The Joy of the Profession

The following is lifted from a fascinating New Urbanist professor (massengale.typepad.com, if you’re interested.) All in all, it’s a pretty good explanation of how the whole construction industry works – especially on the single-family side. This should help explain both why cities look like they do and why I’m obsessed with the economic side of the environment.

It’s still kind of hard to explain at a cocktail party (see Romancing the Profession below.)


"In New Urbanism, we talk about different types of clients: the Patron, the Client, the Builder and the Buyer. The Patrons are the people who buy custom houses from Frank Gehry, sharing with Frank in the creation of a work of art.

The Client wants some of that process, but doesn't have the budget for a Gehry or Koolhaas building. Most young architecture practices get their work from Clients: if they succeed in becoming famous, they move up to having Patrons, with their almost unlimited support for the Starchitect and his budget.

The Builders build most new construction. Their budget is strictly controlled by their profit margin. Their architecture is governed by their market. Some Builders are also Patrons, but most view architects as a commodity no different from all the other consultants and contractors with whom the Builder negotiates.

The Buyer buys from the Builder. The architect rarely meets the Buyer. They Buyer is not a partner in the creation of a work of art. The Buyer is an unknown person who may move in 12 months, to be replaced by another Buyer.

The poor are buyers with no money and no leverage. They are the last people we should be experimenting on."