[GSBN] Square footage of straw-bale homes

[Graeme North]

Around here 5% of houses designed by registered architects  would be a generous figure - it is more like 4% and dropping.

Most houses here are designed by draughtspeople, some of whom do a great job, and many of whom have good design skills, but many do not have these skills as this is not part of their technician training.

So part of the answer to your question Derek, may revolve around the definition of an "architect".  It varies from legislature to legislature. In New Zealand it is not legal to call yourself an architect if you are designing buildings, unless you are a registered architect, but it is legal to call yourself an architectural designer with no training at all. Go figure.  Makes for splendid confusion. In other countries the word  " architectural" is also protected 

What influence architects have on overall house design is hard to say - but at a glance I would say not much in reality - possibly the influence spreads over maybe 15% of the market but I am only stabbing optimistically in the dark here.

When it comes to architect influence around expectations and choices around sustainable living I pessimistically think that up-front cost is by far a more important determinant - and having a house that fits self-image of status.   

Oh dear. 

Graeme
Graeme North Architects
49 Matthew Road
RD1
Warkworth
tel/fax +64 (0)9 4259305
 
graeme at ecodesign.co.nz
www.ecodesign.co.nz


On 14/05/2011, at 2:15 AM, Derek Roff wrote:

> --On Friday, May 13, 2011 8:27 AM +0930 Bohdan Dorniak <bdco at adam.com.au> wrote:
> 
>> Architects design something like 5% of houses; it may be less.
> 
> I appreciate the information and viewpoint that you are providing. I'm curious about the 5% figure.  Are you saying that no architect is involved in the design of the other 95% of the houses that are built? I thought that the large scale builders still employed architects.
> 
> I also wonder how you see the impact of architects' influence on the market, style, trends, and people's desires.  Every home that appears in Fine Homebuilding, Dwell, and other style setting magazines has an architect credited with the design.  All the high-profile homes, which other people aspire to imitate and copy, are designed by architects.  I can appreciate that an architect can't design buildings that the client doesn't want or won't pay for.  But the desires, dreams, and illusions of the masses and elites are coming from somewhere.  How do you see architects influence in the process of creating the image that people aspire to, and the expectations and choices around house size and sustainable living?
> 
> Derelict
> 
> Derek Roff
> Language Learning Center
> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
> 505/401-4608
> Internet: derek at unm.edu
> 
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