Tending to be an Architect of the Community

Inception
Looking around and observing, I conceived architecture to be just buildings and establishments. “What
else could it be?”, arouse in my young mind. That minor part of the vast dominion of architecture
fascinated me enough to decide on being an architect and opting myself for an architecture school. I have
been nurturing that dream of my young-self. My decision and intention to involve myself in building
something never got deviated. A lot of other creative fields have attracted me. I have indulged myself into
those and explored them having a firm grip on the aspiration to become an architect. That is how it all
started in my life, the foundation.

Growth
We grow with our society, surroundings and bonding. The foremost ingredients of growth being attached
to architecture can be found in the society. In most cases, in a very ordinary family evening, a gathering
after Jumma prayer or maybe after a chaotic discussion on politics at a very random kiosk, we can
experience the very basic yet most important instances of our social functions towards incorporating
architecture. We learn their needs, barriers, affluences and wants. Alongside the people of our society,
our surroundings, the environment enlighten us a lot. If we take a wall from our neighborhood, which had
a strong attempt of keeping it clean having written ‘No writings on the wall’ with large fonts still have a
lot of posters, marks, writings etc. on it. This instance shows us, it is not the instructions that they need,
it is the invitation they need. Reverse psychology might actually work pretty well in this very case. Giving
them a canvas as long as a wall can be actually bring in a great difference. These details that we get from
our surroundings help us to grow for being a better provider and a better absorber at the same time. To
fine tune these learnings, we emphasize on bonding. Any bonding that we have, increases a subtle value
in ourselves without us even knowing. This catalyzes the understating notion or the factor which helps to
mitigate any issue with utmost sincerity. Even sharing a bond with a straw dog in the neighborhood can
bring a lot of change which is very important. It actually helps us to think and further intervein that thought
into reality for the betterment. A bunch of such observation actually made myself think having the
intention to build something for the people is actually a very broad idea. That is where my growth belongs.
This growth allowed me to realize, architecture is for people which defines it is for the community. This
community might be a very under privileged community and vice-versa. Designing something and keeping
the aspects of the relevant community lies in one single string and there is literally no margin for error.

Timeframe design
Walking around is one of the greatest assets that we can keep in our experience bucket which helps to
mold the design into the right direction (Buschmann, 2012). That is where architecture begins. If I think
of a timeframe involving ten years down the line, I see myself as an architect who give value to the
community, who tends to be a community architect. It requires a great sense of responsibility, devotion,
a huge pile of knowledge, sensibility to be a community architect which is very difficult to achieve. Keeping
that as a goal infront of me, I would want to keep moving forward. Ten years is not an ample timeframe
in achieve that entirely. Being an architect, working for the community is what I would always want.
‘Working’ might include just being there for their needs, helping them achieve their goal, assisting them
in designing what they want etc. Often the architects fail to think for the community due to a lot of
legitimate factors which are not even negligible. To take solve those factors with utmost dedication would
be my motive. After this timeframe that I have been talking about, I would want to see myself to be
someone belonging to not one, not two but a number of communities. I would want myself to be a part
of them. So that, whenever I come into any interaction with these communities, the people of all those
communities feel that I am one from them. Through this I might achieve the ability to build a bridge of
proper communication. This is totally relative at the same time. Nothing can be stated with utmost
certainty.

Conclusion
Architecture should be a blending factor. Anything rigid should not be a part of any building process. Any
building process should have the ability and intention to adapt. As architecture majorly involves building
spaces for people, the designs should let the ideas of the users blend in to the design and technicalities as
well. This might bring a visible change in our society in terms of comfort, relationship, bonding and
environment, basically going back exactly where the analysis started. Through these observations
development can be brought closer if not in ample. These observations are what I would be hoping to
achieve in ten years ahead from now.

References
Buschmann, F. (2012). A Week in the Life of an Architect. THE PRAGMATIC ARCHITECT, 96.