A Golden Age

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

My career has spanned a period of significant advancements and achievements in the field of architecture. Whether these qualify the period as a “golden age” for the profession is my own subjective judgement, but I know the magnitude of those advancements and the sociocultural circumstances in which they arose allowed me to flourish. My good fortune is to have lived and worked during this time and not during another when being an architect may not have been an option for me.

Historians most usually define golden ages by contrasting them with adjacent periods. They look at the past and note that in a specific time and place there was more production and innovation than before and after. Thus, a golden age typically refers to a period of great prosperity and cultural achievement in a particular society, civilization, or field of endeavor. It is often associated with a time of extraordinary accomplishments, advancements, and overall well-being. Optimism, abundance, and cultural refinement are marks of a golden age.

Being able to witness and experience firsthand the groundbreaking ideas, creations, and innovations that shape society during a golden age is inspiring. It is energizing to feel connected to a time of exceptional significance in human history, one that provides a unique perspective on the cultural, social, and intellectual development of a society. It can foster a sense of pride, identity, and belonging to a generation that contributed to remarkable advancements and achievements. In my life, the Space Race culminating in the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 was such an achievement.

There is no doubt architecture also experienced momentous changes, mostly for the better, since the day I first stepped into an architectural office back in 1978. Some of the notable developments include the advent of computer-aided design (CAD) and then building information modeling (BIM), the growing emphasis on environmentally conscious design practices, greater cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, and innovations in urban planning, transportation design, and the development of smart cities. The years since 1978 have also witnessed an explosion in architectural theory, stylistic and philosophical diversity, and the arrival of some truly iconic projects that captured the public’s attention.

I have been a beneficiary of these changes. While I didn’t exactly start by producing design drawings on stone tablets, it almost seems as if I did, so great is the chasm between the means I had at hand back then compared to today’s digital tools. The range of concerns I must address as an architect has certainly broadened greatly and contributed to increased complexity in the work that I do, but it also means the projects I worked on over the years progressively became more inclusive, more respectful of their environmental impacts, and better tailored to the needs of the users.

From a more personal and culturally narrow perspective, I have also been a beneficiary of historical circumstances. Had I been born as part of my parents’ generation or earlier, the obstacles in the path to me becoming an architect would have been formidable. Most prominent among these obstacles would have been racism and a lack of economic opportunity. Of course, systemic racism remains a problem, but it was many orders of magnitude worse before I was born. I have not lived through a prolonged monetary crisis like the Great Depression, nor have I directly endured the horrors and deprivations of a world war. I grew up in a halcyon time, mostly free of stress and existential concerns, during which I had the freedom to choose any career path I wanted.

Conversely, I am not sure if I were much younger and only now embarking upon my life as an architect whether I could look forward to a new golden age in the coming decades. Given the current trajectory of global challenges, I doubt it. There are simply too many signs pointing toward the opposite: social fragmentation, economic disequilibrium, and of course climate change. You can accuse me of being a climate “doomer,” and it is true I do despair about the planet’s future, but my overriding fear is the degree to which the climate crisis will come to overwhelm all other human concerns. Architects will play a role in mitigating its effects, but their efforts will not otherwise contribute to a Renaissance-like flowering in architectural design and discourse because our species has bigger fish to fry. Another golden age is simply not in the cards anytime soon.

The troubles in the years to come will be overwhelming, so much so that I am thankful people will not be counting upon me to help address them. I do have great faith in the drive and talents of young people and their stubborn desire to realize a better future than the one I imagine. By necessity, they express hope in the face of immense insecurity and uncertainty.

The years between when I joined and when I do leave the profession will neatly bracket a period I am most privileged to have been a part of. I know how fortunate I am. I have enjoyed the fruits of what for me has truly been a golden age in architecture. I will leave it to future pundits to determine whether history will likewise deem it so.