I partly agree with Tomato, and I already also mentioned in my comment to “Influence in architecture…”, that we all forget WHO helps the stars to become stars, and that none of them would have a chance, if not hundreds of brains, called engineers.
At the same time, Tomato, architect really needs that lasting education, because during it he studies HOW to communicate to engineers. And generally (I cannot say for the whole world, I am Russian and can judge just from own exprerience) a well educated architect is able to develop basic constructive solution for a building. Engineer just develops it further, in details, but general idea comes from architect. It is not that architect comes with a stupid abstract sketch and says to engineer “Now do it!”. He normally comes with exact constructive offer and an engineer either corrects it, or agrees and develops. (by the way, if architects were skilled to do it by themselves, engineers would lose their job, so engineers should be happy, that knowledge of architects has borders :))

Hey you, esi ole’, i´ll say (making reference to Roger Waters) we are amusing ourselves to death!!!, so architecture might be an artistic GAME scientifically justified based on any kind of experience…..
Talking about Pitt, if he want to do sustainable buildings and also help New Orleans be my guest. There are many famous archs who doesn´t give a sh*t about any of those. I´m already waiting to see the final result of it….

We ‘re wandering of here, but everybody seems to forget that starchitects have a gigantic team for them working behind the screens: architects, landscape designers, interior designers, cgi-specialists, modelmakers, project architects, and yes … even engineers … in their own office ! For instance Norman Foster has over a 1.000 employees ! So quit praising only engineers, all employees in those firms have their own indispensable function, from designing a construction detail to making up the specifications texts. And yes, their directors become the starchitects because it seams that they did all the work, forgetting all co-workers (who are also probably underpayed). Further more, it’s not the architects themselves that claim stardom, it ‘s the era with its economical possibilities. (which is slowing down with this crisis) So quit picking on starchitects, they make interesting projects based on interesting contemporary ideas. It’s absolutely normal that we architects are frustrated in not having the same means to develop such projects they do. And it ‘s very understandable to be even more frustrated when we see an actor claiming a professional’s work. It ‘s very cool that he ‘s working for a good cause and it ‘s always refreshing to hear another man’s ideas where a professional often tends to rust. It keeps us focused. News and gossip on famous people always tends to act as as a role model to others; try reading a beauty magazine. Hell, it’s so frustrating when clients try to do your job. But it’s our job to stand out, to act as a professional and to put things like this ‘news’ in perspective.

In response to Frddy Wolf, i totally agree with you. The stars get all the praise, the big rewards and notoriety and the workers are underpaid & probably undervalued.
Who’s to say that the starchitects designs are actually their own, it may be somebody else in the team, and without the starchitects name across the design it may never be built.
I must state that i have nothing against architects, its only the starchitect culture that we live in. As an engineer i had to spend years training and am still learning at the tender age of 38.

I’m new to this commenting malarkey and i think its great. Arch Daily, keep it up. Thanks.

Tomato,like engineering learning architecture is also a long life process.Especially the last few years (with globalization) it’s getting harder and harder due to more and more norms, prescriptions, certificates, … all inherent to the process of building. Actual time I spend in designing a 250m² house is 5%-10% of the total job. This is reality. This is the difference between a ‘real’ architect, who is in control of every aspect and a ‘starchitect’ who makes sketches and coordinate while employees do the rest. Rest of my time for a single project goes to the administration for the urban request (building permit), execution plans, the material and installation prescriptions, wharf reports, details, completions, on site interventions, negotiations with governments, coordination of specialists’ studies (HVAC, energy studies, safety study, …)and meetings with clients, contractors, representatives.

He always wanted to do architecture…. You know he started out in architecture school in Springfield MO, Dury College before he went on to acting, right? Lets give him some credit for bringing some attention and money to architecture (and social issues). Using his celebrity for common good. Kudos to Brad.

You all tell me. What percentage of graduated architects actually have done anything remotely decent? =1%?

What about the others?
1.- Mostly working for that 1% = 30%
2.- Criticizing others projects and working in a burger shop= 5%
3.- Unemployed for been so crap = 5%
4.- Working on their own and making cities look awful = 50%
5.- Government bureaucrats = 9%

And you still believe that going to university and having a silly diploma will make you a good architect or even understand architecture? C’mon, most “architects” as most anything are mediocre and just making a living by undertaking some extensions, refurbishments, or depressed for not having the chance to do something.

It doesn’t matter how you get there. It matters what you do when you are there. Lets judge what you do and not how yo do it.

By the way have anybody here have a published work or an award or even a second prize in a competition? Anything count really. If not can you please stop the bulls…t.

I’m in schooling to be an architect, it really takes alot of work, it’s not something that anyone can do, but this whole brad pitt thing doesn’t persuade me to not become one anyway.

Don’t we all like Tadao Ando? The guy was a boxer! (Must have driven Charlie Gwathmey nuts.)

I think Brad Pitt is a lot of fun, and as one of those award-deficient professionals derided above I can’t raise any rancor over his pulling the limelight away from the actual designers of the projects of which he’s been a patron. He may even believe he contributed immensely to the process; God knows most of my clients do. That ego gratification is part of what they’re paying for, so why not indulge a simpleminded pleasure?

In an actor’s case, no matter what his/her personal modesty about other artistic gifts might prefer, his PR apparat and the insistent deification practiced by the celebrity media have to overwhelm it: that’s their job. His ‘collaborators’ can only cultivate their good nature in the face of that fact. We all know as architects that the knack for tactical sublimation of our own ego is a necessary part of the toolkit, and anyway, the overall record of ‘starchitects’ from FLlW and LC forward suggests that fame does not become us.

I’ve had wellknown showbiz personalities among my clients, even Oscar winners, and they tend to be difficult people. Most of them had no interest to spare for any part of the design process. By that comparison Brad Pitt might be a delight to work with, delusions of competence and all.