Practice+ is a series of panel discussions about contemporary architectural practice. Hosted by MIT 4.222, the Professional Practice course, each panel will investigate a particular, critical, timely, and urgent question facing architectural practice today.
10:00-12:00 pm, Long Lounge/7-429

Panelists:
Moe Finegold, Finegold Alexander Architects
Chris Grimley, OverUnder
Liz Minnis, DCAMM

“Why should I hire an amateur when I can hire a professional?”

“Why does this RFP say that I need to have done five libraries already?”

“I care about big ideas, but I care more that an architect can deliver on them.”

Architects are hired for the unique and innovative thinking they bring to a project. We are also hired to design that project on time and on budget. How does the balance between “fresh ideas” and the authority that comes from experience play out in the realm of architectural practice?

What really qualifies an architect to undertake a particular project? Is a trusting relationship more important than one’s experience in a particular type of project? How do we even measure “qualifications” within the more subjective realm of design? Have so-called “Design Excellence” and “Qualifications Based Selection” frameworks been helpful? How do younger architects avoid the disadvantage presented by a society in which prior experience is highly valued?