Designing

In the end, the designer’s story finds its own plot after finishing training in the school of architecture. Then, young architects begin to write their own story by designing in the democratic society in which they live and work. Architects practice their citizenship by designing, investing the capital of thinking and imagining they have acquired in real projects. It’s an illusion to expect the practice of designing to follow a smooth path. The real world of realized buildings is a clear demonstration of that, as can be seen in the narrative of architecture, told in chapters like ‘The Fate of Modernism’ dealing with Pruitt-Igoe scenarios, or told by two dedicated architects, Gehry and Behnisch. In the documentary Imagine . . . Frank Gehry: The Architect Says “Why Can’t I?”, mentioned earlier, Gehry makes a very provoking statement:

Most buildings have no sense of humanity. They’re very cold and lifeless. They’re not welcoming to people. In the world we live in nearly ninety-eight per cent of the buildings built are pure shit. There’s no sense of design or respect for humanity. They’re dumb buildings.