The Architect's Purpose

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Hey Y'all,

Welcome to the 6th Episode of The Architect's Purpose Podcast!

This episode springboards of which the inaugural episode laid the groundwork by expanding on the original notion of the individual vs the collective, especially in the realm of quality.

On a macro level, this discussion starts off with the critique of the critic who intentionally espouses something bad. This is dangerous when there’s drones of people who only follow a consensus, fads, or what “experts” say, this can quickly turn into illogical fodder that serves no purpose for pushing individuals forward, which pushes society forward.

This fodder is peddled in the fountainhead by two main characters, Dominique Francon (later, Keating, Wynand, then Roark) and Gail Wynand, which have wildly different motives but the same result. In this discussion we compare and contrast the two of them.

Why is the Mona Lisa so popular? It is spectacular, no doubt, but is it worthy of its superb notoriety, or does it simply have the best marketing? This kind of value judgement really must come from within instead of without as we have a psychological proclivity towards wanting to be in agreement with others (of course, there’s extremes the other way)

This kind of sheer notoriety leads people to wanting copies of the past and not innovations into the future. It is perfectly culminated in the anecdotal story of the president of the Huawei company wanting an exact copy of the Gum (Russia) and Michel turning down the project for the sake of architectural integrity.

But what is architectural integrity? That also must come from within more than from without.

Of course, collaboration, learning, and expanding horizons is the only way to grow, but it must be taken through a careful lens, as everyone else is just as flawed as you, so who gives them supreme sovereignty over you as an individual?

The simple argument is this: only a voluntary collective of strong individuals can push society forward, and not the collective that makes individuals lives better.

This argument has its sides depth, both macro and micro, but the simple reality is this, life is experienced as an individual. You and me. That’s not some highfalutin academia handing down his solution to society online. This is about You and Me right now doing all that we can offline to better our lives.

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Hey Y'all,

Welcome to the 5th episode of The Architect's Purpose Podcast!

This episode is all about the man who built the Bauhaus: Walter Gropius. This titan of history is often overshadowed or, at best, not discussed enough that the average architects has heard about him, but this single person, set into motion, not only the industrial nature of our built environment, but also the pedagogy which sparked the idea of an holistic approach to education, versus a singular specialization.

When Gropius founded the Bauhaus (which is currently revered as a pinnacle of architectural education), there was no offering of architecture, but rather a study of all things that make us human: visual arts, dance, performance art, science, the study of materials, etc)

Even after the architectural courses were introduced, it required rigorous study of a broad range of architectural aspects before one could even begin designing a building.

Contrast this with some schools who just start off with a design project with no idea of how to research and study the problem.

Topics Discussed:

Walter Gropious

The life of Gropius

Gropius and Behrens (and Mies)

Great men have great relationship troubles

Mies couldn't of been Mies without Gropius

Bauhaus parties (Beaux Arts Ball)

The bauhaus was about the visual arts, performance art, dance, all it is to be human

Nobody had ever done

Industrial vs homey

Gropious’ life long struggle for workers housing

Frank lloyd wright usonian house

Dessau

Animal farm

We are still modeling what the bauhaus tried to do

Gropious created this environment that vitruvius  was talking about

Don’t be limited to just architecture

Architecture encompasses all other kinds of art

Taliessen of Frank Lloyd Wright vs bauhaus of gropius

-FLW tried to create copies

-G tried to create thinkers

Is suburbia the only option?

European ideology vs american ideology

Reinvent the american dream

Leon and Ron Krier

New Urbanism

Live-Work-Play- in the same communities

The birth of city zoning - modernism

Gropius’s Legacy

montgomeryborg.com/podcast

Don't Forget To Like and Subscribe!  Hey Y'all, Welcome to the 4th episode of The Architect's Purpose Podcast!  

This episode is all about the two main movers of the modernist movement: Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. These two twentieth century icons shapes architecture into what we have today. They are wildly different creatures, but also wildly similar in many ways. Join the conversation as we dive deep!   Topics Discussed: What are the similarities between Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson? Who's Roark and Who's Keating? The idea that the role of an architectural critic didn't exist until Philip Johnson Could the Barcelona Pavilion have been built without the Robbie House? Should furniture be prescriptive in the plan or flexible to be rearranged? Johnsons contribution to architecture was his mentorship All intellectual movements are a reaction. and many more...!    

