Main entry:

Lewis, Roger K.

Title & Author:

Architect? : a candid guide to the profession / Roger Lewis.

Edition:

Third edition.

Publication:

Cambridge, MA : MIT Press, 2013.

Description:

xx, 325 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Notes:
First edition published in 1985. Second edition published in 1998.
I. To be or not be an architect? 1. Why be an architect? : Creative and intellectual fulfillment ; Contributing to culture and civilization ; Love of drawing without a computer ; Service to others ; Teaching ; A great profession for polymaths ; Money and lifestyle ; Social status ; Fame ; Immortality ; Fulfilling the dictates of personality ; Freedom to do your own thing -- 2. Why not to be an architect : Odds of becoming an architect ; Lack of work ; Competition ; Inadequate compensation ; Ego vulnerability: getting lost in the crowd ; The risks of envy ; Lack of power and influence ; Anxiety, disappointment, depression ; Personal encumbrances ; Lack of aptitude ; Lack of passion and dedication ; Legal and financial risks ; Disillusionment -- II. Becoming an architect. 3. The structure of architectural education : Degree pathways ; Curricular content ; Design ; History ; Technology: structures, materials and methods of construction, environmental and energy technologies ; Working digitally ; Management ; Historic preservation ; Electives ; Travel and study abroad -- 4. Experiencing architecture school : The first year and workload shock ; New values, new language ; Competition and grades ; Pencilphobia ; The culture and community of architecture school ; Being judged: a right of passage ; Other traditions and experiences -- 5. What professors, and architects, profess : The professors: scholars and researchers, designer-practitioners, designer-theoreticians, student advocates, student adversaries, young (or old) Turks, good ol' boys and girls, logicians, techies, obfuscators, zealous leaders, laid-back leaders, separatists, inscrutables, venerable heroes ; Some -isms and -ologies: formalism, functionalism, historicism, technology, deconstructivism, symbology, sociology and psychology, methodology, ecology, sustainability, regionalism and vernacularism, urbanism -- 6. Architecture schools: choosing and being chosen : Preparing for architecture school ; Choosing schools: location, program type, reputation, resources, cost, students, faculty, program ethos ; The admission process: the portfolio, interviews, reference letters, grades, essays, exams for admission, timing, financial aid, admission odds -- 7. After school, what? : Internship ; Becoming a licensed architect ; Continuing education ; Further studies ; Traveling ; Teaching ; Work in related fields ; Abandoning architecture -- III. Being an architect. 8. The building process and the architect's role : How projects get built: need, site, development costs and financing, design and design approvals, engineers and other design consultants, brokers, attorneys, construction contractors and managers ; Role-playing ; Users and the community -- 9. How architects work : Manual and digital drawing ; Physical models built manually or digitally ; Writing ; Reading and researching ; Meeting and talking ; Calculating ; Client contact ; Government reviews and approvals ; Consultants and coordination ; Working digitally ; Construction phase services ; Organization within architectural firms ; Diversified services ; The goals of architectural firms -- 10. How architects get work : Getting the first job ; Economic conditions ; Territory ; Types of markets and clients ; Selecting architects for projects ; The direct approach ; The indirect approach ; The interview ; Joint ventures ; Architects as contractors, construction managers, and developers ; Design competitions ; Free services -- 11. Architects' clients : Household clients ; Real estate developers ; Corporate clients ; Entrepreneurs ; Institutional clients ; Government clients ; Citizens and the community as clients -- 12. We who are architects : Architects as types ; Idols and adulation ; The faces of an evolving profession -- On becoming an architect -- On being an architect.

Summary:

"Since 1985, Architect? has been an essential text for aspiring architects, offering the best basic guide to the profession available. This third edition has been substantially revised and rewritten, with new material covering the latest developments in architectural and construction technologies, digital methodologies, new areas of focus in teaching and practice, evolving aesthetic philosophies, sustainability and green architecture, and alternatives to traditional practice. Architect? tells the inside story of architectural education and practice; it is realistic, unvarnished, and insightful. Chapter 1 asks "Why Be an Architect?" and chapter 2 offers reasons "Why Not to Be an Architect." After this provocative beginning, Architect? goes on to explain and critique architectural education, covering admission, degree and curriculum types, and workload as well as such post-degree options as internship, teaching, and work in related fields. It offers a detailed discussion of professors and practitioners and the "--Isms" and "-ologies" most prevalent in teaching and practicing architecture. It explains how an architect works and gets work, and describes architectural services from initial client contact to construction oversight. The new edition also includes a generous selection of drawings and cartoons from the author's Washington Post column, "Shaping the City," offering teachable moments wittily in graphic form. The author, Roger Lewis, has taught, practiced, and written extensively about architecture for many years. In Architect? he explains -- for students, professors, practitioners, and even prospective clients -- how architects think and work and what they care about as they strive to make the built environment more commodious, more beautiful, and more sustainable."--Back cover.

Resources:
EBSCOhost

ISBN:

9780262518840 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
0262518848 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
(electronic bk.)
9780262316583
9781461938002 (electronic)
1461938007

Subject:

Architecture Vocational guidance United States.
Architecture Orientation professionnelle États-Unis.
Architecture Vocational guidance.
United States.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 283844
Call No.: BIB 222282
Status: Available