What’s the point of Architecture? – Part 2

To the credit of Mr. Sinclair, Architects for Humanity is making the first major challenge to the question “What is architecture supposed to be about?” since Walter Gropius taught us it’s all about the prestige, Le Corbusier taught us it’s all about the power, Mies van der Rohe taught us it’s all about the money and Philip Johnson taught us it’s all about the fame.

It’s obvious that architecture defined as prestige intellectual or artistic “expressions” has status value for clients and no particular value for humanity other than some rather elastic concept of “cultural capital”. Whilst I respect what Mr Sinclair is doing, I don’t understand why he feels the need to call his business the oxymoronic “Architects for Humanity” instead of just “Designers of Useful Buildings for Humanity”. If many people in the world need useful buildings then I hope he gets many built for them.

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