Hosts: Montgomery Borg Architectural Designer Los Angeles, California montgomeryborg.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/montgomeryborg https://anchor.fm/meditationinquarantine 

Michel Borg AIA RID LEED AP Licensed Architect Design Director Page/ Dallas, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-bo...   

This podcast is based off of the class "The Role of an Architect in Contemporary Society" taught at the University of Texas at Arlington by Michel Borg. The class is structured by reading books and having a discussion of them. If you would like to read along, here's a list of the books below.  

Ep1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand  Ep2. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King  Ep3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson  Ep4. Architecture's Odd Couple by Hugh Howard  Ep5. Walter Gropius: The Man who Built the Bauhaus by Fiona McCarthy  Ep6. The Fountainhead: Revisited  Ep7. The Architect’s Suicide: A Fictional Account by R. M. Beckley   Ep8. From Bauhaus to Our House  by Tom Wolfe  Ep9. My Beautiful City Austin by David Heymann  Ep10. Four Walls and a Roof by Reinier de Graaf  Ep11. Complexity + Contradiction in Architecture  by Robert Venturi  Ep12. Building Art:  The Life and Work of Frank Gehry  by Paul Goldberger  What should we do after? Drop your book recommendations or topics in the comments

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Hey Y'all, This episode's discussion is all about the man who spearheaded the incredibly impossible achievement of constructing the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago's Jackson Park.   

This tremendous accomplishment, similar to Brunelleschi's Dome, is an event that nothing like it happened before, and will never happen again.   It's tasteful grandeur and incredible scale due to compounding factors of the recently unseen technological advances of the industrial revolution combined with the need to out do both NYC (a city that should have gotten the fair, and always talked down about Chicago) and Paris, who had blown the world away with the 1889 World's Fair (with its unveiling of the Eiffel Tower) Enjoy!  

Topics Discussed:  Olmstead is the true success of the White City 

The amazing accomplishment of the first Ferris Wheel

 4 Characteristics of a Successful firm 

Cheap Imitators Ruin Architecture 

Is Daniel Burnham more like Roark or Keating? 

Government oversight of the Fair Poor Ole Olmstead has everything set up against him What is the virtue of an exhibition? 

The Olympics are the modern day World's Fair Burnham's sheer force of will 

Compare and Contrasting Brunelleschi and Burnham

Hosts: Montgomery Borg Architectural Designer Los Angeles, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/montgomery-borg-397862169/ https://www.instagram.com/montgomeryborg/

Michel Borg AIA RID LEED AP Licensed Architect Design Director Page/ Dallas, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-borg-1470725/

This podcast is based off of the class "The Role of an Architect in Contemporary Society" taught at the University of Texas at Arlington by Michel Borg. The class is structured by reading books and having a discussion of them. If you would like to read along, here's a list of the books below.

Ep1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Ep2. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

Ep3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Ep4. Architecture's Odd Couple by Hugh Howard

Ep5. Walter Gropius: The Man who Built the Bauhaus by Fiona McCarthy

Ep6. The Fountainhead: Revisited

Ep7. The Architect’s Suicide: A Fictional Account by R. M. Beckley

Ep8. From Bauhaus to Our House  by Tom Wolfe

Ep9. My Beautiful City Austin by David Heymann

Ep10. Four Walls and a Roof by Reinier de Graaf

Ep11. Complexity + Contradiction in Architecture  by Robert Venturi

Ep12. Building Art:  The Life and Work of Frank Gehry  by Paul Goldberger  What should we do after? Drop your book recommendations or topics in the comments

This episode's discussion springboards with the first architect in European history, Filippo Brunelleschi. 

At the birth of the Renaissance, Brunelleschi solves the town of Florence's most awe inspiring problem: with technology lost to the dark ages, how to we put a dome over the main cathedral that has stood without a roof for decades and decades.   

Brunelleschi is a natural real world comparison to the previous episodes analysis of Howard Roark in the struggle for in an individual versus society.  Brunelleschi is constantly challenged by Lorenzo Ghiberti who is the perfect Keating to Brunelleschi's Roark. 

Ghiberti is always seeking the approval of others, and often changes his sculptures or designs based off of a passerby's comments.   

