One of the most persistent complaints among architects concerns media attention to the so-called “stars.” The rap, a deep-seated unhappiness that so much attention is lavished on a very few, concerns the tiny sliver, perhaps 1 percent of all architects, who dominate the architectural airwaves. Why, the lament goes, do those familiar faces gobble up all the oxygen in the room and hog all the attention? Why do they get the plum jobs? Why not, the remarks imply, pick me?
Often their work seems willful or unrealistic, while your responsible work is bathed in regular, laborious effort to meet client needs or match excruciatingly tight budgets. They, it appears, inhabit a rarified realm of travertine and stainless steel, while your own projects may feel weighted down with the limits of concrete block. Repeated emphasis on individuals diminishes the role teamwork plays in contemporary practice; one-off, spectacular buildings draw attention away from careful urban planning. The list of complaints drones on, but it comes down to this: They get the glory, you do the work.
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