Architects get inspired by other designers' work.
While the ethical architect does not copy, it would be disingenuous to say we aren't affected in some way or another (even if only at the subconscious, intuitive level) when we see the work of other architects. Sometimes it's details, sometimes scale, sometimes proportions. Sometimes it's just how someone else solved a problem, addressed a condition, that we have faced ourselves. At the very least, architects (and designers, in general) are a strongly visual group.
This is where Pinterest, my latest Internet obsession, comes in. For those unfamiliar with the site (www.pinterest.com), Pinterest starts from the premise that when you see something interesting on the Internet, you "pin" it to one of your boards. Appropriately enough, the artifact indicating your pin is an image. That image generally serves as a link to an outside website.
Think of it as magazine clippings meeting your Internet Explorer Favorites on steroids. What is valuable to the designer is the treasure trove of imagery and design that has already caught someone else's attention enough to merit being pinned to one of their boards.
My Pinterest design flirtation started innocently enough. I would seek out images of the work of the late John Hejduk, or maybe see what David Adjaye was up to. The progressed into a trip through the works of other, lesser-known, architects whose work I likely would never have heard of otherwise. if you're wondering what I mean, visit my Architecture board. Check out the work of SB Architects. Or the beautiful, modern Signal Shed cabin by Ryan Lingard.
I will warn you, though. Like Facebook, Pinterest can be a time-consuming black hole, an addiction to which can make you forget you have friends, family, even pets. Don't overdo it!
While the ethical architect does not copy, it would be disingenuous to say we aren't affected in some way or another (even if only at the subconscious, intuitive level) when we see the work of other architects. Sometimes it's details, sometimes scale, sometimes proportions. Sometimes it's just how someone else solved a problem, addressed a condition, that we have faced ourselves. At the very least, architects (and designers, in general) are a strongly visual group.
This is where Pinterest, my latest Internet obsession, comes in. For those unfamiliar with the site (www.pinterest.com), Pinterest starts from the premise that when you see something interesting on the Internet, you "pin" it to one of your boards. Appropriately enough, the artifact indicating your pin is an image. That image generally serves as a link to an outside website.
Think of it as magazine clippings meeting your Internet Explorer Favorites on steroids. What is valuable to the designer is the treasure trove of imagery and design that has already caught someone else's attention enough to merit being pinned to one of their boards.
My Pinterest design flirtation started innocently enough. I would seek out images of the work of the late John Hejduk, or maybe see what David Adjaye was up to. The progressed into a trip through the works of other, lesser-known, architects whose work I likely would never have heard of otherwise. if you're wondering what I mean, visit my Architecture board. Check out the work of SB Architects. Or the beautiful, modern Signal Shed cabin by Ryan Lingard.
I will warn you, though. Like Facebook, Pinterest can be a time-consuming black hole, an addiction to which can make you forget you have friends, family, even pets. Don't overdo it!
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