While perusing one of the online blogs I frequent daily (A daily dose of architecture) I realized that as the author (John Hill) is currently putting together a book on new architecture in New York he had stumbled across an occurrence that made me pause for a variety of reasons. While compiling a list of projects Mr. Hill had asked for his reader's to help out and suggest a few projects. The interesting part wasn't that quite a few projects unknown to Hill were suggested by his readers instead what was interesting was that it was incredibly exciting to see a wide variety of newer projects, ones that may not have gotten much press. To be fair quite a few smaller projects allow designers to take some chances with form or material or program layout, etc. and don't get the exposure or recognition they really deserve.
And here is where I wonder about local application.
Now, by no means do I profess to know everything about what is going on in Cleveland when it comes to architecture. In all honestly I wax and wane between paying attention and wanting to ignore the whole situation. I wouldn't at all mind though knowing exactly what was built or renovated in the last year just to see if anything interesting had indeed occurred.
I don't think I would be the only person interested in the information. I would even suggest that if a list was provided or created that there would be enough archi-nerds to take photos and post them online and maybe even offer us some critical non-snarky commentary, which, in my opinion, would be rather amazing.
So, what would be the best way to go about this? One option is asking the City of Cleveland Building Department for a list of projects that filed for Occupancy Permit and then sort out the smaller residential projects, etc. to get the list down to an interesting and manageable sort.
The other option would be to ask all the firms in Cleveland to help list all their recent projects. This is a little unfair because the projects would undoubtedly undergo some sort of scrutiny to make sure they reflected a specific image for the firm instead of seeing and learning about all the projects that make up the fabric of the city.
Of course perhaps this is already being done and I am completely unaware of it. If that is the case I hope some nice person will inform me. I have seen older blogs that had started and then stopped for various reasons but nothing recent.
Celebrating local architecture should be paramount to informing the public about what hiring an architect adds to a project (in quality, not cost) and can be best done by showing the wide variety of projects (types, styles, etc.) that are being done locally. Attempting to intelligently converse about these projects may not only inspire practicing architects but perhaps those looking towards a new career path. Perhaps discussions of this sort could even help further the disparate but all slightly connected branches of design and create a cognitive culture within the city. I know this is all waxing poetic but lets be honest, the city would be more creative seeming and interesting if this were to take shape, or form, or exist. There are so many interesting ways of solving problems (something designers are specifically trained for in various ways) that existing in an insular self-referential fashion does nothing for one's own experience or knowledge let along for creating the best product/project solution possible.
Sigh, dare to dream, eh?
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