17 Month Year
Design Solution for any Building
In the current world we live in, the design possibilities are endless for an architect. The designs that architects conjure up today have no limitations. In recent times, anything that is designed can be built because of new materials being discovered all the time. Areas that have proven that anything is possible are Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and more recently Qatar. The FIFA World Cup 2022 is being held in Qatar, and building of the stadia is on the way of being erected. These nations are known to use many migrant workers for the projects they fund.
It is, therefore, important for one, as a future architect, to be aware of the intricate parts of designing a building. This does not mean only the building. Architectural design should include everything that pertains to the project. This means that the architect is responsible for the choice of materials from the onset, except if there are to be exceptions such as the new theories that had to be developed for the Burj Al Arab, and other buildings. Thus, the building is designed from the foundation up, and it is important to have choices of workers that would have to be employed.
One of the first issues that need attention is the goals and the objectives of the building. It is important to understand what the client wants, and to interpret that correctly if any of the goals are to be set and met. It is easy if the project has a singular purpose. The purpose, the goals, and the objectives inform the design you are to create. From it can also be drawn the style of the building, although, as said, in the current era, this is not a limitation. The construction is also not a problem. Whatever you design can be built. However, the execution can present problems. If you need to create a specific type of foundation on which the walls or skeleton of your building will stand, you will need to be as innovative as possible.
One of the initial stages of design is to create rough sketches. These sketches can give an overall look and feel of the building, and can give an idea of what the structure might need even before the structural drawing are completed. These sketches can be developed, revised, and adapted for further improvement. Once the ideas have been thoroughly revised and developed further, the working drawings can be made from it. These drawing will include the specifications and the materials to be used. Here too, further revisions and adaptations could still be made, before the blueprints are produced.
Once the drawings are completed, the entire team for the project has to be assembled. The team, or teams that would consist of contractors need to be put in place. The contractors would include engineers, site managers, laborers, construction workers, and landscape architects. As a responsible architect, you should have some overview of the project as it grows (Gabrielli n.p). The architect remains the overseer until the key is handed over to the client.
One of the major roles that the architect needs to play in the design industry is to be a holistic problem-solver. Even if there are teams involved, the architect still needs to have an overall picture of what is happening on the ground. Issues such as the death of workers, is a concern for the architect. The architect should find ways to investigate the causes, as it might be a problem with the design. By having knowledge of the reason why the workers died onsite, future disasters could be avoided. If you are aware of the deaths of a country’s construction industry, you should be aware of the reasons, and prevent such incidents to taint the construction of your building.
In light of the difficulties faced by the constructions workers in Qatar, Zaha Hadid absolved herself from being responsible for the workers (Fairs, “Preventing migrant deaths,” n.p.). According to her, it has nothing to do with her, as an architect. Unfortunately, for her, it is the responsibility of the architect to ensure that the entire project runs smoothly, and without any glitches (not that a death is a glitch). It does not matter what the position is of the country where your building is being erected, the health, safety and welfare of the people on the team (your team, building your building) is your responsibility. You are responsible for a healthy working site for all. This is especially true for you, as an architect, as you would be aware of these issues from your training as well as your previous experiences.
Zaha Hadid must have been aware of the situation of the treatment of the construction workers before, and should have made sure it does not happen on her site. According to Fairs, “over 500 Indian migrants and 382 Nepalese nationals have died” on construction sites since the Country became the host f or the FIFA World Cup (Fairs, “Preventing migrant deaths,”n.p.). It is your duty, as an architect, to look into these matters, especially if it happens on your watch. Unfortunately, as an architect, you cannot look the other way, or pass your responsibility onto someone else such as the client, for example. In Hadid’s case, she passes the responsibility onto the government that is her client.
For an architect to prevent such situations to recur, it is important to investigate the reasons behind the reasons for the occurrences. It is important to be on the ground, if something happens so that you obtain firsthand knowledge of what happened, and see what can be done to improve the safety for workers. Meeting with your team regularly will ensure that you are aware that your building has safety standards and that the standards are being adhered to.
Again, the need is to adhere to your standards and not to that of the country where the building is being erected. The reason for this is that not all countries have the same high standards of safety, health and welfare of any workers for that matter. In this case, the Qatari situation was mentioned, but other countries have no safety measures at all. This does not mean that you need to be unconcerned or careless with the team working toward constructing your design. Fairs mention examples of architects who have spoken out about this problem. Richard Rogers, for example, stated clearly: “architects have a responsibility to society,” and “Daniel Libeskind called on architects to consider whether their projects are “legitimate”.” This is a clear indication that it is the architect’s responsibility to ensure that everything works well together to complete a project.
Rogers has, in particular, referred to the fact that architects have succumbed to greed, and hence, they are no longer concerned with their “duty to society” (Fairs, ”We Have a Responsibility to Society,” n.p.). It is, therefore, the responsibility of the architect to look out for society. As mentioned before, your reputation as an architect is at stake if you ignore the aspects that the previous era architects stood for. Designing a building is to keep in mind that you are involving more people than those in your office. It involves entire communities. As the issue here is around how one should solve the issue of construction worker deaths, it involves everyone that is there as part of the conception of the design (including the person who makes the tea), to the completion of the building. Respect for every single person involved, would allow you to ensure that the workers are safe. It is your responsibility thorough your team leaders, as well as through your onsite visits to see that things are being followed through on.
In conclusion, then, it is about learning form the previous groundbreaking architects, who placed people first. This will solve the problem, and the attitude that a migrant workers life does not mean much. It is your responsibility, as the architect, to see that workers are taken care of, and not the responsibility of the country where the work is being completed. It is your design that is being built, after all. Your reputation is at stake. You will have to deal with how many people died during the construction of your building. Hence, site meeting, coordination, and site inspections are a vital part of how you can prevent the deaths, or injuries of workers on your watch.
References
Fairs, Marcus. “Preventing migrant deaths at Qatar stadium site “not my duty as an architect”
says Zaha Hadid” Dezeen Magazine. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2016. <http://www.dezeen.com/2014/02/26/qatar-zaha-hadid-stadium/>.
Fairs, Marcus. “”We Have a Responsibility to Society,” Says Richard Rogers.” Dezeen
Magazine. N.p., 16 July 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2016. <http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/16/we-have-a-responsibility-to-society-says-richard-rogers/>.
Gabrielli, Julie. "Architecture." WBDG. N.p., 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.wbdg.org/design/dd_architecture.php>.
