So “Reverse Crit” is a misnomer. Instead, the program was a one-sided pin-up session by the presenters. The students appeared much more comfortable regarding it a learning opportunity rather than a gauntlet thrown down before them by the professional community. There was absolutely nothing wrong in this.
The real value of the program resided in the opportunity to peek behind the curtain to see the inner workings of the projects. All three presentations highlighted the challenges faced by the designers, the multiplicity of their concerns, and how they resolved those issues architecturally. For example, the team at Scott | Edwards Architecture and PLACE are working to design Nueva Esperanza (“New Hope” in Spanish) as an affordable housing development attuned to the specifics of its site in Hillsboro and the diverse population it will be home to. 2fORM Architecture’s (with landscape architects The Satre Group) daunting task is to develop a richly detailed and context-responsive design for The Ponds within the strictures of a previously approved planned unit development (PUD) plan. Shannon Sardell provided a fascinating accounting of 5/4 Architecture’s contributions toward preserving the remnants of the country’s last early 20th-century electric trolley service still in operation today.
All three projects stressed the realities of the real-world design process and the dynamics associated with getting the job done. This latter aspect of the presentations was of particular interest to the students as it provided insight into how “book learning” translates to professional practice. Real clients and genuine issues are in play in all projects architects undertake, so exposure to that aspect of design can be revealing. My sense is the students genuinely valued hearing these skilled practitioners describe how they arrived at their respective design solutions, all while addressing a myriad of practical concerns.
The event concluded with AIAS conferring three awards, as selected by the meeting’s attendees through online voting:
- Most Sustainable Award: The Yakima Valley Transportation Company
- Best Contextual Fit Award: The Ponds
- Most Inclusive Award: Nueva Esperanza
If we are fortunate enough, next year’s Reverse Crit/Professionals’ Pin-Up will occur in-person so direct interactions with the students are possible. I may have graduated from architecture school decades ago, but I will always remain a student of architecture. At this year’s Reverse Crit, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how a few of my professional peers are harnessing their skills to produce the best possible results for the clients and communities they serve.
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