results of the analysis. Architects were asked to describe their experiences of the tensions and challenges affecting their role and to comment on how they negotiate these through how they work. The results of the research shows that the architects interviewed are less invested in the image of the architect than the creative processes involved in delivering a project, and that a focus on image obscures the significance of this process. The study concludes that the creative processes inherent in the architect’s vocation support innovative and adaptive working; thus, architects are equipped with the skills to evolve their role from within, to become facilitators to the requirements of the changing context.</p>

How to Prep a Hāngī: A Framework for End User Engagement Within the Design Process

<p>Observations over recent years of New Zealand architectural practice indicate that there is growing interest in tikanga Māori in architecture and design practice. With significant opportunities now available to support Māori in realising their housing and infrastructural aspirations, there is much discussion surrounding the role of the architect, and how they conduct themselves when working with mana whenua (partisan identifiable tribal groups who hold customary authority over Māori freehold land). Most agree that working with mana whenua requires a collaborative approach, added to that, an approach that sees significant end user engagement. To this affect, end user engagement within the design process is the primary subject of the research. The largely Māori settlement of Kohupātiki is the proposed site for this research. Given the interests of this research and its focus on Māori communities, it is quite appropriate that Kohupātiki be the selected site to drive this research. The community is made up of 4 main families; the Rapanas, Chadwicks, Punas, and Broughtons, all of whom have a vested (customary) interest in the site as it is potentially about to undergo significant transformations over the next 10-20 years. Some of these transformations include the improvement of road access to the site, the development of a series of Papakāinga (housing developments on Māori land), and a number of refurbishments to significant communal facilities located on the site’s Marae settlement. These developments offer significant opportunities for architectural and landscape intervention, and will serve as a vehicle to drive a participatory design process.</p>

How to Prep a Hāngī: A Framework for End User Engagement Within the Design Process

<p>Observations over recent years of New Zealand architectural practice indicate that there is growing interest in tikanga Māori in architecture and design practice. With significant opportunities now available to support Māori in realising their housing and infrastructural aspirations, there is much discussion surrounding the role of the architect, and how they conduct themselves when working with mana whenua (partisan identifiable tribal groups who hold customary authority over Māori freehold land). Most agree that working with mana whenua requires a collaborative approach, added to that, an approach that sees significant end user engagement. To this affect, end user engagement within the design process is the primary subject of the research. The largely Māori settlement of Kohupātiki is the proposed site for this research. Given the interests of this research and its focus on Māori communities, it is quite appropriate that Kohupātiki be the selected site to drive this research. The community is made up of 4 main families; the Rapanas, Chadwicks, Punas, and Broughtons, all of whom have a vested (customary) interest in the site as it is potentially about to undergo significant transformations over the next 10-20 years. Some of these transformations include the improvement of road access to the site, the development of a series of Papakāinga (housing developments on Māori land), and a number of refurbishments to significant communal facilities located on the site’s Marae settlement. These developments offer significant opportunities for architectural and landscape intervention, and will serve as a vehicle to drive a participatory design process.</p>

Tensions and Challenges in Architectural Practice

<p>This thesis builds on existing research which examines the impact of architectural culture and the changing role of the profession, recognising that there is a need for drastic change in the way in which the architect’s role is comprehended. The thesis follows a qualitative research methodology, considering key issues emerging from theoretical research, advancing understanding of these issues through in-depth semi-structured interviews with architects working in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The thesis begins with a review of current literature to situate the study within a theoretical framework and to direct the content of the qualitative research. What is made evident through this section, is the increasing gap between the image of the architect and the actuality of architectural practice. Next, the thesis reports on the qualitative research undertaken, the data collected and the results of the analysis. Architects were asked to describe their experiences of the tensions and challenges affecting their role and to comment on how they negotiate these through how they work. The results of the research shows that the architects interviewed are less invested in the image of the architect than the creative processes involved in delivering a project, and that a focus on image obscures the significance of this process. The study concludes that the creative processes inherent in the architect’s vocation support innovative and adaptive working; thus, architects are equipped with the skills to evolve their role from within, to become facilitators to the requirements of the changing context.</p>

Understanding Landscape Architecture Industry Needs: A Preliminary Review of Graduates Communication Proficiency Model (CPM)

Communication is a fundamental part of the working environment that comprises interpersonal relations and communication between groups and individuals and other social interactions within the active community. Communication and soft skills have become an important issue due to the lack of study and development, especially in the Landscape Architectural practice. It can be seen that the lack of communication and soft skills by current graduates has affected employability leading to a large quantity of unemployment and lack of advancement within the landscape industry. Hence, to keep up with the current trends of what employers seek within these landscape architecture graduates, it is believed that a paradigm shift in the training of students must take into account the development of Communication Skills within the curriculum to help aid the development of graduate employability skills. A method of assessing communication skills is also required to rate a Landscape Architect’s level of communication competence to further enhance the graduates’ career in the industry. Keywords: Soft Skill, Communication Skill, Landscape Architecture, Employability Skills