ARCHI- MISCONCEPTIONS

Whats this blog about?
Yes Architecture. Okay, there is is myopic conception that its about buildings alone and that architects design buildings right? Wrong! Let me clarify what architecture really is so you may gain a wider perspective of the subject.

Architecture is about the origin,creation, birth, formation, growth, death and rebirth of anything that constitutes life or that affects life on earth. It is not a static phenomenon but an ever changing dynamic process that should result in making life better for the inhabitants of this planet.

Architecture is about Nature, the Universe, the sun , moon and stars without which there is no life. Its about Earth , Wind, Fire and Water, the four elements involved in the making of dwellings for every living creature. The beehive, anthill, rabbits lair, mole hill ,birds nest and fish ponds are not different from houses, towns and cities simply because they also shelter life. From the the patterns of clouds in the sky to the pattern of the variant leaves, the butterfly wing and the tortoise shell, these are indeed architectural styles in different cultures of life. The process by which a tree grows is much the same as that by which a building rises from its foundations in construction. The principle by which the Baobab tree stands tall is the same by which the Empire state building stands.

Architecture is about man, his life and time, his interactions as a social being, his desire to create a better world, to achieve beauty, balance ,comfort and happiness. Architecture is about transformation in this world. It is about belief and hope.Foundations of homes all start with a belief and a hope that they would be lived in. Foundations of forts are built with a belief that they will protect just as the great reformers believed and hoped that their endeavors would change society. This makes Mandela, Martin Luther King, Kwame Nkrumah, Ghandi architects just as Frank Llyod Wright, IM Pei, Frank Gehry or Norman Foster. Other architects are Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,Henry Ford, Leonardo Da Vinci and Mozart, Michael Jackson and Mother Theresa. They brought something new to peoples lives . That is the primary role of an architect.
Obama is therefore the finished structure standing on the foundations that Martin Luther King Jnr and others built. He is the dome over that temple in which African Americans took 400 years to build.

Finally,Architecture is like a religion. A way to honor God in which every act of designing is worship. This is only achievable through Love and Passion to improve the existing.

So dear reader you also are an Architect, if your daily thoughts and actions serve man, respect , preserves and improves other Lives.

Any more questions?

Architecture is Life itself.