Ego Trippin

It constantly comes to the attention of many outside of the architectural world that architects themselves live lives that lie far and away from that of the lehman. We are told that we exhibit fanciful ideals and have personalities that endear us only to the most astute and resolute people imaginable, sitting in or own little bubble, blissfully unaware of the true meaning of life... X-Factor and Ashley Cole's next phone bill... I beg to differ! The one thing life is about, is harbouring relationsips! Friends, foes and partners, we architects are the only people which can appreciate the true intricacies that make these factors all tick!, be it sexual or just social. "So what" you say?

Well, let me enlighten you (or the brain receptors that shout BORED). Take the architect and client. More often then not, the architect cannot chose the client. It is something which to effect 'happens'. But how? We are introduced (one way or another), we socialise to gain a rapour and we fight at all costs to keep things amicable. One wants a building on the cheap and the other wants money to live the dream! All this is in the hope of securing that big pay day and project that will 'change the world.' Real life relationships are much the same, but in replacing the 'making money and image' bit, its all about enjoying ones company and changing their personal world's as opposed to that big blue thingy-magig in that big black space.

Ok, this is simple, agreeable or down right ridiculous you may say...and your probably right, but lets introduce a bit of spice with this dash of ego trippin. What happens when alcohol is thrown in the mix? In the case of the architect and client, two things can happen..you get drunk, let slip this and that, eventually leading to you jeopardising any chance of you being able to introduce to the world your take on Koolhass' Delirious New York in that tiny village of Symondsbury, Dorset. However, if things go well, you could be beginning the evening with not enough change to pay for Boris Johnson's transport service and ending it with a piece of paper which appears to be a contract of some description, but on closer inspection could even be a receipt for that strip joint 'your' client kept pestering you to go to.

Minus the contract, real relationships are much the same. In a drunken stupor, you are eaqualy as likely to have made a new acquaintance, shared numbers and commented on eachother's pin striped shirts as you are to have begun the evening with some close, decent friends and ended it with revealing that your mate, (not necessarily to their face) of x amount of years is actually a c**t (cheers Stella!!), and quicker then you can say 'hangover' and 'pass me the bucket' you no longer discuss the intricacies of life with each other, of which were a vital part of your existence for the last couple of years until that final Jäger bomb the previous night. So you no longer talk? What to do? How? When? Where? Why? Second things first, you go find another one. Another client that you can try and rub up the right way or another friend to you use their shoulder as a leaning post.

Before I go off in a sulk, realising that I am in fact the equal to a vertical kebbab and apologies to those who at the moment thing far less of me then that, i would like to pass on a piece of my mind that could either change your life or make you remember that you have already been to Belgium and there is no need to go again. Forrest Gump once said (no, not "stupid is as stupid does" although this can be applied) that "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." In the case of us architects, we actually do know what you get, but we are to busy living and breathing architecture to do anything about it. If we step of those very high and unwieldy horse's maybe we could effect life more as opposed to being affected by it...

Oh, and another thing, to those who keep constantly giving your opinion on matters that are at close to other peoples hearts. STOP RIGHT NOW!! They either don't care or they do care but they subconsciously don't, thus your wasting your time and stopping will allow you to live longer, smoke less a finish that Gabion Wall detail you've been working on!!