The Architect’s Role
The architect is at the top of the building project hierarchy. To achieve optimal results, he must combine multiple factors into a single overarching scheme. His role is to orchestrate the work of planning and execution: he must commingle the homeowner’s needs and desires with the field conditions, construction laws, and budget limitations – all using meticulous planning, correct resource management, and strict supervision. All of these elements must come together to form a single creation that sends the right messages, and has the desired atmosphere, feel, and style. This is architecture in its full sense
Since ancient times until recently, the architect’s role has been all inclusive. Classical era architects, as well as their more recent followers, functioned as the heads of the building process hierarchy. The specialization and professionalization that characterize our generation have caused many traditional disciplines to split into many different sub-disciplines. This trend has done the architect’s profession a grave injustice, tearing pieces away from his authority, and leaving him weakened, constricted, and unable to perform his true function. We strive to restore the term “architecture” to its original meaning.
Even today, the architect can be "The Master Builder".
According to this perception, the architect must have knowledge of all aspects of construction, from basic construction principles to technologies, plumbing, electric systems and air conditioning to color theory, interior design, furnishing, material properties and advanced systems (security, communications, audio-visual systems, etc.). Even if, in practice, it is impossible for one person to be familiar with the complexities of all of these ever-changing systems and technologies, the architect must have comprehensive knowledge, and serve as a bridge to experts and consultants as needed.
The architect's work is a complex ensemble compromised of many details: functional planning, the building’s external appearance, interior design, and the integration of all required systems in accordance with the conceptual program. There is, therefore, no real separation between interior design and systems selection processes, and the planning itself – they are all parts of a whole, perfectly integrated to create architecture, in its full sense.
As we see it, the architect is the one most suited to supervise the execution of a plan, in all its details. As we learned from generations of experience, planning and execution are closely interconnected. Often, the constraints of execution require plans to be corrected and updated mid-process. The architect is able to resolve problems in the field without negatively impacting the result.