These are interesting times. There is in the English language a curse, purported to have been translated from the Chinese, but most likely of British origin: “May you live in interesting times.” The meaning, of course, is that it is better to live in uninteresting times of peace and stability than to experience the curse of living in “interesting” times of conflict and flux. Such a fate would only be wished on one’s enemies. So, yes, it might indeed seem that we have had the misfortune to live in very interesting times. We are confronted with multiple, intertwined crises of great complexity: climate change, political instability, mass migrations, hunger, and social polarization, just to name a few.
There are no easy solutions to these complex problems, but there are many energetic, talented, and intelligent people trying to address them, from a range of academic backgrounds. Architects, however, have largely been excluded from the conversation, or have, in fact, chosen to exclude themselves. The general public cannot be expected to turn to architects for solutions to today’s complex problems if we, ourselves, do not insert ourselves into the conversation. Following the examples of heroic figures in architecture, both past and present, we often understand the legitimate path of the architect to be a narrow one, limited to the built environment. After all, one might reason, that is what we’ve been trained to do. Isn’t it?
No. That most certainly is not it. At least that’s not all. The work of Pritzker Prize winning architects like Shigeru Ban or Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, suggests that architects can in fact play a vital role in addressing the challenges we confront. Ban is an extremely skilled architect and has produced work in what one might call “conventional architecture,” with ordinary clients, budgets, and programmatic requirements. Yet Ban has also worked closely with the UNHCR, developing new approaches to building with paper, cardboard, and local materials to help address refugee crises and provide shelter after natural catastrophes. Ban has used his architectural skills to solve complex problems that transcend architecture and help provide dignified, economical, and quickly assembled shelter in emergency conditions. Aravena has, as well, addressed the issue of social housing from a novel perspective. His work engages local communities and clients, allowing owners to not merely occupy a social housing unit but to make it theirs, to become part of the design and construction process.
