The instructor of architecture appreciation pauses to address another class disturbance. The perpetrator sits in front of me stifling his laughter. As the instructor threatens to assign a paper to the entire class as punishment for the anonymous noises that have become a recurring interruption, I feel a simultaneous rush of anger and curiosity.
Suddenly, I realized what I was witnessing. These unruly classmates were not just saying, “No thanks, no education for me today, please.” They were saying, “No thanks, no architecture for me … ever.” The fact is, most of the people in the class will never work with an architect.
For centuries architecture has only been for those who could afford it. It has always been a profession that caters to wealthy and affluent clients. Consider the history of architecture; the structures that have lasted were built for kings and deities: the Great Pyramid, Taj Mahal, Parthenon, Pantheon and Notre Dame. Even contemporary examples of high design in architecture belong to the wealthy.
On a regional level, architecture must contend with our Southern morals and ethics. Some people would turn down the services of an architect out of modesty. “No thanks, architecture is not for me,” or “I don’t get architecture; it doesn’t interest me.” People settle for the expected, the unimaginative and the over-proliferated.
In his essay “Designing for the 98% Without Architects” (published in “Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Architecture”), Bryan Bell points out that only 2 percent of new home buyers work directly with an architect. Architecture, like the rest of the design professions, is a service industry. The problem is that most people either do not understand the benefit of working with a designer, or they do not believe they can afford their services. The other 98 percent can be referred to as the “underserved.”
Instead of seeking out an architect, most homebuyers consult with a contractor or builder, select house plans from a catalogue and then have their home built from a template. Home renovations and additions are handled in a similar fashion. Consulting with an architect is not even an afterthought for most homebuyers.
The last century has seen many changes for our society. One of those changes has been the global rise of the middle class or middle income group. Before, masses of people were so concerned with survival that they felt lucky to have houses at all. This developing trend has happened more slowly in the Southern United States, so it makes sense that we have been slower to realize the growing need for better-designed structures, spaces and cities.
Some designers are taking a proactive approach to addressing this problem and are reaching out to the underserved middle and lower income groups. They are calling themselves “citizen architects.” Samuel Mockbee, a native of Miss., co-founded the Rural Studio at Auburn University and helped to define what it means to be a citizen architect.
For over a decade, Auburn architecture students have been designing and building homes for impoverished residents of Alabama, most of them in Hale County. Not only have the efforts of the Rural Studio proven the value of architecture in community service, but it has created a method for client selection that is based more on decency than on economics.
The majority of Americans are capable of obtaining financing for their home, but they do not seek the services of architects. This group may prove to be the most difficult for designers to reach.
Citizen architects are still discovering ways to cater to this underserved majority. As long as the majority of society, like my unruly classmates, continue to ignore the abilities and availability of architects and other designers, they will continue to be underserved.