MID CITY STUDIO

     Architects have a complicated role in regards to the profession of design. While it is our responsibility as designers and community partners to provide a comprehensible and suitable solution for the client, a lot of the time individual’s personalities and desires for a project overshadow the actual needs of the project. While it would be great to design whatever we liked, in all practicality, this is not possible. There are two main categories for which we design: wants and needs.While projects typically fit primarily into one of these categories, it is not to say that there is no overlap. It is important to state at this point that I am not speaking of ethics or morality when I say wants and needs but to the physiological and psychological impact that the shelter can provide.

     In the case of our specific client, it is unclear to state at this point whether this is a need or a desire from the community’s point-of-view. From the perspective of the students, this is a much a need to fulfill a class requirement as it should be a want to improve something outside of our studio culture.