Ask an Architect

As the weather cools and summer winds down, a new season of social events is kicking off. At some point during the stretch between college homecomings and holiday parties, which will fill your living room with extended family in festive sweaters, you’re bound to meet someone who answers your polite “So, what do you do?” with something unexpected.

When you shake hands with your second cousin’s new fiancé at the town’s fall festival this year and he tells you he’s an architect, don’t panic. We ask you to resist the urge to blurt out the first stereotype that comes to mind and consider what this left-brained thinker might have to offer.

When you shake hands with your second cousin’s new fiancé at the fall festival this year and he tells you he’s an architect, don’t panic.

Instead of asking why we’re wearing all black, inquire about our accessories.

Granted, not every architect owns an all-black wardrobe, but we do have a peculiar affinity for blacks and grays. Once you’ve gotten over your initial shock that we appear more aptly dressed for a funeral than a festive social event, we hope you’ll notice that our monochrome outfit provides a great backdrop for our unique accessories.

We take time to ensure the things we own and wear represent our personalities, even the little things - brightly colored socks, an unconventional watch, bold glasses, statement jewelry. Ask us about any of these items and we’ll launch into the story of how we discovered it, whether from a cool new startup by our designer friend, or from the local shop you pass on your daily commute but never had a reason to step inside.

Bonus: You’ll get some great gift ideas for your friend who already has everything.

We hope you’ll notice that our monochrome outfit provides a great backdrop for our unique accessories.

Please don’t ask us if we know who Frank Lloyd Wright is (we do). Ask about the project you’ve been reading about in the news, or the construction site that affects your commute to work.

We don’t expect you to keep tabs on the portfolios of all the currently-practicing architecture firms but, we also know that you don’t really care about Frank Lloyd Wright, nor do you know anything about him besides his name.

Our profession is so much broader than what’s been relegated to the history books, and I can guarantee that some part of your built environment is currently affecting you. Ask us about it. We may be able to tell you something interesting about the new high-rise that just broke ground, explain why the construction site you pass every day is progressing too slowly for your liking, or give our opinion on the recently-installed contemporary art sculpture in your town hall’s front yard.

Bonus: Shiny glass skyscrapers are only one small part of what architecture is. Does it bother you that the neighborhood kids hang out in the grocery store parking lot instead of the playground? We might have some ideas you can take to your next community meeting.

Our profession is so much broader than what’s been relegated to the history books.

Instead of asking about the Empire State Building, ask where we take our out-of-town guests.

Every place has landmarks, whether it’s New York City’s Empire State Building or the still-standing home of your town’s founder that are documented as destinations you must see when visiting. There’s only one problem with these places: after you’ve visited once, you probably don’t have much interest in going back.

As architects, we gather research for new projects by paying attention to existing spaces all around us. We enjoy seeking out new places and are constantly on the lookout for inspiring designs. Ask us what our favorite places are and we’ll become a tour guide for your city of choice. Every art museum may seem the same to you, but we’ve probably visited our local museums frequently enough to tell you which is the best one to take your sister when she visits with her two young kids and which is better saved for a sophisticated date night. We can tell you about best-kept secrets like the top-floor conference room at the local hotel that offers fantastic views. And when we do talk about places you can find in travel guides, you’ll know that the ones we enjoy are the ones that are truly worth your time.

Ask us what our favorite places are and we’ll become a tour guide for your city of choice.

Instead of asking about work at all, ask about our favorite restaurants.

You may think it is unconventional to ask an architect about food, but as creatives, we share an appreciation for all kinds of other crafts (including music and art, so feel free to ask about those too). Plus, the experience of a restaurant isn’t exclusively about the food. When we go to a new restaurant, we’re taking note of the noise level, how crowded it is, how comfortable the chairs are, the level of service, the quality of lighting, and the overall atmosphere of the place -- all before our appetizers have arrived.

As such, we’re pretty good at distinguishing which cafe is private enough for meeting with a potential business partner. We can suggest a restaurant for your cousin’s birthday dinner that has bright enough lighting for your uncle who forgot his glasses to read the menu, and a number of entrees that are sure to please both your vegan in-law and allergy-ridden nephew. If you’re looking for a bar to meet up with a group of old college friends, we’ll suggest a place with great drinks and large enough tables for you to all pull up a seat and share stories from the good old days. I promise, we’ll also tell you which restaurants have great food.

Ask us about our passions (and don’t be surprised when we tell you architecture is one of them).

This could be a potential conversation starter for anyone, regardless of profession. We spend forty (or more) hours at our jobs every week, but they don’t consume our entire lives. At first, we may tell you that architecture is our passion. We wouldn’t dedicate so much of our lives to the profession if we didn’t legitimately enjoy it. But if you ask us what else we truly enjoy doing, we’ll happily tell you all about our family, friends, and hobbies.

Many famous architects are almost as well known for creative work on a much smaller scale. Remember our friend Frank Lloyd Wright? Not only did he design numerous well-known buildings, he also often designed the furniture that filled them and the stained-glass windows that decorated them. Tadao Ando was a boxer, Frank Gehry designs jewelry, Zaha Hadid debuted a line of shoes, Louis Kahn designed a boat made of concrete. Whether we’re telling you about playing in a softball league on weekends, or explaining how we generated the shape for the wooden frame of the glasses you asked about earlier, we’ll be so appreciative you expressed an interest in us, and not just our job.

Bonus: You might realize we’re not that different from you after all.

We spend forty (or more) hours at our jobs every week, but they don’t consume our entire lives.