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The LICA Building, home of the Lancaster School of Architecture
One of the skills the architectural profession needs is being
comfortable with risk and uncertainty
by originality, overcomes everything.” Where the idea of ‘radicality’ comes in, partly inspired by the history of Lancaster University, is from the idea of being concerned with fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter (the origin of ‘radical’ is the Latin radix, meaning root). We see this as a willingness to seek new ways rather than repeating what has happened before, but it is also a challenge to look for solutions beyond the typical professional boundaries, and be more open to different ideas and influences from outside architecture. Maybe being ‘radical’ is simply about asking the different, or awkward, questions, or challenging the status quo and rejecting the commonly held ideas.
Skilling a new generation With respect to architectural education, it then becomes necessary to ask ourselves two key questions – both linked but different: what knowledge/skills will an
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architect in this new, changing world need to have? And what is the profession itself going to look like? We would argue that, in a rapidly changing world, one of the skills the architectural profession needs to have is being tolerant of not knowing all the answers. In other words, being comfortable with risk and uncertainty, and there are two interesting corollaries arising from this. The first is about teamwork. We should no longer promote the myth of the omniscient architect as visionary leader and lone genius, but rather recognise them as a team player (in an often extensive and interdisciplinary team of professionals). For architects who are used to leading, being part of a more collaborative design process with a far flatter hierarchy can require a significant cultural shift. It also requires an ability to be willing to admit to what is not known, and to encourage or seek input from others. As design, procurement and construction processes become ever more complex and fragmented, the need for strong team- building skills can make all the difference between achieving design goals or not. The second corollary concerns research. Future architects will need the skills to discover things that are not yet known by anyone. This is where research skills come into play: it is about more than simply finding creative solutions for design problems, but rather being able to rigorously and methodically
investigate an issue with the aim of creating new knowledge about it – for example a new method of installation – which can then be generalised and shared among the profession. Some of the ideas underpinning ‘radical creativity’ go hand in hand with attributes such as flexibility and agility. Finally, we arrive at the ‘with a conscience’ part: this is about design being grounded in the real world, and for all people, not just those who, in the past, have been able to afford an architect’s services. It is about design for the wider public (so inclusive design is very much part of this), and with values of society at its core. In the manifesto produced by Architecture Education Declares, they describe the “intrinsic link between ecological breakdown and social injustice” and it is true that we are becoming a far more unequal society than ever before, with differences found along class, race, age, gender and geographic lines. If concern for others is a core principle of the RIBA's Code of Professional Conduct, and if our practice is able to ameliorate some of these inequalities, surely this should also be at the heart of all our endeavours. And so, we end up with ‘Radical Creativity with a Conscience’ – what is your motto?
Ruth Dalton is professor of architecture at the Lancaster School of Architecture
ADF MARCH 2020
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