THE ROOM OF THE ARCHITECT
In the last decades, we experienced a relevant shift in architects´ role in society. We are no longer merely creators of space. We also proved to develop with success in many other different ways. The architect’s profile has been layered, ramified and gained complexity. We can no longer say that we create spaces, but platforms –physical, emotional or conceptual- from where to contribute to society in many other ways while giving room to explore what being an architect means.
What are the conditions of the space where we imagine architecture –as a platform- for the others? What is, eventually, the platform we have to provide ourselves? To dig deep into this question, we decided to analyse spaces created by architects for themselves. The critical reflection on the traditional room of the architect – how it has been differently understood in contemporary architecture – triggers our initial deliberations about the role of the architect in society today.
The students, distributed in pairs, analyse residential/working spaces designed by architects for themselves. Those spaces could be their homes, studios, or both together in a single entity. The selected case studies offer a wide range of architectural statements, spatial approaches, and construction methodologies formulated and tested over the last century. Each pair has to investigate and represent in a section model the interplay between a pair of opposed attributes identified in the case study, such as: inside/outside, intimate/extrovert, individual/common, massive/light, open/closed, fixed/movable, private/public, etc.
