Architecture: Sexiest profession of all!

There has been this general discussion in the office about buildings (Duh! It’s an architectural firm) and how sexy they can be on a scale of 1 to 10. 

Okay, maybe I am taking my creative liberties a bit too far. I am usually the one who describes the said building as “sexy” and everyone just looks at me like… What? O.o 

In my defense, I put up a well-articulated argument saying “it’s a North Indian thing”. (Is it not?) 

Anyway, it made me think, “I need to educate people on the sexiness of a building.” But also, “architecture is a sexy profession”. 

(Okay maybe I have used the word sexy more than I think I am allowed to…)

Architects are well spoken and are amazing conversationalist.

Don’t you just love talking to people who can string a few words properly and hold a conversation till the stars start to dim? Architects are amazing at that. Being able to convey an idea and requirements is literally one of the few things essential for an architect. 

Architects are highly creative but also extremely practical.

There has to be something amazingly attractive about someone who can calculate the bending moment of a beam but at the same time just design something that defies all structures and gravity. The duality of the two aspects of architecture, the creative and the practicality has not only confused the public but architects themselves. Always contemplating if “Form Follows Function” or if Form could itself be a function? 

It is paradoxical and so in such madness architects often contemplate if they are engineers or designers. 

I would say we can also be called Managers. And that takes me to another point. 

Alpha (Fe)males 

Now architecture is often called (by architects themselves) Jack of all trades. Which is true, we need to know everything there is to know about a building, from the design to construction, plumbing, etc. Basically details detail and details. 

Devil is in the details and it often gives us hell. But we don’t need to do it all alone. And so we often outsource, which means managing a bunch of people so they work in perfect sync and deliver a memorable piece of art in architecture. 

Well dressed. 

Though there is this myth that architects are obsessed with the color black, snazzy eyeglasses and caffeine (I don’t know where it came from exactly). We are actually not so easily described. With the amazing knowledge of rhythm, harmony, color scheme and balance architects are one of the best-dressed people. But we often don’t really have time to dress up so only do so on special occasions. 

Commitment. 

It is not easy to be running to several sites a day and then be back to prepare drawings, manage a bunch of people while at the same time thinking about the ongoing design. 

One needs an enormous amount of grit, multi-tasking abilities and a 25th hour in a day. But most of all it needs commitment. 

Architects are one of the most committed people. And not everyone can have the type of grit to keep up with it. 

Isn’t a person totally committed amazingly sexy? (Even if their commitment is towards their work).