The question remains he same....should an Individual succumb to the masses?  The answer remains the same: Never.  Next, Modern contemporary comparisons in that of Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano to Howard Roark in that of keeping true to themselves and in that, the project, rather than worrying about the approval of others.  Then, The Ironic Importance of Competitions for Notoriety.  Finally, Doing an Addition? Do these three things.  

In case you missed Episode 1: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL7eP...  Enjoy!  

Topics Discussed:  Brunelleschi and Roark Parallels 

The Virtue of an Architecture Critic 

Brunelleschi vs Ghiberti 

How long do you have to continue to prove yourself? 

The Fist Patent Ever Was A Complete Failure

 Brunelleschi Defined The Role of an Architect

 Is the age of the Solo Architect Dead? 

Architecture as Structure - Renzo Piano Louis Kahn Frank Lloyd Wright 

Three Principles When Building an Addition 

The Value of International Competitions You Must Be Hones With Yourself To Be Free

Hosts: Montgomery Borg Architectural Designer Los Angeles, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/montgomery-borg-397862169/ https://www.instagram.com/montgomeryborg/

Michel Borg AIA RID LEED AP Licensed Architect Design Director Page/ Dallas, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-borg-1470725/

This podcast is based off of the class "The Role of an Architect in Contemporary Society" taught at the University of Texas at Arlington by Michel Borg. The class is structured by reading books and having a discussion of them. If you would like to read along, here's a list of the books below.

Ep1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Ep2. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

Ep3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Ep4. Architecture's Odd Couple by Hugh Howard

Ep5. Walter Gropius: The Man who Built the Bauhaus by Fiona McCarthy

Ep6. The Fountainhead: Revisited

Ep7. The Architect’s Suicide: A Fictional Account by R. M. Beckley

Ep8. From Bauhaus to Our House  by Tom Wolfe

Ep9. My Beautiful City Austin by David Heymann

Ep10. Four Walls and a Roof by Reinier de Graaf

Ep11. Complexity + Contradiction in Architecture  by Robert Venturi

Ep12. Building Art:  The Life and Work of Frank Gehry  by Paul Goldberger  What should we do after? Drop your book recommendations or topics in the comments

Hey Y'all, Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Architect's Purpose Podcast! 

Ep1. The Fountainhead By Ayn Rand This episode focuses on the eternal battle of:  The Individual vs The Collective  

The Fountainhead weaves a web of characters pushed to their most extreme versions of them selves, which in turn, represent our internal dialogue with the fight between the constant need for approval of others and our own self esteem.  It is absolutely crucial for us to act as individuals first, only then can we truly help the collective.   

Topics Discussed:  Is Roark all good and Keating all bad? Should be build in styles of the past? Cheap Imitators Ruin Architecture Should we design in plan or section? Can artificial intelligence replace the soul of architecture? How difficult is it to get your vision built? Don't depend on the opinions of others, that way lies insanity. Is technology making education worse?   

Hosts: Montgomery Borg Architectural Designer Los Angeles, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/montgomery-borg-397862169/ https://www.instagram.com/montgomeryborg/

 Michel Borg AIA RID LEED AP Licensed Architect Design Director Page/ Dallas, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-borg-1470725/  

This podcast is based off of the class "The Role of an Architect in Contemporary Society" taught at the University of Texas at Arlington by Michel Borg. The class is structured by reading books and having a discussion of them. If you would like to read along, here's a list of the books below.

 Ep1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand  

Ep2. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King  

Ep3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson  

Ep4. Architecture's Odd Couple by Hugh Howard  

Ep5. Walter Gropius: The Man who Built the Bauhaus by Fiona McCarthy  

Ep6. The Fountainhead: Revisited  

Ep7. The Architect’s Suicide: A Fictional Account by R. M. Beckley   

Ep8. From Bauhaus to Our House  by Tom Wolfe  

Ep9. My Beautiful City Austin by David Heymann  

Ep10. Four Walls and a Roof by Reinier de Graaf  

Ep11. Complexity + Contradiction in Architecture  by Robert Venturi  

Ep12. Building Art:  The Life and Work of Frank Gehry  by Paul Goldberger  What should we do after? Drop your book recommendations or topics in the comments