Goodbye (sort of)..

B I D Y B F K C G B D A

UNBUILDABLE

What defines buildings as unbuildable? I have been working as an architect for a few years now and lately I have often asked myself this question. What defines buildings as unbuildable?

What stops me from designing a curved brick wall instead of a straight wall with a regular masonry? Why do we usually opt for ‘wildverband’ instead of thinking in detail about the placement of facing bricks? Working in a professional life comes with some burdens, such as getting away from the so-called free academic environment and structuring everything through the lens of buildability and profitability. A tension between losing the ability to imagine in working life and failing to grasp the realities of the professional world throughout academic training followed by the notion of unbuildable. The absence of any mediation between these two ends of the tension affirms their mutual ignorance. But still, what defines buildings as unbuildable? Is it mere profitability? Or is it the technology behind the whole design which underlies the possibility of building a structure? Maybe it is our imagination that is formed during our architectural education? Or perhaps the quality of the project decides and makes the building unbuildable?

Notion of unbuildable, in my opinion, is about the gap between the professional life and the academic part of architecture. When this gap widens, we talk about unbuildable; when this gap narrows and the two overlap, the notion of unbuildable is lost. This is an understanding of where designing and building is neither mere profitability nor intensive theoretical research, but something in between. When a person reaches this state of in-betweenness, they can answer this question. In order to explain this state, I'll take a stance from my current perspective, from my work life. I did not follow my interest in academic studies, choosing instead to become a working architect. Being situated in the professional life and working as an architect forms one universe. This is Mars. Then there is also another universe where the academic life of architecture takes place. This is Venus. Professional life of architecture is from Mars and the academic one is from Venus.1 And I named their (imaginative) overlapping condition as the FRINGE. I have been trying to put myself exactly where this overlap is. As a result, the act of writing and working as an architect in professional life forms a new condition that overlaps these two universes. FRINGE can be defined as this blurring condition where the interaction with architecture is neither mere pragmatic nor intensive research, but something in between.

FRINGE AND GOODBYE

Another place where the FRINGE emerges as an important mediator is the transition from academic life to professional life or vice versa. The act of transition and redefinition of self complicates the process, removes any sense of adaptation and highlights the importance of the FRINGE as a mediator. FRINGE is not a passive act instead it requires your time and your dime. Finding your own FRINGE and then being able to make necessary time and space to reflect on architecture is not easy and this difficulty can ‘further’ encourage someone to quit architecture.

Here another question pops up. What makes someone quit architecture and can FRINGE help someone stay in architecture? Even though there is more diversity in the field of architecture, it is still exclusionary. Professional life demands long hours of work that disrupt work-life balance. Architectural education costs a lot of money. In the end, you spend more time than the time you spend on your architectural education just to earn the money you invest in your education. All these and more are the part of something much larger. Still, FRINGE can encourage us to stay in architecture during our early academic or professional lives. Perhaps it won’t be enough, but it is still something to begin.

I found my FRINGE in writing. It enriches my knowledge and encourages me throughout my professional life. At this moment I can only say that I hope you will also find your FRINGE!

In the beginning of this piece, I have put some letters that you may see as accidental. Those are the initial letters of some people that I know who quit architecture. Just some of them… I wanted to take this moment to express my deep appreciation for all their invaluable effort and guidance throughout the physical and emotional stress of architectural education and professional life. You all are already missed.

This is my humble goodbye to you

Goodbye Friends

Goodbye (sort of)...

Notes:
1. I borrowed this naming from a book. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (1992) by John Gray