The Architecture of the City

The vast majority of contemporary architectural practice today is service industry based, where a fee-paying client commissions a firm for a defined scope of services. Master of self-effacing cynicism Philip Johnson wryly accepted this structure, calling architects “high-class whores.” The recent surge of interest in designing for traditionally underserved communities, from groups such as Architecture for Humanity, MASS Design, Project H andPublic Architecture challenges the traditional firm model. The Prizker Prize jury’s recognition of Shigeru Ban’shumanitarian designs highlights that high design and a socially conscious practice are not mutually exclusive.

 

Via Linda Nikolic